Anders,
I did Addis - Bahr Dar - Gondar - Addis back in May, which I found to
be adequate for the amount of time I wanted to spend outside Addis
(left on a Monday morning, returned Thursday afternoon). I plan to
cover Lalibela and Axum the next time I go back. Not that I wanted to
be away from Addis for safety reasons et al, just that all of my
friends and family are there and wanted to spend more time with them.
All of the places are a must-see if you have the time!

As for finding seats, your best bet is to deal with a travel agency in
Addis Ababa as they can best assist you with your search. Also,
looking up ADD-Bahr Dar on Amadeus (http://www.amadeus.net), while a
number of flights are full, there are still a few with room.
December-January is high season for the historic route as many
Ethiopians who live abroad do visit home during those months, and this
route is very popular!

One thing I would like to suggest is that you take a pack or two of
cheap pens with you to give out to kids. I found it surprising that
kids in Bahr Dar and Gondar don't beg for money, but appreciate small
gifts like pens!

Also, check out this site: http://www.skyviewtravel.com as you may
find it useful


Nisse PowerMan wrote in message ...
Yesterday I phoned Ethiopian Airlines and tried to book the Historical
Route for a roundtrip in January 2005 (3.5 months to go).

Many legs were fully booked and some were even closed, not even
waitlisting was possible!

I'm quite surprised.

Any with experience from the Ethiopian Domestic network?

Is there any hope for a full roundtrip?

And what are the best places to see? Can you number them?

I planned;

Addis
Bahar Dar
Gonder
Lalibela
Axum
Addis

What places to skip out if I can make a choise?


/Anders