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In Ethiopia with a Mule
An account of a gruelling journey through remote and hostile regions of Ethiopia, alone except for a pack-mule. Originally published in 1968.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
40 people are currently reading
916 people want to read
About the author
Dervla Murphy
52 books280 followersDervla Murphy’s first book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, was published in 1965. Over twenty travel books followed including her highly acclaimed autobiography, Wheels Within Wheels.
Dervla won worldwide praise for her writing and many awards, including the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing and the Royal Geographical Award for the popularisation of geography.
Few of the epithets used to describe her – ‘travel legend’, ‘intrepid’ or ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’ – quite do justice to her extraordinary achievement.
She was born in 1931 and remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, Palestine, conservation, bicycling and beer until her death in 2022.
Dervla won worldwide praise for her writing and many awards, including the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing and the Royal Geographical Award for the popularisation of geography.
Few of the epithets used to describe her – ‘travel legend’, ‘intrepid’ or ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’ – quite do justice to her extraordinary achievement.
She was born in 1931 and remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, Palestine, conservation, bicycling and beer until her death in 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 27, 2020
Dervla Murphy started her travelling career in 1965, travelling from Ireland to India on a cycle. After this, she travelled to many different places and is now one of the renowned travelogue writers. In Ethiopia with a Mule is her fourth book in which she visits Ethiopia and takes a trek through the largely rural areas of the country. With her is Jock, a mule she picks up at the start of her journey.
Murphy travels through the mostly underpopulated areas of the country and depends on the hospitality of the locals to survive through her journey. She faces physical hardships, indifferent hosts, and outright theft. Despite this, her love for the country and its inhabitants seemed to conquer all.
The book mostly covers Murphy's trip and is chock full of descriptions of the scenery and its beauty. She also describes in detail her reception at every single settlement where she rests on her way forward. Unfortunately, after the first time, it begins to bore. If you have heard of the beauty of blue gum trees and the hardships faced by her once, it's more than enough. Murphy, though, believes in lengthy descriptions of every single moment of her trip, which is often neither enlightening nor entertaining. It does not help that Murphy's writing style is dry and unemotional.
There are some interesting moments in the book. I specifically enjoyed the celebrations of Jesus' baptism, the story about the rogue priest, and the brief history of Ethiopia. But mostly, the book was just the same thing with mild variations of the same theme told in different words. I think I infinitely prefer travel books where the writer is actually staying in a particular place for a while, getting to know some of the local people and gets a better understanding of the local culture. I am beginning to find 'ships that pass in the night' style of travelogue extremely wearing.
Of course, this book is very well written, with wonderful prose and excellent descriptions. It is bound to give a lot of people a good return for their time. But not me. Ultimately, it depends on why you read a travel book: some read it for the adventure, some for the eloquent descriptions of the scenery, and others (like me) to enjoy learning about a different culture. The latter style should mandatorily involve at least a few local characters in a key role in the narrative. If it's just about the author, it's not really worth my time.
I do want to read a couple of other books by Murphy, specifically the one set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. I don't think that can be made boring. Or can it? I'll have to see. I also want to read about her experience in India, if only to see what her experiences in my country were like. But her Ethiopian journey has been very boring.
Murphy travels through the mostly underpopulated areas of the country and depends on the hospitality of the locals to survive through her journey. She faces physical hardships, indifferent hosts, and outright theft. Despite this, her love for the country and its inhabitants seemed to conquer all.
The book mostly covers Murphy's trip and is chock full of descriptions of the scenery and its beauty. She also describes in detail her reception at every single settlement where she rests on her way forward. Unfortunately, after the first time, it begins to bore. If you have heard of the beauty of blue gum trees and the hardships faced by her once, it's more than enough. Murphy, though, believes in lengthy descriptions of every single moment of her trip, which is often neither enlightening nor entertaining. It does not help that Murphy's writing style is dry and unemotional.
There are some interesting moments in the book. I specifically enjoyed the celebrations of Jesus' baptism, the story about the rogue priest, and the brief history of Ethiopia. But mostly, the book was just the same thing with mild variations of the same theme told in different words. I think I infinitely prefer travel books where the writer is actually staying in a particular place for a while, getting to know some of the local people and gets a better understanding of the local culture. I am beginning to find 'ships that pass in the night' style of travelogue extremely wearing.
Of course, this book is very well written, with wonderful prose and excellent descriptions. It is bound to give a lot of people a good return for their time. But not me. Ultimately, it depends on why you read a travel book: some read it for the adventure, some for the eloquent descriptions of the scenery, and others (like me) to enjoy learning about a different culture. The latter style should mandatorily involve at least a few local characters in a key role in the narrative. If it's just about the author, it's not really worth my time.
I do want to read a couple of other books by Murphy, specifically the one set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. I don't think that can be made boring. Or can it? I'll have to see. I also want to read about her experience in India, if only to see what her experiences in my country were like. But her Ethiopian journey has been very boring.
May 21, 2019
As usual with a Dervla Murphy book, a realistic and no nonsense explanation of her time. Although with an element of strangle thoughts, written as she thinks it, for example:
"This fertile region should be prosperous, yet nowhere else have I seen such poverty and disease. Most of the children are pot-bellied, covered with infected scabies and suffering from either conjunctivitis or trachoma, and many of the adults are coughing tubercularly or trembling malariously. Six people have shown me festering wounds because everyone imagines that faranjs carry unlimited medical supplies"
Writing like this makes it easy to read.
For me, thoroughly enjoyable. 4 stars.
"This fertile region should be prosperous, yet nowhere else have I seen such poverty and disease. Most of the children are pot-bellied, covered with infected scabies and suffering from either conjunctivitis or trachoma, and many of the adults are coughing tubercularly or trembling malariously. Six people have shown me festering wounds because everyone imagines that faranjs carry unlimited medical supplies"
Writing like this makes it easy to read.
For me, thoroughly enjoyable. 4 stars.
December 1, 2021
When asked why she wanted to visit Ethiopia, Murphy couldn’t exactly say why. It could have been the stories that she heard in her childhood of the Queen of Sheba and the history of the country named Abyssinia. It was a difficult country to explore and those that did make it there sent back reports of a mountain empire that told of its beauty, danger, solitude and mystery.
Her first glimpse of the country was from the boat she was arriving on and after she passed through the long process of immigration and customs she was ashore. She found somewhere to stay and drank five pints of talla, a light highland beer. After a nights sleep, she tried the staples of Ethiopia, injara and wat before taking a walk around the city. The plan was to walk across the highlands of Ethiopia, but walking uses a different set of muscles to cycling and carrying a heavy bag turns her feet into a bloody mess.
After a failed attempt, she was taken to a place where there were six mules to choose from. The one she picked was a docile animal who she could handle well. She called him Jock after a dependable friend. Learning how to load him was to be a steep learning curve and finding the correct equipment for Jock a few days after she departed would be a blessing. She was looking forward to this trip very much, but the locals were concerned that she would be attached by the shifta, the local criminals of the region.
It was blissful to be on my own again – alone in a region that looked more grandly wild and felt more utterly remote than anywhere else I have ever been.
Even though she was bored by geography when at school, she found her niche when travelling and this trip was just the sort of thing that she needed. There are good and bad days, reading about her robbery is unsettling as the punishment given out to her attackers is equally grim. She develops a strong affection for the highland people and their way of life and likes to listen to the calls they make across the thin mountain air as she walks with Jock.
I liked this book a lot. Murphy is a stubborn traveller who will not be dictated to by anybody when she has made her mind up. This belligerence is not insensitivity to the people around her and that she meets on her walk with Jock across the highlands of Ethiopia, but it helps her overcome her internal fears about what she is doing. Her descriptions of the landscape are what makes this particular book for me, the harshness has its own beauty that she conveys really well.
Her first glimpse of the country was from the boat she was arriving on and after she passed through the long process of immigration and customs she was ashore. She found somewhere to stay and drank five pints of talla, a light highland beer. After a nights sleep, she tried the staples of Ethiopia, injara and wat before taking a walk around the city. The plan was to walk across the highlands of Ethiopia, but walking uses a different set of muscles to cycling and carrying a heavy bag turns her feet into a bloody mess.
After a failed attempt, she was taken to a place where there were six mules to choose from. The one she picked was a docile animal who she could handle well. She called him Jock after a dependable friend. Learning how to load him was to be a steep learning curve and finding the correct equipment for Jock a few days after she departed would be a blessing. She was looking forward to this trip very much, but the locals were concerned that she would be attached by the shifta, the local criminals of the region.
It was blissful to be on my own again – alone in a region that looked more grandly wild and felt more utterly remote than anywhere else I have ever been.
Even though she was bored by geography when at school, she found her niche when travelling and this trip was just the sort of thing that she needed. There are good and bad days, reading about her robbery is unsettling as the punishment given out to her attackers is equally grim. She develops a strong affection for the highland people and their way of life and likes to listen to the calls they make across the thin mountain air as she walks with Jock.
I liked this book a lot. Murphy is a stubborn traveller who will not be dictated to by anybody when she has made her mind up. This belligerence is not insensitivity to the people around her and that she meets on her walk with Jock across the highlands of Ethiopia, but it helps her overcome her internal fears about what she is doing. Her descriptions of the landscape are what makes this particular book for me, the harshness has its own beauty that she conveys really well.
August 3, 2012
A good read and an interesting journey. Sometimes felt it was a guide on how not to travel due to all her mistakes and stupidity. Story lost its heart once Jock left but I'm glad he didn't have to lug all her unnecessary items around Ethiopia.
March 2, 2023
7.7/10
April 22, 2021
The actual hardback of this one was older than I am so it is a bit like time travel combined with actual travel. She is a tough cookie and went through huge trials including being robbed several times, attacked by police, not to mention food, water and sleep shortages. A journey I would rather take vicariously, but she has done it so I don't have to (not that I could go back to the 1960's if I wanted to). I definitely prefer her early work to her later, she is political but doesn't rant on about it quite so much.
September 19, 2010
This is the second travel account I've read by this author. I am so impressed by her physical fortitude and willingness to sleep and eat as the native people she meets on her journey. Her descriptions of remote landscapes will stir the travel bug in anyone. I feel a bit sad that Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan (in Full Tilt), and Ethiopia are quite out of the question for me as travel destinations because of political and social unrest. Dervla Murphy has incredible courage and determination. I would love to meet her and her daughter (who accompanies her in three other books that I haven't read yet). That would be a great motivation to visit Ireland (her homeland) again.
June 2, 2014
I don't know how I managed to leave this in "to read" when I actually read it several years ago. It is one book I would gladly read again. Dervla Murphy travels through Ethiopia alone, relying on the kindness of strangers and her impressive ability to drink people under the table and ride off into the sunrise the next morning. While this journey is physically taxing, and Murphy is robbed three times and often exhausted, she ends with the same cheerful optimism and quietly cynical love for fellow man that make all her books a joy to read.
July 1, 2022
Murphy visited Ethiopia in the 60's, and her observations reflect the era both in terms of the political landscape and development of Ethiopia, and her own condescending (though generally benign) views of the Ethiopian highlanders. That said, she was quite the adventurer. Her accounts of making her way over cliffs and winding through gorges, climbing and dropping thousands of feet, all left my head spinning. It made me want to witness the landscapes for myself, even the most bleak and remote.
August 18, 2025
Dervla Murphy in the sixties was a fearless traveler, and in this case, she travels to Ethiopia, mere years after Eritrea’s war for independence, where she hikes over a hundred mountains and crosses a thousand miles, most of it with her mule, Jock. I was amazed, most of all, by her can-do confidence, her willingness to get into it with hostile priests, criminal shifta, and local gun people who try either to curb her activities or take advantage of the faranj in some way. She won’t have it.
Along the way, Murphy is aided by the patronage of Haile Salassie’s oldest granddaughter, Her Highness Leilt Aida Desta, whose mere name opened doors, and to the worn, written chit from a friendly colonel early on, which also meant she was accompanies by many resentful villagers and low-ranking soldiers wherever she went, no matter how much she insisted she could go alone (although she sometimes evaded her escorts). Everywhere Murphy went, villagers hosted her with wot and injara, to varying degrees depending on their relative poverty, and she seemed well supplied in a grain beer.
Murphy was intrepid and charismatic cultural guide, and the journey was pleasing. She did characterize Eritreans and certain Ethiopians in certain unflattering ways. For example, she said they were all very grateful to the Italians for the roads and telecommunications they were able to produce within three years, and as for the cruelty and force they employed through their colonial yoke, this was nothing more than what Ethiopians expected from people, and in fact, made the Italians less strange than other foreigners, so gratitude took the place of bitterness or post-colonial analysis and resistance.
Who am I to say? Jock sounded like a terrific mule. Satan the Donkey seemed like a pale replacement.
Along the way, Murphy is aided by the patronage of Haile Salassie’s oldest granddaughter, Her Highness Leilt Aida Desta, whose mere name opened doors, and to the worn, written chit from a friendly colonel early on, which also meant she was accompanies by many resentful villagers and low-ranking soldiers wherever she went, no matter how much she insisted she could go alone (although she sometimes evaded her escorts). Everywhere Murphy went, villagers hosted her with wot and injara, to varying degrees depending on their relative poverty, and she seemed well supplied in a grain beer.
Murphy was intrepid and charismatic cultural guide, and the journey was pleasing. She did characterize Eritreans and certain Ethiopians in certain unflattering ways. For example, she said they were all very grateful to the Italians for the roads and telecommunications they were able to produce within three years, and as for the cruelty and force they employed through their colonial yoke, this was nothing more than what Ethiopians expected from people, and in fact, made the Italians less strange than other foreigners, so gratitude took the place of bitterness or post-colonial analysis and resistance.
Who am I to say? Jock sounded like a terrific mule. Satan the Donkey seemed like a pale replacement.
November 3, 2025
My growing fascination with Ethiopia has been on hold a little since discovering that given the civil situation the likelihood of my being able to explore much beyond the cities is pretty slim. Luckily I came across this book in a charity shop in Ludlow for the princely sum of £1.50 and it proved to be the next best thing.
The star rating is simply in tribute to the writer herself, who demonstrates such chutzpah, bravery, perseverance, stamina, as well as insight that it would be uncharitable to offer anything else.
It is not always the easiest of reads but the privations she suffers are veritably balanced by the sheer joy she manages to share, and thus inculcate, about her subject. Murphy develops a fondness for the highland people by staying with them, benefiting from their hospitality but also sharing what little she has when she can. Travelling with her one’s reward is a sense of what everyday lives are like, the residue of the Italian occupation – not all bad – the real problems of disease, malnutrition, poor education, bureaucracy and officialdom, corruption and thievery. Despite these problems the people are shown to be on the whole generous, respectful and intriguing.
Only a couple of things that irked me somewhat was firstly that however intrepid Murphy was, she could not load her mule. I never really understood why not, and it seemed an unfortunate impediment. Secondly, there was not too much on the Emperor and his regime – only the occasional comment. This might have been Murphy being diplomatic, or maybe, as I suspect, it wasn’t what interested her the most. It would, however, have been enlightening to understand the views of the people she encountered.
The star rating is simply in tribute to the writer herself, who demonstrates such chutzpah, bravery, perseverance, stamina, as well as insight that it would be uncharitable to offer anything else.
It is not always the easiest of reads but the privations she suffers are veritably balanced by the sheer joy she manages to share, and thus inculcate, about her subject. Murphy develops a fondness for the highland people by staying with them, benefiting from their hospitality but also sharing what little she has when she can. Travelling with her one’s reward is a sense of what everyday lives are like, the residue of the Italian occupation – not all bad – the real problems of disease, malnutrition, poor education, bureaucracy and officialdom, corruption and thievery. Despite these problems the people are shown to be on the whole generous, respectful and intriguing.
Only a couple of things that irked me somewhat was firstly that however intrepid Murphy was, she could not load her mule. I never really understood why not, and it seemed an unfortunate impediment. Secondly, there was not too much on the Emperor and his regime – only the occasional comment. This might have been Murphy being diplomatic, or maybe, as I suspect, it wasn’t what interested her the most. It would, however, have been enlightening to understand the views of the people she encountered.
April 4, 2023
The trip that Dervla undertakes is dangerous and foolhardy, just like all her other trips, and yet somehow she gets through relatively unscathed. While I would never copy her route (the descriptions of leeches and thick mud are enough to put me off) I do enjoy reading about her travels. Dervla is unique in the sense that she travels like a local - walking with a mule and staying in the homes of local people every night. I do wonder how she feels accepting food from these people who often do not have enough to eat themselves. I appreciate her no-nonsense approach to storytelling and how rational she is - not many people could sit smoking while bandits discuss whether or not to murder you! While I did not enjoy this quite so much as ‘Full Tilt’ it’s still an informative read that I recommend
September 18, 2024
An easy read and amazing account of a courageous woman navigating Ethiopia with her donkey, often without any tracks or maps. I admire her eagerness to stay with the Ethiopian people in their villages, often providing them medicine and sleeping with a roomful of people. She was also robbed several times, but she wasn’t discouraged.
I chuckled when she described charging a ‘yellow eye’ (that she assumed was a leopard about to attack Jock - her donkey) with a piece of firewood that turned out to be Venus.
I chuckled when she described charging a ‘yellow eye’ (that she assumed was a leopard about to attack Jock - her donkey) with a piece of firewood that turned out to be Venus.
December 7, 2019
I am not sure how I would have rated this book had I not returned from Ethiopia just before reading it. Having been there, I can attest to the accuracy of the author's descriptions of both landscape and people, and I did enjoy reading it. I do admire the author's bravery, but as a literary endeavor, I am less convinced of the books merits.
September 11, 2022
This book takes you on an eye-opening journey, introducing you to experiences beyond belief. The more I got to know Dervla, the more I admired her courage and unexpected sensitivity. I am so glad I read this book although not my usual choice. I'd like to read more of her many books about her travels.
October 17, 2025
Dervla Murphy 1931-2022, book originally written in 1968 and no doubt life in Ethiopia has changed a lot in nearly 60 years since then. A fascinating and difficult journey. As others said, it was quite repetitive, but how could it be otherwise, she was trudging along through difficult terrain, largely feeling ill with pain or dysentery or other ailments.
June 6, 2022
eloquent, clear, articulate and beautiful account
From a brave, intrepid woman having great adventures traveling through very difficult country, discovering not only the treacherous paths but the people whose primitive lives are mostly better off that way despite dire poverty
From a brave, intrepid woman having great adventures traveling through very difficult country, discovering not only the treacherous paths but the people whose primitive lives are mostly better off that way despite dire poverty
January 20, 2024
Another enjoyable epic journey from Dervla, covering approx. 1000km on foot, through some extremely harsh terrain. As with the previous books I've read, I like her attitude and ability to write about some very significant challenges with a nice dry bit of humour.
October 1, 2019
A capital travel book!
December 23, 2019
Interesting book, well written and good description of the landscape. Really enjoyed it.
Read
February 10, 2021Enjoyed the details of the people an way of life but it got a bit long winded with mundane things
January 2, 2022
Her descriptions were beautiful, but her recounting of ‘intrepid travelling’ feels dated. Might be more interesting if I had stronger ties to the region.
May 23, 2022
Wonderful escape read. Well written and engaging.
September 30, 2025
A great insight into the culture and expectations of people, visitors and residents, of Ethiopa in the 1960s.
October 5, 2018
Ms. Murphy certainly took the advice of Julie Andrews when she sang, “Climb Every Mountain!” Her stamina is immense and fear nonexistent. Though I’ve not been inspired to go hiking, I do now fancy having a mule. I enjoyed the book enough to potentially read it again although I did not find her imagery excellent. I couldn’t visualize the surroundings as well as I’d have liked. However, I just watched the movie, “African Spirit,” about Ethiopia and can see it all now. One reviewer said the book was awful after Murphy and Jock go separate ways. I disagree. First of all, there are only 20 pages left after that and second of all, some very good laughs came after that. I look forward to reading another book by her!
January 6, 2020
I liked this book, and every moment of reading! Even more than her books about India and Tibet... A great Woman! Thank You!
December 10, 2012
My second reading of this travelogue after a few years, and still 5 stars. Why? Maybe because it is a trip through Ethiopia a number of years ago that I would never ever attempt in a million years, by a very gutsy woman, who encounters royalty, poverty, thieves, hunger, insane trekking, ancient churches, and amazing scenery and comments on it all in her wry and funny way. She writes sympathetically about the Ethiopian culture, its various races, seems to truly connect with the people she meets along the way, despite not knowing the language at all at the beginning. And there's Jock, the wonderful mule, and his hilarious counterpoint, Satan, the mule who takes over when Jock can go no more (but Dervla still can! not sure how!)
March 25, 2016
Dervla Murphy is best known as a cyclist, but some of her most intrepid journeys have been made on foot with a pack animal (see also Where the Indus Is Young and Cameroon with Egbert). This was her first foray into Africa, written back in the 1960s when I imagine Ethiopia was a very different place. Her fearless (some might say foolhardy) sense of adventure is on show here, as is her wonderful way of capturing people and places.
August 15, 2011
Another splendid tale of bravery and intrepid travel by this courageous Irish woman in her 40s - humerous, exciting, and it provides a REAL insight into how the tribal people of Ethiopia live.
A damn fine read
A damn fine read
October 17, 2013
Easy, unintentionally funny read. Her favorite adjective in the book is "filthy." If you live in Ethiopia, you'll relate to some of her frustration. It's interesting to have a view during the time of the emperor.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews