Our years of experience and extensive network of local partners can help you build your dream trip from the endless possibilities of Ethiopia. We’ll talk through your ideas, give you some suggestions, set it all up and advise on travel, kit and preparation, so that you get the Ethiopian adventure you’ve always wanted.
Best Of Ethiopia
Best Of Ethiopia Tour
Transportation
Flight and Drive
Duration
16 Days and 15 Nights
Accommodation
Hotels and Lodge
Discover the wonders of an ancient land where nature, culture and history are equally magnificent. There is no other place in sub-Saharan Africa where one can enjoy great wildlife and landscape photography and combine it with extraordinary cultural experiences. Ethiopia has all of this and more: the awesome landscapes and wildlife of the Bale and Simien Mountains National park, the spectacular cranes and other water birds of the Rift Valley Lakes and the palaces of Gondar, home of many of Ethiopia’s kings and emperors. Our special Ethiopia wildlife photography tours combine all of these wonders this package touches the living rock hewn churches of Lalibela, the fortress of Goner, the dramatic landscapes of the Simien Mountains. In the southern part of the country, , you will witness and learn the meaning behind age-old customs and rituals that remain an integral part of everyday life in this region, Isolated for millennia from the rest of the world, the beautiful Omo Valley is home to an exciting mix of many small and distinctive tribal groups. Amongst others, we find the Karo, The Arbore, the Mursi, and the Hamer — all of whom have retained their own unique customs and traditions. Lifestyles are as varied as the tribes themselves. Lacking any material, culture and artifacts common to other cultures, these tribes find unique ways in which to express their artistic impulses. Both the Surma and the Karo, for example, are experts at body painting, using clays and locally available vegetable pigments to trace fantastic patterns on each other’s faces, chests, arms, and legs. These designs are created purely for fun and aesthetic effect, each artist vying to outdo the others.
Tour Highlights
- Visit three UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Vibrant city of Addis Ababa
- Wildness of Bale mountain national park
- Explore the birding paradise of Great rift valley
- Abijata Shalla Nationa park
- Lake langano , lake Hawassa and lake chamo
- Meet varies ethnic groups at least 7 tribes
- see the elaborate hairstyle and personal adornment
- visit color full and exuberant African market
- Discover the magical castles of Gondar
- Dramatic landscape of Semien mountains national park
- Walking activities ( bale Mountains and semien Mountains)
- Numerous specious of birds and wildlife
- Be amazed by a visit to the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, one of "the living wonders of the world"
- Attend an Ethiopian coffee ceremony and culinary
Detail Itinerary
Day 1.
Addis Ababa
Guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to our hotel. You will have some free time to rest up from jet-lag after checking in. This afternoon, enjoy a city sightseeing tour. First stop is at the magnificent Trinity Cathedral. Continue to the National Museum, close to the University of Addis Ababa Graduate School, which houses numerous antiquarian relics and archaeological artifacts showing the history of Ethiopia from prehistoric times to the modern day. Its most famous exhibit is a replica of the 3.5-million-year-old skeleton of 'Lucy', then drive to merkato to see the biggest open air market in east Africa. Overnight: Nexus Hotel , Addis Ababa
Day 2.
Lake Langano (Rift valley lakes)
Just south of Addis Ababa the road leads down to the bottom of the Great rift valley where a row of interesting lakes are found, the rift valley lake harbor a great natural diversity but are also very important for the local economy, the area is particularly interesting for birder, en route visit lake koka and lake ziway, after lunch drive to Abijata-Shalla national park, a pleasant walk round the headquarter for some abundant wildlife. Overnight: Sabana Beach resort, Lake langano
Day 3.
Bale Mountains National Park, Dinsho
After breakfast drive to Bale Mountains National Park. Ethiopia’s second-highest mountain range contains one of the richest habitats in the country's alpine heights. It is the best place for viewing a broad cross-section of Ethiopia's unique wildlife, including Ethiopian wolf, rare mountain nyala, giant forest hog, cape hyrax, colobus and vervet monkeys. The park is home to more than 282 bird species, plus another 170 migratory birds pass through. Keep an eye out for nine of Ethiopia's 16 endemic species that reside here, including blue-winged goose, spot-breasted lapwing, yellow-fronted parrot, Abyssinian long claw, Abyssinian catbird, Bale parisoma, Ethiopian siskin, fawn-breasted waxbill and the Abyssinian owl. Bale was one of the last regions of Africa to attract serious scientific exploration, and it remains sufficiently out of the way even today that few travelers make it here in comparison with the Simien Mountains. The park’s main attractions are its wild alpine scenery, particularly on the Sanetti Plateau that rises more than 13,000 feet above sea level. Keep an eye out for our first glimpse of Ethiopian wolf en route to the lodge, as they are often seen from the road. Overnight: Shebelle Hotel, bale Goba
Day 4.
Sanetti Plateau and Harena forest
Spend the full days exploring the wild wonders of the Sanetti Plateau and Harenna Forest. This vast highland region is the world’s largest expanse of Afro-alpine moorland, a montane habitat with an average elevation above 13,000 feet. The plateau is renowned for supporting the largest remaining population of Ethiopian wolf, which we hope to spot on wildlife drives in 4x4 vehicles. A walk atop the plateau reveals exhilarating views all the way to the Harenna Forest, one of the most extensive natural forests remaining in Ethiopia. At the southern end of the plateau, the Harenna escarpment affords an astounding view over the forest well over a mile below us—deeper than the Grand Canyon. This forest, far denser and more varied than the juniper woodland around Dinsho, has a similar appearance and composition to the forests found in other East African mountain landscapes. Though we're unlikely to see them, lions live in this densely wooded region. Overnight: Shebelle Hotel, bale Goba
Day 5.
Hawassa
After further scanning in the bale mountain national park, dive to Hawassa, you will be arriving in Hawassa late afternoon check in to resort, Later you can walk along the lake shore for aquatic bird watching and sunsets. Overnight: Haile Resort, Hawassa
Day 6.
Drive to Arba Minch
Today drive to Arba Minch (in Amharic it means “40 springs”), located in a beautiful setting at the foothills of the Rift Valley escarpment and overlooking Lake Abaya and Lake Cham. In the afternoon we visit the Dorze village, known for their weaving culture which is reflected in their beautiful cotton clothes, fences, and beehive shaped bamboo huts. Men weave and women spin. Each Dorze bamboo house has its own small garden surrounded by beds of spices, cabbage and tobacco. Their staple food is Kocho, made from the false banana. The evening is free to enjoy the amenities and spa services of our lodge while taking in the breathtaking view over the two valley lakes. Overnight: Haile resort, Arba Minch
Day 7.
Lake Chamo / Konso Village / Turmi
In the morning, take a remarkable boat ride on the southernmost Rift Valley lake of Ethiopia, Lake Chamo. One can spot many hippos and giant crocodiles, and the scenery is truly unforgettable. Fishing for Nile perch and many other species by locals on their traditional boat is by far the best in the country. We can also watch various lowland water birds like the African Fish Eagle, Great White Pelicans, and egrets. Leaving Lake Chamo behind, we visit the Konso village where we enjoy lunch. The cultural landscape of Konso is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is comprised of stone-walled terraces and fortified settlements in the highlands stretching back 21 generations (more than 400 years). Konso is known for its religious traditions, waga sculptures and nearby fossil beds. Overnight: Karo & Hamer Villages
Day 8.
Drive to Arba Minch
Today’s drive takes you to Koricho, a settlement for the Karo Nilotic ethnic group, famous for their body paintings. They are also one of the smallest tribes in the region with an estimated population between 1,000 and 3,000. They paint themselves daily with colored ocre, white chalk, yellow mineral rock and pulverized iron, all-natural resources local to the area. This is an elaborate process, which ranges from fine details to rough, but striking paintings traced with the palms or fingers. The Karo people also scarify their chests to beautify themselves by cutting with a knife or razor and rubbing ash into the wound to create a raised effect. In the afternoon, we visit the Hamer tribe, whose women are known for their striking appearance, adorned with ochre-colored hair hanging in a heavy fringe, leather skirts decorated with cowries, and many copper bracelets fixed tightly around their arms. The men are noted for the initiation ceremony of jumping over bulls. Below Karo & Hammer Tribes. Overnight: Buska Lodge, Turmi
Day 9.
Dassanech Tribe / Ari Village/ Jinka
This morning travel closer to the Kenyan border to visit the people of the Dassanech tribe. We cross the Omo River, one of the major rivers of the country that drains into Lake Turkana of Kenya, to visit one of the villages of the Dassanech tribe (meaning “people of the delta), who are the southernmost people of the country and are known for their scarifications. Over time the tribe absorbed a wide range of different people and it is now divided into eight main clans. Each clan has its own identity and customs, its own responsibilities towards the rest of the tribe and is linked to a particular territory. Continue with our drive to Jinka, the biggest town in the Omo region In the afternoon visit the Ari people, the biggest group in the Omo region, numbering over 100,000. Ari are living in wider villages with private compounds on which they have their huts and grow a variety of crops. They have large livestock herds and produce large quantities of honey. Ari women are famous for their pottery which they sell to support their families. Overnight: Eco-Omo Safari Lodge, Jinka
Day 10.
Mursi & fly back to Addis Ababa to connect our flight to Gondar
After breakfast, we leave Jinka and drive to Mursi village to visit one of the most fascinating tribes in Africa. Although recent extreme drought has made their herding and cultivation difficult, they still adhere to their traditional and unique culture. They are renowned for the strange custom followed by their women who on reaching maturity, have their lower lips slit and circular disks inserted, indicating her worth before getting married. Men of the Mursi also use white paint for their bodies and faces. Just like any other ethnic tribe in the lower valley, the men must pass a test before they can get married. A Mursi man is given a stick called a “Donga “and must face one opponent. The men then battle it out, beating each other with the sticks. Midday flight back to Addis to connect our flight to Gonder. Overnight: Goha Hotel, Gonder
Day 11.
In the morning visit Gonder
This city in northern Ethiopia is famed for its 17th-century stone castles and fortresses that evoke the feel of an African Camelot. Founded in 1636 by the great Emperor Fassilidas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site that was once the royal capital of Ethiopia enjoys a striking setting atop tree-studded hills. We visit various castles and churches built by Fassilidas and his descendants, including the emperor’s own palace. The most impressive is Debre Birhan Selassie church, whose walls and ceilings are intricately decorated with scenes of biblical lore and medieval history. A swarm of bees is credited for preserving it from the destruction that befell most of Gondar’s churches by marauding Sudanese Dervishes in the 1880s. When their troops appeared outside the church gates, local lore holds that a huge phalanx of bees flew out of the compound and drove them away, a stroke of luck attributed to divine providence. Inside the stone walls and arched doors, the space is filled with biblical scenes, including some 100 faces of whimsical winged cherubs that stare down at us, representing the omnipresent gaze of God. Lunch today at the Four Sisters is a highlight, featuring family recipes going back generations. Serving both Ethiopian and Western food, the famous restaurant also features cultural programs, including dance and culinary demonstrations afternoon As we drive on to Simien Mountains National Park, the road winds through highland pastures and fields of grain, eventually reaching the top of a vast plateau. This wild high country known as the “Roof of Africa” holds some of the continent’s most dramatic scenery. The Simien Mountains, among the highest ranges in Africa, include Ras Dashen, Ethiopia’s tallest peak at 15,157 feet. Precipitous cliffs, Afro-alpine steppe, tree-studded grasslands and deep canyons define this varied terrain that stuns our senses at every turn. Overnight: Semien Lodge, Semien Mountains national park
Day 12.
Exploring the Simien Mountains National Park
This morning we take a walk to see geladas, a gregarious species of Old World monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands. Geladas are the only primates that are exclusively grazers, living on the grasses of the central plateau. Large and robust, males weigh up to 60 pounds, with a heavy cape of dark hair down their back. Little known and little studied, geladas live in huge troops of several hundred individuals. They are highly social, often rambunctious, and comfortable allowing us to approach at close range. At night, they sleep on cliff ledges out of range of nocturnal predators like hyena, leopard and jackal. Drink in the vast scale of the highland landscape, with magnificent views for miles, and keep an eye out for possible sightings of walia ibex, klipspringer, jackal and fox. Overnight: Semien Lodge, Semien Mountains national park
Day 13.
Drive to lalibela
The road trip from semien mountain national park to Lalibela is fascinating and breathtaking. Overnight: Sora Lodge, Lalibela
Day 14 and 15.
Explore Lalibela
Laliblela, Ethiopia’s cultural crown jewel. A cradle of Ethiopian Christianity, Lalibela is renowned for its magnificent ancient churches and is the scene of many major religious ceremonies. Christianity in Ethiopia dates to the 1st century A.D., the only pre-colonial Christian presence in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Today, about 60 percent of Ethiopia’s people are Christian, with most part of the Orthodox tradition. Often called the eighth wonder of the world, Lalibela’s mystical rock-hewn churches evoke a profound sense of awe and admiration. Churches below ground level are carved straight from the rock, ringed by trenches and subterranean courtyards and connected by a maze of stone tunnels and passages. Of these, Bete Giyorgis is most famous and most photographed, as it is unobscured by any shelters erected over the site. The churches above ground are equally wondrous feats of engineering, built out of a single hunk of rock using no blocks, bricks, joints, seams or mortar. While individual churches are often built in the shape of a cross, multiple churches together also form a larger cross. We'll spend several hours walking among the churches this afternoon, with Bete Amanuel a highlight. This 36-foot-high monolith is considered by architectural historians to exhibit the finest and most precise workmanship in Lalibela, possibly because it was the private church of the royal family. Bete Medhane is the largest of Lalibela's churches and the largest human-carved monolith in the world, while the best preserved is Bete Markorios, a cave church originally used for secular purposes. Finally cup for you to enjoy. Coffee has long been a hallmark of Ethiopian culture, and the coffee plant originated in Ethiopia. Ethiopia today is Africa's top coffee consumer and producer, and coffee exports currently constitute about 10 percent of GDP and 60 percent of Ethiopia's foreign income. Overnight: Sora Lodge, Lalibela
Day 16.
Addis Adaba / Depart
fly back to Addis. On arrival in Addis, enjoy a farewell lunch together before checking in to day rooms at our hotel, offering a chance to refresh and relax before evening transfers to the airport.
