Arrival in Addis Ababa and sightseeing

Arrival in Addis Ababa and transfer to hotel. Depending on your arrival time you may have the opportunity to go sightseeing in Addis Ababa. The sightseeing includes the national museum (where you can see the Lucy fossil skeleton found) the Red Terror museum, Trinity cathedral church, Entoto hills and Merkato.

Overnight at Jupiter International Hotel or The Residence Hotel  B&B

Fly to Bahir Dar - Lake Tana and Blue Nile Falls

Morning flight to Bahir Dar. After checking in to the hotel you will go on a boat ride on the famous Lake Tana and visit some of its beautiful and interesting islands rich in history with their medieval period monasteries. Covering over 3500sq km, Lake Tana is Ethiopia’s largest lake and is famous as the home of the monasteries established on some 20 of its 37 islands. Most churches in the monasteries have unique paintings and contain a collection of church treasures and ancient manuscripts.

Afternoon drive to Tis Isat (smoking of Fire) waterfall, known as one of the most
spectacular waterfalls in Africa, 400m wide when in flood and dropping over a sheer chasm more than 45m deep. The thunderous noise can be heard from miles away and the spray can be felt up to a mile away. But since a dam has been built upstream, the waterfall is reduced and has lost some of its former splendor, however during the rainy season it is still impressive. A nature walk to the waterfall is a wonderful experience and  keep an eye out for parrots, bee-eaters, lovebirds and Turacos.

Overnight at Abay Minch Lodge  B&B

Welcome to Gondar

Early morning drive to Gondar, the royal and ancient historical city of Ethiopia. Visit the Royal Enclosure that is surrounded by high stone walls containing the ruins of 17th century palaces of King Fasiladas, King Iyasu and Queen Mentewab and other historical buildings. The castles are a mixture of Ethiopian, European and Indian architecture.

According to descriptions of 17th century travelers, the interior of the castle of King Fasiladas was extremely luxurious, decorated with gold, ivory and precious stones.

Visit Debre Berhan Selassie Church meaning Trinity at the Mount of Light. It has rectangular structure and ceilings are decorated with beautiful winged angels, and its walls with impressive scenes depicting biblical events, including the life of Christ, Mary, and the saints and martyrs. There is also a painting of the church’s founder, Emperor Iyasu I.

Overnight at Goha or Land Mark Hotel  B&B

Simien Mountains National Park

Today we drive to the jagged panorama of the Simien Mountains National Park, famed for its exclusive landscape, afro-alpine vegetation and unique wildlife, where you may spot the endemic Wallia Ibex, Gelada Baboon troops, Bushbuck, Klipspringer.

After lunch and checking in at the lodge you may be interested in a 3 hour hike to the edge of the beautiful escarpment to view the stunning green valley beneath. You will have the opportunity to watch the Gelada baboons close up in their natural habitat.

Drive back to Gonder and overnight at Goha or Landmark Hotel  B&B

Fly to Axum

A morning flight further North takes you to the oldest city in Ethiopia, Axum.

From the 10th to the 1st centuries BC, Axum was the capital of the great Axumite Empire, which is considered one of the last of the great civilizations. It was a thriving hub of commerce with Red Sea and Indian Ocean ports and the earliest Christian kingdom in the world.

Modern Axum retains little of its former grandeur, but it is still the spiritual heart of the country. It is a deeply religious city (both Ethiopian Orthodox and Sunni Muslim) that houses the country’s most sacred artifact, the reputed Ark of the Covenant.

Axum is where Christianity arrived in the fourth century and it is the holiest city of the Ethiopian Orthodox faith. Axum is also a delight to archaeologists, with ruins of ancient tombs, stelae, palaces and churches seen everywhere. Amazingly, 98 percent of the ancient city remains to be excavated. For all this historical and religious richness, the city of Axum has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Visit the interesting museum in stelae field, the impressive Stelae Fields and also the grounds of the 16th-century Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion, home of the original Ark of the Covenant.

Explore the ruins of the Queen of Sheba palace, Tomb of Kaleb and Gebre Meskel. After a day of walking and absorbing all of these ancient sites you can go souvenir shopping before heading back to the hotel.

Overnight at Sabian Hotel  B&B

Fly to Lalibela

Morning flight to Lalibela where you will be transferred to your hotel upon arrival.

Visit the magnificent rock-hewn churches of Lalibela which are carved out of living volcanic tuff with super architectural skill that the world has ever seen. Among churches of this group Bete Medahine Alem (house of the redeemer) is the largest with 5 aisles, 72 pillars, vaulted dome and molding decoration. Bete Mariam (house of St. Marry) is the most decorated among the rock hewn churches. UNESCO regards this churches as world heritage sites.

Overnight at Cliff Edge or Panoramic View Hotel  B&B

Lalibela

Morning excursion to Yemerhane Kirstos cave church outside of Lalibela via a picturesque mountainous land scape. Back to the hotel for lunch followed by a visit to the second group of the rock-hewn churches; Bete Emanuel (house of Emanuel) is architecturally the finest. Bete Giorgis (the house of George) is the finest of all the churches in Lalibela for which reason art historians conclude that this church is carved at the end of the cluster, after the masons have developed their skill to carve the church in such extraordinary perfection.

Overnight at Cliff Edge or Panoramic View Hotel  B&B

Fly to Addis and drive to Awassa

Morning airport transfer after breakfast to the  catch the domestic flight to Addis Ababa. You will be met by the driver and transferred to Awassa in the rift valley lakes region.

Overnight at Lake View or Oasis Hotel  B&B

Drive to Arba Minch Via Dorze village

In the morning visit a local fish market at Lake Awassa then proceed driving to Arba Minch with a stop over to meet and interact with the Dorze tribe.

The Dorze people belong to one of the Omotic groups in the South West of Ethiopia. They are a hard working tribe renowned for their skill in weaving, bamboo carpentry and other traditional crafts. The Dorze people are best known for their cotton weaving and tall bee-hive shaped dwellings which are some of the most distinctive in Africa. Every Dorze compound is self-sufficient, surrounded by a small holding of crops and inside each compound is their remarkable domed dwellings made from false banana leaves.

Overnight at Paradis Lodge  B&B

Boat Ride

Early morning make boat excursion after breakfast on lake Chamo to view the resident crocodiles, Hippos and birds.

Lake Chamo is rich in a variety of fishes including tiger-fish, giant Nile Perch, catfish and tilaphia, which offers fine sport. In the bays, a number of hippopotamus emerge at dusk to graze on the grassy shores. Lake Chamo is also sanctuary for several thousand Nile Crocodiles, which are up to 7m in length. Bird life is also enjoyable at the lake. Hordes of yellow wiver birds flit constantly through the trees, and vividly-colored king fishers skim the lake where great white pelicans storks, ibises, hornbills and cormorants plumb the waters for food.

After the Lake Chamo experience you will drive to Jinka.

Overnight at Resort Hotel  B&B

Excursion to Mursi village

Morning excursion to meet and interact with the Mursi. The Mursi are famous for their stick-fighting ceremony and Mursi women are known all over the world for wearing clay plates in their lower lips. Their economy concentrated on bartering and sharing possessions.

Drive to Turmi and overnight at Buska or Turmi Lodge  B&B

Excursion to Omorate

Excursion to Omorate by crossing the Omo river on a local wooden boat to meet and interact with the Dassanach  tribe.

Return to Turmi in the afternoon to visit the nearby Hammer tribe village, with the possibility to see special ceremonies such as weddings and other traditional rituals.

Overnight at Buska or Turmi Lodge  B&B

Drive back to Arba minch via Konso

After breakfast you will go visit the Konso tribe on your way back to Arba Minch.

Konso people are located in the arid highlands of southwestern Ethiopia. Their sharply delimited traditional territory is bounded by lands of Oromo peoples, to whom the Konso are culturally and linguistically related. Konso people are Cushitic people.

Konso people are farmers, living in fortified villages bounded by their farming land. They developed a defensive style of building, with villages on hilltops, protected by fortifications around them.

Overnight at Paradise Lodge  B&B

Drive back to Addis via stelae at Tiya

Early morning drive back to Addis with a stop over at stelae at Tiya.

Thirty-six huge stone monoliths, 32 of which bear strange carvings of swords and other signs and symbols, stand clustered in the tall grasses of a large field less than a kilometer outside the small town of Tiya. The stelae were designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1980.

Evening farewell dinner followed by a transfer to your hotel or to the airport for your international flight back home.