Few places offer such a myriad of experiences for the traveler as Ethiopia. Much of the fascination of this country lies in its many historical sites. According to legend, the first Ethiopian king, Menelik, was the son of the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba! Ethiopia also has nine national parks, protecting many of its endemic species. The ancient tribal culture compliments the unique history and nature of Ethiopia. Experience tribal cultures such as the Hamer, the Mursi and the Dorze whose traditional lifestyle is a stark contrast to our modern life.
We explore the Horn Of Africa, using the capital of Addis Ababa as our base. We travel to the historic north to see the Blue Nile Falls before taking a boat journey across the Blue Nile. We spend a day visiting the monastery churches on Lake Tana before traveling to Gondar, our base for exploring the incredibly scenic Simien Mountains. We explore Lalibela and the monolithic churches carved out of pink granite that date back to the 12th century. We visit Axum, the home of the Queen of Sheba in the 10th century, where we see the stelae and some of the crowns of former kings. Axum is also reputed to be the resting place of The Ark of the Covenant.
Returning to our base in Addis Ababa, we then head to the tribal south, into the Omo Valley. We take a boat trip on Lake Chamo for crocodile and hippo spotting and then visit a Konso village.
Our journey takes us into the region of the Mursi people, whose women have the practice of using disks to expand their lower lip. We go “off-roading” to the River Omo, then on to Turmi for the spectacular Hamer market day. We travel up through the Rift Valley and visit Nech Sar National Park before concluding our journey back in Addis Ababa.
Our journey takes us into the region of the Mursi people, whose women have the practice of using disks to expand their lower lip. We go “off-roading” to the River Omo, then on to Turmi. We travel up through the Rift Valley before concluding our journey back in Addis Ababa. Further ReadingA 23-day exploration of Ethiopia |
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Day 1 Arrive in Addis Ababa Day 2 Addis Ababa Sightseeing Day 3 Fly to Bahir Dar and the Blue Nile Day 4 Lake Tana to Gondar Day 5 Gondar to Simien Mountains Day 7 Simien Mountains to Axum Day 9 Fly to Lalibela and the Northern Churches Day 10 Lalibela and the Eastern Churches Day 11 Fly to Addis Ababa Day 13 Begin Omo Valley Adventure Day 15 Arba Minch, to Jinka Day 16 Mursi Tribal Encounter Day 19 To Arba Minch via Konso Day 23 Depart Addis Ababa Accommodations
Comfortable hotels in the north and the south, but the accommodations in the south are more basic. All have private bathrooms.
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has guaranteed departures
