This safari in Ethiopia will give you a chance to Enjoy an afternoon tour of addis ababa, including the national museum and holy trinity cathedral followed by a traditional Ethiopian dinner, Uncover the eight distinct tribes that call the omo valley home, and gain a deeper understanding and respect for their lifestyle and traditions, Learn about the importance of scarification and hair grooming for the hamer people in the market town of turmi, Take a cruise around lake tana – Ethiopia’s largest body of water and a source of the nile – before enjoying an on-deck sundowner, Walk through the simien mountains national park, before staying at our feature stay – the architecturally designed limalimo lodge.
Day One: Arrival in Addis Ababa
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be welcomed by the guide from Afrikan Wildlife Safaris. Who will then transfer you to the hotel for the overnight. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may take a city tour. The city is dotted with Italian architecture and interesting churches. It was established by the Emperor Menelik II in 1887. You will visit the National Museum, Holy Trinity Cathedral and drive around the main public squares of the capital. The museum contains the remains of the fossilised hominids ‘Lucy’, a female hominoid that lived some 3.2 million years ago and who is a key discovery on the origin of early mankind. The cathedral houses impressive stained-glass windows, beautifully carved imperial thrones, and is also the final resting place for Emperor Haile Selassie and his family. Dinner and overnight at Jupiter Hotel.
Day Two: Jinka
After breakfast, drive back to the airport to take a flight to the South Omo region and the administrative capital of Jinka. Jinka is a small mountain town virtually isolated from the rest of the country. It’s remote and rustic, yet its cling to the rest of the county is accentuated by the grass airstrip in the middle of town. People come from across South Omo to visit the local market in Jinka, particularly Ari, Bana, Besheda and Besketo people. In the afternoon, visit South Omo Research Centre Museum, where a small but illuminating collection of instruments, tools and information from a variety of tribes that occupy the Omo valley. You’ll spend the night here in Jinka.
Day Three: Turmi
This morning after your breakfast, visit to one of the Ari villages around Jinka. The Ari people are not inundated with tourists in the manner of similar communities, though their style of dress and houses are frequently colourful and eye-catching. Their villages are typically verdant because of the enset – known colloquially as the Ethiopian banana, or false banana – they are known for cultivating. While you’re there, watch the locals prepare Ethiopian staple enjera (sourdough-risen flatbread). In the afternoon drive south to the town of Turmi, an important market town. The two main tribes that live in the area are the Karo and the Hamer, both of whom practise elaborate body decoration.
Day Four: Turmi
On this day, you will visit a nearby Hamer village and learn more about this tribe. The women roll their hair into dreads called goscha using fat and dark red ochre, and their arms are wrapped in beads and copper bracelets. The tribe practise scarification, with women having scars cut into their arms or shoulders to make themselves more beautiful and as a display of their strength. They wear beaded goatskin frocks over their upper body, and married women wear thick copper necklaces. The men are also adorned with scars for beauty, or traditionally representing the number of enemies they have killed, and courageous men wear clay hair buns on their heads. The Hamer also have a similar annual ceremony to the Mursi’s stick fighting – here a young man must jump back and forth on the backs of bulls to prove himself worthy of the family’s pride and of a wife, while women are ritualistically whipped in voluntary support of the initiate. Later, depending on the day you might be able shop at a vibrant local market, savouring the smells and tastes while bumping shoulders with the Karo, Homer and Benna people. You will spend the night in an eco-lodge in Turmi.
Day Five: Konso
This morning, you will drive northeast on a drive that offers spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding scenery, including the terraced hills of Konso. The Konso people, who historically had little contact with the rest of Ethiopia and so retain a traditionalist character, live in walled hilltop settlements with maze-like stone fences. Each village is made up of sub-compounds, and there is a central communal building called a mora, the ground floor of which is used by the men, boys and girls as a social area – adult women are excluded. Each village will have important poles or stones erected to mark special events like the initiation of a new generation or victories over enemies. Famous are the carved wooden grave markers, or waga, erected over the burial place of an important warrior. The deceased’s facial features are carved into the waga and enhanced by using teeth made from animal bones. This evening you will enjoy sundower drinks, local music and dancing on the terrace of your accommodation.
Day Six: Bahir Dar
Have breakfast and drive to Arba Minch in the morning and take a flight to Bahir Dar, via Addis Ababa. Drive the short distance to your hotel, lying on the shores of the lush setting of Lake Tana. Check into your hotel and relax with views of the lake.
Day Seven: Bahir Dar
This morning, you will depart for the Blue Nile Falls south of Bahir Dar, the Blue Nile Falls measure over 400 metres wide and descends 48 metres in full flood. These falls are known locally as Tis Isat (Smoking Water) and are a spectacular sight when in full flood. You can take a longer scenic walk past the main viewpoint (1.5 kilometres) or a shorter walk to reach the foot of the falls. You will then cross the Nile River by boat to reach your vehicle. In the afternoon, board a sightseeing boat for a cruise around the lake. Covering over 3500 square kilometres, this is Ethiopia’s largest lake and is home to 37 islands, 20 of which house some of Ethiopia’s most venerated monasteries. Many of these monasteries are believed to date back to the 13th and 14th centuries and feature superb ecclesiastical art. Legend has it that the Ark of Covenant was hidden here for protection during the times when Muslim forces invaded from the east. Your boat trip will take you to the monastery of URA-Kidane Mehret, which dates from between the 16th and 18th centuries. It is renowned for its collection of crosses and crowns and its incredible painted walls. End the day with a sundowner drink on the boat as you float across Lake Tana.
Day Eight: Gondar
Today, you will drive north around the edge of Lake Tana and head for the regal city of Gondar. Gondar was the 17th and 18th century capital of Ethiopia and is famed for its medieval castles and churches. The city’s unique Royal Enclosure is a World Heritage site, home to dramatic Emperor-built castles unlike any other in Africa. The architecture shows the richness of Axumite traditions as well as the prosperity of Ethiopia in those two centuries. Spend the afternoon visiting these medieval castles and stop by the famous church of Debre Berhan Selassie. The church is one of the finest in Ethiopia, with walls and ceilings covered stunning in ancient murals
Day Nine: Simien Mountains National Park
Have your breakfast and head more North to your lodge into the Simien Mountains. Enjoy a scenic walk within the Simien Mountains National Park. The park is a majestic series of undulating amethyst peaks, including Ethiopia’s highest point – Ras Dejen. The park is home to the world’s most elusive animals, the endemic Gelada monkey. Found exclusively in Ethiopia. Gelada are often referred to as the ‘bleeding heart baboon’ or the ‘lion monkey’ as their coat is shaggy and their chest has a marked ‘red heart’ patch. Gelada monkeys have no natural enemies, so they can be found in good numbers and are quite easy to approach. Later have your picnic lunch and then take a scenic walk along a dramatic escarpment. Then drive to the lodge perched on the edge of the Ethiopia’s Simien Escarpment. Dinner and overnight at Limalimo Lodge.
Day Ten: Axum
Drive to the city of Axum, crossing the lowlands of the Simien Mountains and the Tekeze River gorg. You’ll arrive in Axum in the late afternoon. Axum was once the capital of Africa’s oldest empire – the Kingdom of Axum lasted from 1 AD to 700 AD and grew to rank among the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient world. It was positioned at the centre of an important trading route that stretched from Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea and all the way to India and Sri Lanka. Axumite society was rich, well organized and technically advanced. In this period, bronze, silver and gold coins were produced, amazing tombs and monoliths constructed, and Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia.
Day Eleven: Axum
This morning, you will tour the historical sites of Axum. Visit the stele fields, several tombs, the ruins of the Queen of Sheba’s palace and an archaeological museum. The field is home to over 100 stele – the largest one measuring 33 metres and weighing an incredible 517 tones. Stele (or monoliths) are carved from a single piece of granite and are often elaborately decorated to resemble a multi-story house complete with windows, doors, locks and structural beams. Their scale reflects Axum’s once great importance, and they were probably transported by elephants from a nearby quarry. The mausoleums in this area include the tomb of the false door and the tombs of King Kaleb and Gebre Meskel, while the archaeological museum gives you further insights into this incredible society. An unimposing building with a green picket fence is the St Mary of Zion Church, the first built in sub-Saharan Africa. This holds the crowns of various former Ethiopian emperors and is even said to house the most fabled biblical relic in history – the Ark of the Covenant.
Day Twelve: Lalibela
You will take the domestic morning flight from Axum to Lalibela where you will stay for two nights. Lalibela is a home of Ethiopia’s top sight, and one of the world’s greatest historical and religious sites. Between 1137 and 1270, several astounding rock-hewn churches were constructed in Lalibela – astonishing because most are not built from carved freestanding rocks, but instead created from huge single blocks of stone unearthed by the digging of enormous pits. Spend the afternoons exploring the extraordinary churches. The Northern Group contains seven churches, a tomb, a chapel and a sunken chapel. At the centre of the group is Bet Medhane Alem, measuring 33.5 metres by 23.5 metres and said to be the largest rock-hewn church in the world. A tunnel connects three of the churches in a courtyard to the east, whilst another tunnel connects two other churches to the west of Bet Medhane Alem. However, it is Bet Giyorgis (St George’s), carved in the form of a Greek cross and lying slightly apart from the main northern cluster, which is the most famous and frequently photographed. This church is exceptionally well-preserved and is probably the most visually perfect. The Eastern group of five churches includes the only hypogenous church, where only the roof remains attached to the overhead rock.
Day Thirteen: Lalibela
This morning visit the 11th century cave church of Yimrehane Kristos before returning to the hotel for lunch. Depending on which church group you visited yesterday (North or East cluster), you will spend this afternoon exploring the other and taking plenty of photographs of the incredible architecture and the religious rituals within. This evening you will enjoy sundowner drinks and a special dinner at Ben Ababa restaurant.
Day Fourteen: Addis Ababa
Take a domestic flight back to the Addis Ababa. Then transferred to the airport to catch your flight back home.