Day One: Arrival
On your arrival in Addis at the airport, the guide from Afrikan Wildlife Safaris will welcome you and transfer you to the hotel for the overnight. Depending on the time of your arrival, you can go for the city tour and visit the museums and Mercato – one of the largest open air markets in Africa.
Day Two: Addis Ababa
This morning, we will explore more of Addis. You will visit the National Museum, which is home to ‘Lucy’, one of the oldest complete hominid skeletons in the world. Visit the St George’s Cathedral and the Menelik Mausoleum, the resting place for Ethiopia’s historical emperors.
Day Three: Harar
After our healthy breakfast, we will drive to the ancient trading city of Harar. Our hotel is situated within the old walled city, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006. Harar is known as the fourth holy city of Islam and is home to more than eighty mosques, including three that date back as far as the 10th century.
Day Four and Five: Harar
We will go for the a guided tour of ancient Harar. Go through the narrow winding streets, marvel at the city walls and take in centuries old mosques and shrines. Later in the evening, we visit the Harar Hyena Men. Spotted hyenas have been a part of life in Harar for more than 500 years. They sanitise the city by feeding on its waste and farmers feed them meat to discourage them from attacking livestock. The intelligent hyena recognises these farmers as a friend and it’s a truly amazing sight to see. Harar is the only place in the world where man and hyena live so easily alongside each other.
Day Six: Awash National Park
Depart Hara and drive to Awash National Park for the next two days. we spend the night in a comfortable lodge on the outskirts of Awash National Park.
Day Seven and Eight: Awash National Park
Have the breakfast and go for the guided walk with a national park ranger. The vegetation of Awash National Park is largely acacia woodland and grassland. Look out for the oryx, gazelles, warthogs, ostrich and baboons. Lions, leopards and other predators can occasionally seen in the park. Then later drive to Lake Ziway.
You can have the optional boat trip across Lake Ziway to Tulu Gudo Island. Check on the ancient monastery and you can see some of the old religious manuscripts. The monastery was reportedly once the home of the Ark of the Covenant.
Day Nine, Ten and Eleven: Bale Mountains National Park
Today, you drive to Bale Mountains National Park, where we spend the next two days. There are many trails into the highlands, moorlands and forests. Many animals in the Bale Mountains are found nowhere else in the world, including Bale monkeys and the Mountain nyala. Iconic species such as lions, leopards and African wild dogs are also hosted here.
You will go for an excursion to the Sanetti Plateau. We ascend to the fourth-highest point in Ethiopia, the summit of Tulu Dimtu and look out for the very rare Ethiopian wolf, another endemic species. This endangered animal is found only in the Ethiopian Highlands and is considered one of the rarest and most threatened large mammals in the world. Fewer than 500 individuals are thought to exist in the wild.
Day Twelve: Wendo Genet
On this day, drive to the town of Awassa located in the Great Rift Valley on the shore of Lake Awassa, fishing is the main economic activity here. Visit the local fish market and then proceed to Wendo Genet, a town in the hills above Awassa. In Wendo Genet, we visit to the hot springs and given enough time, take a short walk through the forest to the triple-tiered waterfall.
Day Thirteen and Fourteen: Arba Minch
After you breakfast, drive to Arba Minch, which overlooks Lake Chamo. Arba Minch is famous for it’s fruit harvests and its crocodiles. You will go for the boat trip to the ‘crocodile market’. the animals here are alive. the crocodile market earned it’s nickname due to its gigantic Nile crocodiles, which can be seen lazing on the banks of the lake. Hippos can also be spotted during the boat cruise.
Day Fifteen: Arba Minch – Addis and Fly out
Have the morning breakfast at you pace. The guide will transfer to the airport depending on the time of your flight.