Duration:
15
Days
Group size:
Single supplement:
Destinations:
Departs From:
Ends In:
Travel Styles:
Booking validity:
–
Best Months to Visit
Upon arrival into Addis Ababa, after completing immigration formalities, collect your baggage and proceed to the Arrivals Hall. Here you will be met by an Alluring Africa representative for your private road transfer to Sheraton Addis, where you will stay for one night.
(Time permitting) You will be taken on a City Tour of Addis. Drive to Mount Entoto, a historical place where Emperor Menelik II resided and built his palace, when he came from Ankober and founded Addis Ababa. It is considered a sacred mountain and has many monasteries. You will have a magnificent view of the city. Then drive to the National Museum, which houses the nation’s artistic treasures, as well as many of the most precious archaeological finds such as the fossilized remains of early hominids, the most famous of which is “Lucy,” the partial skeleton of a specimen of Australopithecus afarensis, said to be 3.2 million years old. Drive to Trinity Cathedral Church, the highest-ranking Orthodox cathedral. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia’s liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.
Visit the Ethnological Museum, set within Haile Selassie’s former palace and surrounded by the beautiful gardens and fountains of Addis Ababa University’s main campus. Even if you are not normally a museum fan, this one is worth a bit of your time as it’s easily one of the finest museums in Africa. Later, you drive to Mercato and drive through the largest open market in Africa, covering several square miles and employing an estimated 13,000 people in 7,100 business entities.
Location:
LocationAddis Ababa
Accommodation:
Accommodation Sheraton Addis, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Addis Ababa
Type:
Accommodation Type Hotel
Room Basis:
Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast
After breakfast you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the airport for the scheduled flight to Gondar. Upon arrival, you will be met by an Alluring Africa driver/guide to depart immediately for Semein Mountain National Park. En route observe the magnificent scenery with unique flora of “The Roof of Africa”. Here you will stay at Limalimo Lodge for one night.
After check in, head out on a scenic drive. Enjoy spectacular views on both sides of the escarpment ridge, and look out for the Walia ibex, and if you are lucky, the Ethiopian Wolf. Tucked away behind a hillock on a mini plateau is a romantic spot with a bench, looking back to Imet Gogo and Inatye. Proceed to Sanqaber where you may encounter birds like the Lammergeyer and endemic Gelada Baboon.
Location:
LocationSimien Mountains National Park
Accommodation:
Accommodation Limalimo Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Lodge
Room Basis:
Room Basis Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
Return to Gondar with your private driver/guide. Gondar was founded in 1636 by the great Emperor Fassiladas. Set in a landscape of incomparable beauty, it was once the Royal Capital of Ethiopia. Visit the impressive castles and churches built by Emperor Fassiladas and his descendants. Later, visit the fascinating Debre Birhan Selassie Church, with its walls and ceilings decorated with scenes of Biblical lore and medieval history.
Here you will stay at Mayleko Lodge for one night.
Location:
LocationAzezo
Accommodation:
Accommodation Mayleko Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Hotel
Room Basis:
Room Basis Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
At a time to be advised: You will be collected from your hotel by an Alluring Africa representative for your private road transfer to the airport for your scheduled flight to Lalibela. Also known as ‘Africa’s Petra,’ Lalibela is Ethiopia’s crown jewel. It is home to the most famous churches and the scene of many major religious ceremonies. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to Mezena Lodge, where you will stay for two nights.
After lunch, depart on an excursion to “Yemerehane Kristos” church. Upon arrival you will take a short walk (20-30 minutes) to the cave built church, known for its Axumite Architectural design, manuscripts, crosses, artifacts, paintings and carvings.
If you are in Lalibela during the Christmas celebrations as celebrated by the Ethiopian Orthadox Christians (later then global Christmas celebration), you can attend the Christmas Eve ceremony with the pilgrims which is held at Bete Mariam church. The chanting by the “deacons” and the priests continue throughout the night and around while the pilgrims clap and ululate to the drum beat. At midnight, there is a candlelight ceremony to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Location:
LocationLalibela
Accommodation:
Accommodation Mezena Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Lodge
Room Basis:
Room Basis Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
Today, you will visit the magnificent rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, which are called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” These churches were hewn out of solid rock between 800 – 1200 AD and are still active houses of worship. The churches are carved below ground level and ringed by trenches and courtyards and are arguably Ethiopia’s top attraction. They are connected to each other by a tangled maze of tunnels and passages.
Visit the first group of six churches which lie in rock cradles one behind the other: Bet Golgotha, Bet Mikael, Bet Mariam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danaghel and Bet Medhane Alem. Bet Medhane Alem, the largest one is built like a Greek Temple.
After lunch, you will visit the second group of churches. Bet Giyorgis, possibly the most elegant of all the Lalibela churches, lies somewhat isolated in the southwest part of the village on a sloping rock terrace. It can only be reached through a tunnel.
The group of four, south of the Jordan River, comprise of Bet Emanuel, Bet Mercuiros, Bet Abba Libanos and Bet Gabriel – Rufa’el. Bet Emanuel’s elaborate exterior is much praised by art historian.
Location:
LocationLalibela
Accommodation:
Accommodation Mezena Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Lodge
Room Basis:
Room Basis Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
At a time to be advised: After breakfast you will be collected from your hotel by an Alluring Africa representative, and transferred to the airport for the scheduled flight to Axum. Upon arrival, you will be collected by an Alluring Africa representative and taken on a tour of Axum.
Dating from the second century B.C., Axum reached its height of power between the fourth and seventh centuries A.D., when it controlled most of present – day Ethiopia and, at times, both sides of the Red Sea. Axum was once the center of a great empire, and the seat of learning for the ancient Ge’ez language and literature. Visit Stelae Park to see the famed granite obelisks which are relics of this time and have gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The tallest, the Great Stele, has fallen and broken into six massive pieces, but when standing was 108 feet tall and weighed about five hundred tons. The tallest obelisk still standing at Axum today is about 75 feet tall, still an impressive sight! Continue to St. Mary’s Church and the Sanctuary Chapel, which is the repository of the Ark of the Covenant; the Coronation Yard; King Ezana’s Park; and the “Queen of Sheba” ruins, once a massive palace with finely mortared stonewalls, deep foundations, and its own impressive drainage system, believed to be the oldest building in Axum.
After the tour, check into Sabean International Hotel, where you will stay for one night.
Location:
LocationAxum
Accommodation:
Accommodation Sabean International Hotel
Type:
Accommodation Type Hotel
Room Basis:
Room Basis Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
At a time to be advised: After breakfast you will be collected from your hotel by an Alluring Africa driver/guide, and for the drive to Hawzien via Adwa and Adigrat. En route, visit Yeha, a 5th century B.C. Temple. This temple displays incredible skills in stonework and is, in fact, the oldest building still standing in Ethiopia. Arrive in Gheralta where you will stay at Gheralta Lodge for two nights.
The precipitous Gheralta Mountains are a formidable frontier, and tucked away into these mountain cliffs are some of the country’s least visited rock-hewn Ethiopian Orthodox cave churches, some of which are more than 1,000 years old. Although local legend claims that these churches date to between the 4th and 6th Centuries, historians believe that they were more likely built from the 9th to 12th Centuries.
Location:
LocationGheralta
Accommodation:
Accommodation Gheralta Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Lodge
Room Basis:
Room Basis Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
At a time to be advised: After breakfast, you will be collected by your Alluring Africa driver/guide and taken on a short drive to Dugum at the base of Gheralta Lodge. Visit Dugum Selassie carved into granite within the compound of the eponymous modern church. The church is unusual due to its location on the plain rather than in the mountains. It is the only site with three sanctuaries in a single area. Return to your lodge in time to enjoy the beautiful sunset.
Location:
LocationGheralta
Accommodation:
Accommodation Gheralta Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Lodge
Room Basis:
Room Basis Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
At a time to be advised: After breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel by your Alluring Africa driver/guide to begin the drive to Mekele. On the way you will stop to visit Abraha Atsebeha, a rock-hewn church whose interior is painstakingly decorated. Afterwards, you will visit the town of Wukro and the rock church of Wukro Cherkos near the town, the most accessible of the rock-hewn churches in Tigray. Then continue on to Mekele for your scheduled flight to Addis Ababa. Upon arrival, you will be met by an Alluring Africa representative for your road transfer to Sheraton Addis, where you will stay for one night.
Location:
LocationAddis Ababa
Accommodation:
Accommodation Sheraton Addis, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Addis Ababa
Type:
Accommodation Type Hotel
Room Basis:
Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast
Rested and refreshed by your night in Addis, you will be collected by an Alluring Africa representative for your road transfer to the airport for your scheduled flight to Arba Minch, the largest town in southern Ethiopia. Set among lush green hills near Lakes Abaya and Chamo. Arba Minch is named for the numerous local springs that produce a groundwater forest.
In Amharic, Arbaminch means “forty springs.” The town itself is divided into two distinct settlements. Buses and taxis connect Shecha, on higher ground, with downtown Sikela. Just two and a half miles away, Sikela, home to the commercial, industrial, and downtown residential areas. On the eastern side of Sikela lies the gate to Nechisar National Park, which covers the isthmus between Lake Abaya to the north and Lake Chamo to the south.
Upon arrival in Arbaminch, you will continue to Chencha Village, home of the Dorze people, renowned for their cotton weaving, called Shammas, and their distinctive homes – towering, beehive-shaped structures made from woven thatch. Arrive at Haile Resort where you will stay for one night.
Location:
LocationHawassa
Accommodation:
Accommodation Haile Resort Hawassa
Type:
Accommodation Type Resort
Room Basis:
Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast
Enjoy a one-hour boat ride on Lake Chamo to Azo Gebeya, the so-called “crocodile market”, which is not a market at all, but a gathering place for crocodiles, hippo and pelican. Afterwards, depart for Jinka with a strop en route to visit the Konso region, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site for its rich culture. The Konso people live in a land of low terraced hills. They are reputed to be one of hardest working groups in the country. Their elaborately terraced hillside grows some of the county’s best coffee. They have an articulate tradition and erect peculiar totems on the graves of their deceased.
Continue to Jinka where you will stay at Eco Omo Lodge for one night.
Location:
LocationJinka
Accommodation:
Accommodation Eco-Omo Safari Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Lodge
Room Basis:
Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast
After breakfast, depart to Mago National Park to visit the Mursi village. The Mursi are one of the most original ethnic groups. They live in very low huts made of straw leaves. The women like to wear terra cotta on their enormously stretched lower lips and ear lobes. The men are famous for their hairstyles. The tribe is famed for their fierce warrior disposition and wildly decorative appearance, with large circular clay labrets that the women wear in the lower lip. The larger the lip plate, the greater the woman’s value when she is married. She removes her plate for eating and sleeping. We may see some women, especially elder women, without their lip plates. They are easily distinguished by how their long, distended lips hang down from their mouths.
Continue to Turmi where you will stay at Buska Lodge for two nights.
Location:
LocationOmo Valley
Accommodation:
Accommodation Buska Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Lodge
Room Basis:
Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast
After breakfast, take an excursion to Omoratte, where you will have a cultural experience with the Geleb/ Dassenech people inhabitants of lower Omo River Valley.
Afterwards, head to Murulle to visit the Karo people, who reside along the banks of the Lower Omo River. The Karo incorporate rich cultural symbolism into their rituals and use ornate body art, intricate headdress, and body scarification to emphasize beauty and status within their community this small but lively tribe numbers under 1,000, but they are the main non-nomadic agriculturalist group in the Lower Omo Valley. The Karo are differentiated from neighboring tribes by placing higher emphasis on body and face painting. They paint themselves daily with colored ochre, white chalk, yellow mineral rock, charcoal, and pulverized iron ore – all resources found in this area. Karo body painting is a deep aspect of their culture; they are communicating as well as decorating. The experience of visiting the people of this incredibly rich, proud, yet adapting culture gives amazing insight into Ethiopia’s indigenous peoples.
Return to your lodge to relax at the outdoor bar or treat yourself to a massage before dinner.
Location:
LocationOmo Valley
Accommodation:
Accommodation Buska Lodge
Type:
Accommodation Type Lodge
Room Basis:
Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast
After breakfast you will visit the Hammer peoples, one of the most beautiful and dignified people in the Omo basin. The women wear elegant leather skirts festooned with tiny pearls. Personal appearance is important to the Hammer, and they are striking indeed. Their features and adornments include high cheekbones, elaborate beads and leather, elaborate hairstyles and thick copper necklaces.
Afterwards, drive back to Jinka for your scheduled flight to Addis Ababa. Upon arrival, you will be collected by an Alluring Africa representative for your road transfer to Radisson Blu, where you will stay for one night.
Location:
LocationAddis Ababa
Accommodation:
Accommodation Radisson Blu Hotel Addis Ababa
Type:
Accommodation Type Hotel
Room Basis:
Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast
At a time to be advised: You will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the airport in time for your departure flight.
Return home, taking with you the sights, sounds, and memories of an incredible African adventure!
Location:
LocationAddis Ababa
Accommodation:
Accommodation Radisson Blu Hotel Addis Ababa
Type:
Accommodation Type Hotel
Room Basis:
Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast
From:
10,900.00
Price Includes:
Price Excludes:
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