21 Days
5 Internal Flights
Accommodation: Hotels, Resorts, Lodges, Camping


This impressive world wind tour will show you some of the best highlights, and greatest diversity of experience achievable in a 3 week tour to Ethiopia. It will see you taking multiple forms of transport, airport hopping, travelling on road and off road, canoes, boats and even mules.

•    You will visit the living anthropological museum of the omo valley and Ethiopias southern regions
•    Come up close and personal with crocodiles and hippos
•    Enjoy roasted coffee and catch glimpses of endangered wildlife and the precious ecological treasures of the afro alpine habitats and cloud forests
•    You will visit ancient lost civilizations, medieval castles, and the architectural marvels of rock hewn churches.
•    You will end the trip with in the alien landscape of one of the hottest deserts in the world at the edge of a lava lake.

This tour has been set up to be jam packed with mix of relaxing and strenuous activities, but will give you an overview of what is one of the worlds’ most beautiful and exotic countries and bring it close to your heart. Following the listed weekdays will give you the opportunity to gain the most from your trip as they coincide with market days and local flights.

Day 1 (Sunday)
Today you will visit Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Your first stop, the national museum, will provide you with a first introduction to Ethiopia and its history. The Ethnological Museum, will give you an overview of its many tribes and varying customs, whilst an afternoon visit to Unity Park, including a tour of the imperial palace, will provide a more in-depth view of modern Ethiopia. Lunch will be at the renowned Lucy restaurant. You will overnight at a hotel of your choice in Addis Ababa.

Day 2 (Monday) Today you will start your adventure in earnest by flying from Addis Ababa to the city of Jinka. This is where you will start your visit to the Omo valley, where multiple traditional tribes live. A quick lunch in Jinka and a visit to the South Omo Museum & Research Center will allow you to gain an overview of the area.
After this you will drive into the Mago National Park where you will spend the night at a campsite and experience the heat of the earth under foot and the savannah sunset.

Day 3 (Tuesday) Will be spent visiting the Mursi tribes, famed for their earlobe and lower lip plates. These live in varying settlement villages and as with all tribes, you will be invited take a tour and see local living practices and gain a glimpse of their way of life.
Time permitting additional tribes will include the Ngagatom, Ari, Karo, Body and Kwegu.
Lunch will be on the road and in the late afternoon you will be driven out of the park and to the town of Turmi, where you will check into a Lodge for the night. The town of Turmi is close to the villages of the culturally vibrant Hamer tribe and in the evening, opportunity permitting, you will enjoy the spectacle of the "Avangadi", the traditional courtship ritual of the Hamer.

Day 4 (Wednesday) Today you will spend the day around Turmi, visiting the Hamer tribe and season permitting attend a bull jumping event, a coming of age event for young men (bull jumping events occur October/Novemebr or in the Spring) After a lunch at the lodge, you will be driven to the town of Omorate, right at the southern end of Ethiopia and cross the Omo River with a hollowed out canoe to visit the Dessanech tribe famed for its warlike traditions.
Tonight, you will once again overnight at Turmi.

Day 5 (Thursday) Today you will be driven to Key Afar, and after a morning stroll in the attractive red countryside, where the Banna tribe is located, you will visit the small town that plays host to a colorful market where several tribes can be seen. These include the Banna, Hamer and Karo tribes.
After a quick lunch n town you will leave the Omo Valley and travel up to hillside communities of the Konso where you will spend the night. The Konso tribe is famed for its distinctive and well documented culture, traditions and agricultural practices, and in the late afternoon you will visit the Konso Cultural Centre.

Day 6 (Friday) The well-tended landscape of the Konso hills is a UNESCO world heritage site, and after an early start you will have the chance to walk through several villages and explore the countryside. After an early lunch you will start the long drive up towards Arba Minch.
On the way, there will be an afternoon boating excursion to Lake Chamo, where you will come in close proximity to crocodiles, hippos and a variety of bird life.
Dinner will be overlooking the stunning forested Nechi Sar National Park at sunset, and in the evening you will arrive at Haile Resort where you will overnight.

Day 7 (Saturday) Today you will gain the chance to relax in the Haile Resort in Arba Minch. There will be an optional trip to the Dorze Village in the nearby hills. The Dorze tribe are famed for their shapely bamboo huts, and unexpected culinary practices. Lunch at the Dorze Lodge will allow you to take in spectacular views of the valley and lakes below.
For a second night, you will overnight at Haile Resort.

Day 8 (Sunday) Today you will leave Arba Minch to make the drive to the lake town of Hawassa where you will check into the lake side Lewi Resort for lunch.
Coffee originates from Ethiopia and the region surrounding Hawassa is an area where coffee is grown. You will spend the afternoon visiting coffee farms and makers for the local Sidamo Tribe, and enjoy a traditional coffee making ceremony.
The night will be spent at Hawassa.

Day 9 (Monday) Today you will leave Hawassa at dawn and drive up the winding roads to the Bale Mountains National Park, where you will take picnic lunch at 4,200m above sea level at the Senetti Plateau at the top of the park. The afternoon will be spend exploring the plateau, with the hopes of catching a glimpse of the endangered Ethiopian wolf, raptors and rodents and observe the singular flora of the afro alpine habitat.
You will arrive at the famed Bale Mountain Lodge for an evening check-in.

Day 10 (Tuesday) Today you will hike into the park and visit the lush Herrena Forest where a variety of wildlife can be observed, such as the mountain Nyala, bushbuck and local warthogs. You will picnic under the trees.
For a second night, you will overnight at Bale Mountain Lodge

Day 11 (Wednesday) Today you will leave the Bale Mountains National Park and drive to the neaby town of Goba. A morning visit to a local school will give you a chance to see the everyday life of local people.
Following lunch at the Wabe Shabelle Hotel in Goba, an afternoon connecting flight via Addis will take you to the city of Gondar where the northern portion of your trip will take place.
You will sleep at hotel in the center of the town.

Day 12 (Thursday) Between the 17th and 19th Centuries, Gondar was the Capital of Ethiopia, and you will visit the castles built to project the power of king Fasilides and have earnt the city the nickname of the Camelot of Africa.
In the morning you will walk over to the King Fasilides Castle, a large complex of ruined structures at the centre of the city. A short walk to the central Piazza will bring you to the terrace of the Quara hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon, you will be driven to the overgrown Fasilides Baths, and visit DebreBerhan Selassie Church.
For a second night you will sleep in Gondar.

Day 13 (Friday) You will leave Gondar early in the morning and head towards Lalibela. On the drive to Lalibela from the airport, you will visit the cave church of Nakutalab before checking into the Maribela Hotel for lunch.  In the afternoon you will visit the northern cluster of the towns’ famed rock hewn churches. The UNESCO world heritage site dates to between the 7th and 13th centuries and features full rock hewn but freestanding churches.
In the evening, you will be invited to visit a local culture house, where traditional dancers and singers will entertain you before retiring to your hotel room.

Day 15 (Saturday) You will spend the morning of your second day at Lalibela visiting the southern cluster of churches, and in the mid-morning, you will take the time to visit the towns’ market, which plays host to many villagers from the surrounding mountains.
The afternoon will be spent visiting Asheten Maryam Church, accessible via a steep mountain pass via mule. For a second night you will spend the night at Maribela Hotel.

Day 16 (Sunday) You will start today at sunrise, and visit the Sunday mass at the rock hewn churches before breakfast. A mid morning flight from Lalibela airport will take you to the next stop of your trip at the far north of Ethiopia.  Upon landing at Axum airport you will drive across the rocky landscape of the region of Tigray towards the dramatic and alluring Gheralta mountain range, stopping to see the ancient pre-Christian temple of Yeha on the way. Lunch will be a picnic along the way.
In the late afternoon, you will check into the Gheralta lodge.

Day 17 (Monday) Today your day will be very active, and you will visit 3 distinct churches each preceded by hikes of varying difficulty. You will start with the most dramatic church, Abune Yemata Guh, which involves a steep ascent and scrambling up sheer stone walls. You will be rewarded at the end of this challenge with dramatic and soaring views and an intriguing church set within a painted cave.
From this point, you will hike back down, across and up the mountain to the churches of Maryam Korkor, set in an equally dramatic setting, in a cave on the face of a cliff with a sheer drop of meters.
A picnic lunch will be enjoyed on the mountains’ edge.
Time permitting, you will end the afternoon by visiting the attractive church of Maryam Papasette, which is set in a lush vegetated garden.
For a second night, you will overnight at Gheralta Lodge.

Day 18 (Tuesday) Today you will leave the Gheralta, and after a morning visit to the church of abreha Atsbeha Church  you will begin the long drive into the Danakil Depression, the lowest and hottest location on the planet.
The area provides logistical challenges and you will visit as part of a convoy of vehicles, including support staff and military escorts. For the duration of your trip in the Danakil, all meals will be provided by a local cook, who will join the expedition.

The first stop of the trip will be the crater of Erta Ale, accessible via an evening trek and best visited at night, when the glowing lava lake lights up the night sky. The lava lake has been in continuous presence since the 1920s.
The night will be spent camping under the stars.

Day 19 (Wednesday)
After an early morning trek back to the lava lake at dawn you will continue your expedition. The stark deserted landscape of the depression will transport you to an alien environment. You will see abstract rock formations and will visit the colorful and otherworldly Dallol area where sulfur springs create an abstract, dazzling views.
The final stop for the day will be a visit to Lake Assal, a glimmering hazy salt lake that spectacularly reflects the sunset.
For a second night, you will sleep under the stars in an open air campsite.

Day 20 (Thursday) This day you will experience the local cultures of the Danakil area.
In an early morning visit back at lake Assal, you will be able to observe the practice of cutting and collecting cubes of salt, and follow the long camel caravan back up towards the highlands. In the early evening you will arrive at the city of Mekele and take the evening flight back to Addis Ababa.


Day 21 (Friday) Your final day in Addis Ababa is free for relaxation and recreation. Upon request, we can arrange a tour to visit shopping hotspots in the town, such as the antiques shops at Churchill Avenue, or the socially conscious traditional woven ware of Sabahar.


 
When time is tight, a packed and exhausting itinerary is a must and this 3 day itinerary will take you to some of the most renowned tourist attractions of northern Ethiopia.