Ethiopian Odyssey - Overland Trip

Itineraries

Arrival day

Today we go on a guided tour around the city, visiting various sites including St George's Cathedral, the site of Emperor Haile Selassie's coronation, as well as the Merkato, East Africa's largest market. (B)

We fly to Lalibela today, home to a spectacular collection of churches hewn out of the surrounding rock, so astounding that many believe they are the creations of angels. We'll visit the churches within the town today. (BD)

Heading out into the surrounding countryside, we travel along dirt tracks visiting some of the churches that lie nearby, all made from the rock and dating back to around the twelfth century. (BD)

Today we fly to Axum, a once great city that was under the control of the Queen of Sheba. Axum is home to many fascinating tombs and churches, and has an unusual collection of stelae dating back to the third and fourth centuries. (BD)

We have a full day sightseeing at Axum, including the Church of St Mary of Zion, which is believed to contain the Ark of the Covenant. (BD)

Heading south, we travel through fantastic scenery to Debark, on the edge of the Simien Mountains National Park. This area is characterised by enormous chasms and gorges, and offers some of the most dramatic scenery in Africa. We'll take a short trek to Sankaber, where we'll camp for the night. (BD)

This morning we trek for a few hours in the hope of seeing some of the fascinating wildlife that lives in these mountains. You're almost guaranteed to see Gelada baboons, a species that is found nowhere else on earth, and if we're lucky we may see Walia Ibex. Travel to Gondar for the night. (BD)

This morning we explore Gondar, the old capital of Ethiopia. Today it is home to the Royal Enclosure, a collection of superbly preserved castles built in the seventeenth century, and we'll spend some time exploring these. Afterwards we head to Debre Berhan Selassie, perhaps Ethiopia's most beautiful church. (BD)

Today we drive to Bahir Dar, a pleasant town situated on the shores of Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest lake and the source of the Blue Nile. This afternoon we head out to the Blue Nile Falls, the second largest in Africa. (BD)

A full day visiting the many island monasteries that lie on Lake Tana. We'll travel by boat to visit some of the more remote monasteries and churches, most of which date back to the thirteenth century. We return to Bahir Dar for the night. (BD)

Today we fly back to Addis Ababa. (B)

After breakfast, take an excursion to Mount Entoto where we see the old palace of Menelik II, the Saint Mary’s Church and a panoramic view of Addis. The rest of the day is at leisure. (B)

A free day to explore further. (B)

Today we start travelling to the south of Ethiopia, a region noted for its enormous variety of peoples and cultures. Many of these populations are nomadic or semi-nomadic and, far from the influence of the modern world, their ancient traditions have remained intact. After leaving Addis Ababa, we pass through the high mountain plateau. (BD)

We visit Nechisar National Park, which has been described as one of the most beautiful of Africa’s game parks. A wide variety of wildlife lives here, including lion, cheetah and zebra. We also take a boat trip on Lake Chamo, inhabited by hippo and crocodile. (BLD)

We pass through the territories of several different tribes on our way to Jinka, including the Dorze, famous for their beehive huts, the Konso, who erect totem poles on the tombs of their ancestors, and the semi-nomadic Borena. On Day 5 we visit the Mursi tribe, perhaps the most famous of the people of the Omo Valley, whose women are famous for extending their lower lips with the use of clay discs, and whose men are known for their practice of stick fighting. (Day 4 - BD, Day 5 - BLD)

Here the track stops. Travelling through open savannah and often encountering herds of oryx and gazelle, we head towards Murile. We visit the Karo tribe, masters of body decoration who use chalk to paint themselves. We will also visit the Hamer people, known for their remarkable hairstyles. (BLD)

Today we visit the colourful market of Dimeka and mingle with different tribes like the Karo, Dus, Korcho, Hamer and Geleb. There are many intersting handicrafts to be found too - don’t forget to bargain. Hopefully we will also be invited into a couple of homes. (BLD)

Today we visit the Geleb tribes, crossing the Omo River by boat. The people of Geleb have their own distinctive dress and decoration and villages with interesting architecture. In the afternoon we drive back to Turmi and spend the night camping. (BLD)

Today’s drive offers spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding scenery including the terraced hills of Konso. Along the way, we may be lucky enough to see beisa oryx, dik-dik, and lesser kudu. We visit Konso village where the people are known for their colourful, traditional dress and the unusual engraved wooden statues or totems they use as grave markers. (BLD)

Today we take a very scenic drive to El Sod village. Here we take a short hike to visit 'the house of salt', on the edge of a deep crater lake. We also drive to Dublock to visit the 'singing well'. (BLD)

On the way to Awasa we stop at Wenago to visit the Tutu Fella stelae field - an unusual collection of carved stones. We then continue to Lake Awasa, which is surrounded by mountains and populated by countless species of birds. On arrival, we visit the fish market. (BD)

After a short drive we arrive at Wondo Genet, the site of an inactive crater and an area of hot springs. We then continue to Langano where the rest of the day is free; those who wish may visit the nearby park around lakes Abyata and Shala. The park provides beautiful views over the two lakes and the valley covered in acacia trees. Numerous birds, including the pink flamingo, live on the shores. (B)

We return to Addis Ababa. The rest of the day is free for you to explore or perhaps indulge in a bit of last minute shopping. (B)

Tour ends. (B)