On arrival at Addis Ababa International Airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel. After lunch (at own expense) you will begin a city tour.

This morning you will wake up early for your transfer to Addis Ababa Airport for your flight to Gondar (flight cost not included). (B)

On arrival at Gondar Airport you will drive to Debark town, which is the gateway to Simien Mountains National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since the late 1960s, the Simien Mountains National Park presents perhaps the most dramatic scenery in Africa – great volcanic plugs, formed some 40 million years ago and eroded over time into fantastic crags, pinnacles and flat topped mountains, “the chess pieces of the Gods”, as one writer described them, tower over precipitous gorges, river valleys and plains stretching all the way to Eritrea.

In the Simiens visitors can see the endemic Gelada or bleeding heart baboon, the Walia Ibex, the Simien wolf (the rarest canid in the world) and rock hyrax, and endemic birds such as the thick billed raven, black headed siskin, white collared pigeon, wattled ibis, white billed starling, spot breasted plover and white backed black tit.

After breakfast you will travel back to Gondar. On arrival, check into the Goha Hotel and start your city tour after lunch (at own expense). Gondar was the imperial capital from the 17th to mid-19th centuries, and the Royal Enclosure or Fasil Gibbi, provides visitors with an idea of what it must have been like in its heyday. (B)

Today you will be transferred to Gondar Airport for your flight to Lalibela (flight cost not included). (B)

On arrival at Lalibela Airport you will be met and transferred to the Mountain View Hotel where you will start your tour of the first group of churches before lunch (churches are closed 12h00-14h00), continuing in the afternoon.

In Lalibela, as part of an initiative undertaken by our ground operator (Ethiopian Quadrants), local hoteliers and the Guides’ Association, visits to a typical farm can be arranged. The guide can explain issues relating to farm work and the daily life of people engaged in agriculture. The fee for visiting goes to the farmer and his family (at own expense).

As part of the same initiative, cookery classes in Ethiopian cuisine can also be arranged (at own expense). These need to be requested before your visit.

AAfter breakfast you will set off on mule or on foot to the church of Ashetun Mariam, about a 4 hour round trip. You will pass small villages on the way up with wonderful views of the surrounding countryside from the top of the mountain where the church is located. Those who do not feel up to a hike or mule ride can go a shorter distance by car to the cave church of Neakuto Leab. (B)

After lunch (at own expense) you will set off by car to the cave church of Yemrehane Christos, built by the king of the same name before the reign of King Lalibela. The church is constructed inside a cave, in Axumite style, similar to the 7th century monastery at Debre Damo in Tigray, with alternating levels of wood and stone. A 40 km trip from Lalibela followed by a 10 minute hike brings you to this beautiful church, the finest example of its kind in Ethiopia (the road is bumpy and dusty, but most visitors feel it is well worth it).

Today you will transfer to Lalibela Airport for your flight to Addis Ababa (flight cost not included). (B)

On arrival at Addis Ababa Airport you will be met and transferred to Hara Lodge on Lake Langano some 235 kms south of Addis Ababa.

After breakfast you will head down the western side of the Great Rift Valley, and past the Rift Valley Lakes of Langano, Shalla, Abiata and Shashamene. After Sodo you will skirt the western shores of Lakes Abaya and Chamo, the southernmost of Ethiopia’s Rift Valley Lakes, before arriving in Arba Minch, or “40 springs” and check into Paradise Lodge. (B)

Today you will drive south to Konso, where the people are known for their intricately terraced hillsides, fine woven materials and the carved totems with which they decorate their graves, after your visit you will turn towards Jinka. Konso is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will pass the Weyto river where you will see a great variety of pelicans and other aquatic birds then head to Turmi by visiting the market at Demeka. (B)

Highlight: Market Days in Kosno are Mondays, Wednesday and Thursdays.

Today you will head towards the Omo River, to Omo Rate to visit the Galeb/Desanech village. You will cross the river in a local boat and visit villages on the other side. In the late afternoon visit Hamer village. The Hamer, both men and women take great pride in their appearance, shaving and colouring their hair, oiling their bodies and decorating themselves with beads and bracelets worn around arms and legs. If this day is a Saturday or a Tuesday, you will visit the market at Dimeke, which is one of the most colourful and interesting in the area. During the time you spend in Turmi, you will check whether there is a bull jumping ceremony in the vicinity, this is a right of passage ceremony for young men, marking their transition to adulthood. You can also check for Evangadi, or Hamer dancing ceremonies. (B)

Highlight: Market Days in Dimeke are Saturdays and Tuesdays.
Market Day in Turmi is Mondays.

Today you will drive to Murule, and visit the Korcho village of the Karo people. Among the people living along the Omo, the Karo excel in face and body painting. (B)

Today you will travel to Jinka via Key Afer, frequented by the Bena and Ari people. (B)

Highlight: Market Days in Key Afer are Thursdays and Saturdays.
Market Days in Jinka are Tuesdays and Saturdays.

In the morning leave Jinka and drive to the Mago National Park. The park has a variety of mammals and birds, but the animals tend to stay away from the roads and sightings cannot be guaranteed. (B)

The main attraction in Mago are the Mursi people, you will drive to Shembel, the nearest Mursi village. The Mursi are know for their body scarification and (among the women) the wearing of lip plates. Return to Jinka for lunch (at own expense) and then you will retrace your steps towards Arba Minch.

Today you will fly back to Addis Ababa (flight not included in quote). (B)

On arrival at Addis Ababa Airport you will be met and transferred by road to Jupiter International Hotel for day use of a room. This afternoon you will be transferred to Addis Ababa International Airport for your onward flight.