Cultural South, 8 days
We will travel to Southern Ethiopia by car. We will visit markets and meet people from 5 different ethnic groups.
Day 1 (Thu) Addis Ababa
Our guides will meet you and you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. We will spend the first day in Addis Ababa. Depending on your time of arrival we will take you on a half day or full day city tour to visit some sites; like the Ethnographic Museum, National Museum, Trinity Cathedral, Mercato (the largest market of Africa) and the Entoto Hills just outside Addis Ababa.
Day 2 (Fri) Addis Ababa - Arba Minch
Today, we will travel through the rolling fertile hills along the Butajira Road and then down to the acacia savanna on the bottom of the Rift Valley. We will pass historical sites of Melka Kunture, Adadi Maryam and Tiya. A brief visit to one of these sites is possible.
Day 3 (Sat) Arba Minch (visit Dorze and Nech Sar NP)
We will travel 36 km from Arba Minch to the highland town of Chencha enjoying the beautiful sceneries of Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo on the way. We will then visit the Dorze people in their famous beehive like huts. We will watch the preparation of their staple food made of false banana and of course we will indulge in their food as well. After a relaxing lunch, we will depart for a boat trip on Lake Chamo where you can witness big crocodiles, water birds and hippopotamus.
Day 4 (Sun) Arba Minch - Turmi,
Today we will travel further south and traverse the areas where Konso, Tsamay, Arbore and Hamar people live. We will visit an Arbore village on the way. Near Turmi we will visit a Hamar village and if lucky witness an Evangadi dance or maybe even a Bull jumping ceremony.
Day 5 (Mon) Turmi (visit Dassanech village and Hamar market)
Monday is a market day in Turmi and Hamar people from everywhere are found here. Before we visit the market, we will drive to Omerate at the east bank of the Omo River, about 72 km/ 1,5 hr from Turmi. We will cross the Omo River by local canoe to visit one of their villages, this is the area where the Dassanech people live and then head back to the market.
Day 6 (Tu) Turmi - Konso, 195 km / ~4 hr
We will explore Turmi on foot today. When there's no water running in the Keske River – which happens often, we will follow the riverbed and find the black and white colobus monkey and many types of birds. After lunch we will visit the Konso people with their maze-like villages and terraces for agriculture. Konso people are well known for their Waga stelae - grave markers for the brave and important men in their village. The cultural landscape of Konso is the youngest World Heritage Site of Ethiopia.
Day 7 (Wed) Konso - Yirgalem,
Today we will travel into the fertile hills of Yirgalem, where a lot of the famous Ethiopian coffee is grown. We will stay the night at the Aregash Lodge situated at a coffee plantation. The lodge is a fine example of an eco-lodge. The huts are built in the same style as the surrounding Sidamo people. Delicious organic, home grown, food is served in the restaurant. It is a great place to spend an afternoon.
Day 8 (Thu) Yirgalem - Addis Ababa
Today is the last day of this tour, we will head to Addis Ababan and en route we will visit the fish market in Hawassa. We will have a quick lunch in Ziway after which we can do some birdwatching near the lake. We will then say goodbye to you by taking you out to a cultural restaurant to enjoy Ethiopian food, traditional music and dance from all over the country. After diner we will take you to the airport for your flight back home.

Historical Route by flight and surface, 10 days

This is the shortest tour that can take you to the major historical sites of northern Ethiopia. You will take 3 domestic flights and travel by car to enjoy the extraordinary natural beauty and fascinating people of Ethiopia.

Day 1 Addis Ababa
Our guides will meet you and you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. We will spend the first day in Addis Ababa. Depending on your time of arrival we will take you on a half day or full day city tour to visit some sites; like the Ethnographic Museum, National Museum, Trinity Cathedral, Mercato (the largest market of Africa) and the Entoto Hills just outside Addis Ababa.
Day 2 Addis Ababa - Bahir Dar, by flight
An early morning flight will take us to Bahir Dar. After checking into your hotel, we will embark on a boat trip on Lake Tana to explore some of the beautiful churches. It takes approximately an hour by boat to reach Zeghe Peninsula, we can explore church Uhre Kidane Mehret here. We will enjoy a walk on the forested peninsula seeing different birds and monkeys while heading to the other. A boat will be waiting on the other side of Peninsula and will take us to the Kibran Gabriel Island (women are not allowed here). The boat will then take us back to Bahir Dar and on the way you can watch water birds, hippos and the sunset.

Day 3 Bahir Dar - Gondar,
Today we will drive for about an hour to Tissisat village. Here, we will take a short walk in the cooler morning hours. We will cross the Nile by the 17th century Portuguese Bridge and continue the walk to the falls, meeting local people on the way. We will then head back to Bahir Dar for lunch and proceed to our next destination - Gondar.

Day 4 Gondar - Simien Mountains,
In the morning we will visit the highlights of Gondar: the Royal Enclosure, Fasilidas Bath and Debre Birhan Selassie - the church with the angel faces painted on the ceiling. Soon after lunch we will head towards the Simien Mountains encountering spectacular scenery on the way.

Day 5 Simien Mountains,
We will spend the whole day today enjoying the beauty of the Simien Mountains. It’s almost guaranteed that we will see the gelada baboon, although the walia ibex and the Ethiopian wolf are much more difficult to locate.
(it is possible to add any number of days for additional hiking in the Simien Mountains)

Day 6 Simien Mountains - Axum,
A long but spectacular day takes us to Axum. Just outside Debark we will head down Lima Limo road until we finally cross the Tekeze River gorge. The scenery there is just beautiful.

Day 7 Axum
In Axum, we will take you in the footsteps of the famous Queen of Sheba and Ezana, the emperor who converted to Christianity. You will see the spectacular stelae of Axum and visit the Maryam of Tsion churches which unfortunately is not open to woman. You can experience the rest of the day visiting other sites or have a leisure time.

Day 8 Axum - Lalibela, by flight
A short flight takes us in the morning to the best part of your visit to Ethiopia - Lalibela. The 12th century rock-hewn churches are the legacy of king Lalibela. It is said his visit to Jerusalem inspired him to build the 11 churches. And in order to get a good impression of these truly amazing places of worship a full day excursion is necessary.

Day 9 Lalibela
On the second day in Lalibela, we will visit the remaining churches in the village. We could spend the rest of the time visiting the Yemrehane Kristos church or we can take a hike to the Asheton Maryam church. We can also catch the weekly market in town if it is a Saturday.

Day 10 Lalibela - Addis Ababa, by flight
After your visit to Lalibela, we will fly back to Addis Ababa. A hotel room for day-use is available. We will then say goodbye to you by taking you out to a cultural restaurant to enjoy Ethiopian food, traditional music and dance from all over the country. After diner we will take you to the airport for your flight back home.

Historical Route by flight, 7 days
When you don’t have much time to spend but you want to include all the major historical sites of northern Ethiopia in your journey, then this is the tour for you. Four domestic flights are taken for this itinerary.
Day 1 Addis Ababa

Our guides will meet you and you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. We will spend the first day in Addis Ababa. Depending on your time of arrival we will take you on a half day or full day city tour to visit some sites; like the Ethnographic Museum, National Museum, Trinity Cathedral, Mercato (the largest market of Africa) and the Entoto Hills just outside Addis Ababa.
Day 2 Addis Ababa - Bahir Dar, by flight

An early morning flight will take us to Bahir Dar. After checking into your hotel, we will embark on a boat trip on Lake Tana to explore some of the beautiful churches. It takes approximately an hour by boat to reach Zeghe Peninsula, we can explore church Uhre Kidane Mehret here. We will enjoy a walk on the forested peninsula seeing different birds and monkeys while heading to the other. A boat will be waiting on the other side of Peninsula and will take us to the Kibran Gabriel Island (women are not allowed here). If time is available, the boat will then take us to the source of the Blue Nile where you can watch water birds and hippos. If not, we can visit Bezawit Hill to enjoy the panoramic view and sunset from there.



Day 3 Bahir Dar - Gondar

In Gondar, we will spend the afternoon visiting the highlights of Gondar - the Royal Enclosure, Fasilidas Bath and Debre Birhan Selassie: the church with the angel faces painted on the ceiling.
Day 4 Gondar - Axum, by flight

In Axum, we will take you in the footsteps of the famous Queen of Sheba and Ezana, the emperor who converted to Christianity. You will see the spectacular stelae of Axum and visit the Maryam of Tsion churches which unfortunately is not open to woman. You can experience the rest of the day visiting other sites if there is time.

Day 5 Axum - Lalibela, by flight

A short flight takes us in the morning to the best part of your visit to Ethiopia - Lalibela. The 12th century rock-hewn churches are the legacy of king Lalibela. It is said his visit to Jerusalem inspired him to build the 11 churches. And in order to get a good impression of these truly amazing places of worship a full day excursion is necessary.

Day 6 Lalibela
On the second day in Lalibela, we will visit the remaining churches in the village. We could spend the rest of the time visiting the Yemrehane Kristos church or we can take a hike to the Asheton Maryam church. We can also catch the weekly market in town if it is a Saturday, hiking options are also available.

Day 7 Lalibela - Addis Ababa, by flight
After your visit to Lalibela, we will fly back to Addis Ababa. A hotel room for day-use is available. We will then say goodbye to you by taking you out to a cultural restaurant to enjoy Ethiopian food, traditional music and dance from all over the country. After diner we will take you to the airport for your flight back home.

Historical Route by surface, 12 days
If you are the type of person who would enjoy exploring Ethiopia by surface, then this tour is for you. This tour takes you to all the important historical sites of northern Ethiopia without flying. You will enjoy the extraordinary natural beauty and meet the fascinating people of the country.
Day 1 Addis Ababa
Our guides will meet you and you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. We will spend the first day in Addis Ababa. Depending on your time of arrival we will take you on a half day or full day city tour to visit some sites; like the Ethnographic Museum, National Museum, Trinity Cathedral, Mercato (the largest market in Africa) and the Entoto Hills just outside Addis Ababa.
Day 2 Addis Ababa - Bahir Dar
We will have an early breakfast in Addis Ababa before heading for a long drive to the north. This journey leads us through the rolling hills of the Ethiopian Highlands where a lot of agricultural activity is carried out. We will enjoy the natural beauty of the Blue Nile Gorge on the way before reaching Bahir Dar.
Day 3 Bahir Dar
After an early breakfast we will drive for about an hour to reach the small village of Tiss Isat. We will cross the Nile by the 17th century Portuguese Bridge and walk to the falls, meeting local villagers and admiring the Blue Nile Fall along the way. We will then cross the Nile back by a small boat. We will then head back to Bahir Dar for lunch and in the afternoon go on a boat trip on Lake Tana to explore some of the beautiful churches.
It takes about an hour by boat to reach Zeghe Peninsula. Once there we will visit the famous church of Uhre Kidane Mehret. We will then enjoy a walk on the forested peninsula to the other churches and might even meet monkeys and exotic birds on the way. On the other side of peninsula, a boat will take us to Kibran Gabriel Island (unfortunately women are not allowed). Before going back to Bahir Dar the boat will take us to the source of the Blue Nile where you can see water birds hippos and the beautiful sunset.
Day 4 Bahir Dar - Gondar,
We will head to Gondar today. We will spend the afternoon visiting the best sites; the Royal Enclosure, Fasilidas Bath and Debre Berhan Selassie - the church with the angel faces painted on the ceiling.
Day 5 Gondar - Simien Mountains
The Simien Mountains is our next stop. After lunch we will spend the afternoon enjoying the natural beauty of the Simien Mountains. We can explore the park on foot or by car. It is almost guaranteed that you will see the gelada baboon at least once.
Day 6 Simien Mountains - Axum,
A long but spectacular drive takes us to Axum. Just outside Debark we will start our journey down the Italian-built Lima Limo road until we finally cross the Tekeze River gorge. The scenery there is just spectacular.
Day 7 Axum
In Axum, we will take you in the footsteps of the famous Queen of Sheba and Ezana, the emperor who converted to Christianity. You will see the spectacular stelae of Axum and visit the Maryam of Tsion churches which unfortunately is not open to woman. Many more sites are available or you can experience the rest of the day visiting other sites or have a leisure time.

Day 8 Axum - Mekele,
Today we continue our journey through the breathtaking scenery of Tigray. We will visit the Yeha Temple - the oldest structure found in Ethiopia on the way. A small detour then leads us to the Abreha Atsheba church - one of the best examples of the rock-hewn churches of Tigray. It is also possible to visit Debre Damo, the monastery on the top of a cliff only accessible by a 15 meter long rope and unfortunately open for men only.
Day 9 Mekele - Lalibela,
A long but mesmerizing drive takes us to the best part of your visit to Ethiopia - Lalibela. If the day goes as planned we might have time to visit Yemrehane Kristos church en route.
Day 10 Lalibela
The 12th century rock-hewn churches are the legacy of King Lalibela. History says that it’s his visit to Jerusalem that inspired him to build the 11 churches. Therefore to take it all in, we need a full day to get a good impression of these truly amazing places of worship. It is also possible to add additional days to explore more of Lalibela, excellent hiking opportunities are available.
Day 11 Lalibela - Kombolcha,
We take a full day today to drive to Kombolcha today. If arrival day is Sunday, we suggest to add one more day to the tour so that you can visit the Bati Market on Monday.
Day 12 Kombolcha - Addis Ababa,
Our last day brings us back to Addis Ababa. A hotel room for day-use is available. We will then say goodbye to you by taking you out to a cultural restaurant to enjoy Ethiopian food, traditional music and dance from all over the country. After diner we will take you to the airport for your flight back home.

Natural highlights, 13 days
If you want to focus on Ethiopia's natural beauty this itinerary is the right one for you. This tour will take you to 5 different National Parks and a Game Sanctuary.
Day 1 Addis Ababa
Our guides will meet you and you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. We will spend the first day in Addis Ababa. Depending on your time of arrival we will take you on a half day or full day city tour to visit some sites; like the Ethnographic Museum, National Museum, Trinity Cathedral, Mercato (the largest market in Africa) and the Entoto Hills just outside Addis Ababa.
Day 2 Addis Ababa - Simien Mountains (by plane to Gondar)
We will fly to Gondar today and then drive to the Simien Mountains. On the way we will encounter the natural beauty. After lunch, we will continue to explore the surrounding nature. Budget or tourist class accommodation is available in Debark, a 45-minute drive outside the park. It is also possible to add any number of days for additional hiking in the Simien Mountains.
Day 3 Simien Mountains
We will take a full day to enjoy the beautiful scenery here. After lunch we will spend the afternoon enjoying the natural beauty of the Simien Mountains. We can explore the park on foot or by car. It is almost guaranteed that you will see the gelada baboon at least once.
Day 4 Simien Mountains - Gondar
We will head to Gondar today. We will spend the afternoon visiting the best sites; the Royal Enclosure, Fasilidas Bath and Debre Berhan Selassie - the church with the angel faces painted on the ceiling.
Day 5 Gondar - Awash NP (by plane to Addis Ababa)
In the morning we will fly back to Addis Ababa to take a half-day journey to Awash National Park.
Day 6 Awash National Park
Today we explore Awash National Park in depth. Game drives and walks are available to encounter the wildlife and enjoy the scenery. You are likely to see beisa oryx, kudu, defassa waterbuck, Soemmering's gazelle, warthog and baboons. The park is also a great place for birdwatchers.
Day 7 Awash NP - Langano
Today we leave the park for our next destination, en route we stop at Lake Ziway for some bird-watching or leisure time, whichever you (your group) prefer. Afterwards, we will visit Shala-Abiata National Park where we find twin lakes, these lakes offer great scenery and abundant birdlife.
Day 8 Langano - Arba Minch
We will leave our resort at the lake to visit Senkele Game Sanctuary. Here, you can view the endemic Swayne's hartebeest and other savanna animals.
Day 9 Arba Minch (visit Nech Sar NP)
We will spend today exploring the Nech Sar National Park. In the morning we will go on a game drive in search for the endemic Swayne's hartebeest and other savanna animals like Burchell's zebra, Grant's gazelle and warthog. After a relaxing lunch, we will depart for a boat trip on Lake Chamo where you will see big corocodiles. Many (water) birds and hippopotamus’s are also easily found here.
Day 10 Arba Minch - Yirgalem
Today we leave the lakes behind and enter the green and fertile hills, a lot of the famous Ethiopian coffee is grown here. We stay at the Aregash Lodge in Yirgalem situated at a coffee plantation. The lodge is a fine example of an eco-lodge. The huts are built in the same style as the surrounding Sidamo people’s huts. Delicious organic, home grown food is served in the restaurant. It is a great place for a relaxing afternoon.
Day 11 (Th) Yirgalem - Goba
On our way to the Bale Mountains we will pass Hawassa, where we can visit the fish market. Here we have a very good chance of seeing the endemic mountain nyala and Menelik's bushbuck. We will then proceed to Goba.
Day 12 Goba (visit Bale Mountains NP)
The whole day today is spent on exploring the Bale Mountains. This is going to be a day of extraordinary scenery, we will search for endemic species, like the Ethiopian wolf and many different kind of birds.
(it is possible to add additional days in the Bale Mountains, for example to visit the Sof Omar Caves)
Day 13 Goba - Addis Ababa
We are leaving the mountainous area behind as we travel down to the bottom of the Rift Valley by a different, very scenic road, via Asela. Our last day brings us back to Addis Ababa. A hotel room for day-use is available. We will then say goodbye to you by taking you out to a cultural restaurant to enjoy Ethiopian food, traditional music and dance from all over the country. After diner we will take you to the airport for your flight back home.

Best of Ethiopia, 29 days
This tour is a combination of a 14 day tour to the north and a 14 day tour to the south, with an addition of Harar and Awash National Park sites in the east.
Day 1 (Sa) Addis Ababa
Our guides will meet you and you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. We will spend the first day in Addis Ababa. Depending on your time of arrival we will take you on a half day or full day city tour to visit some sites; like the Ethnographic Museum, National Museum, Trinity Cathedral, Mercato (the largest market in Africa) and the Entoto Hills just outside Addis Ababa.
Day 2 (Su) Addis Ababa - Bahir Dar
We will have an early breakfast in Addis Ababa before heading for a long drive to the north. This journey leads us through the rolling hills of the Ethiopian Highlands where a lot of agricultural activity is carried out. We will enjoy the natural beauty of the Blue Nile Gorge on the way before reaching Bahir Dar.
Day 3 (Mo) Bahir Dar
Today we will go on a boat trip on Lake Tana to explore some of the beautiful churches. Before that we will head to the source of the Blue Nile to see hippoes and birds.
It takes about an hour by boat to reach Zeghe Peninsula. Once there we will visit the famous church of Uhre Kidane Mehret. We will then enjoy a walk on the forested peninsula to the other churches and might even meet monkeys and exotic birds on the way. On the other side of peninsula, a boat will take us to Kibran Gabriel Island (unfortunately women are not allowed). Finally, we will go back to Bahir Dar in the late afternoon. And at the end of the day we will enjoy the panoramic view and sunset from Bezawit Hill.
Day 4 (Tu) Bahir Dar - Gondar
After an early breakfast we drive for about one hour to reach the small village of Tissisat. Here we enjoy a lovely walk in the cooler morning hours. We cross the Nile by the 17th century Portuguese Bridge and continue the walk to the falls, meeting local people on the way. After admiring the falls we cross the Nile by small boat to find our car waiting for us. We willl head back to Bahir Dar for lunch and proceed to our next destination Gondar.
Day 5 (We) Gondar - Simien Mountains
We will spend the morning to visit the highlights of Gondar: the Royal Enclosure, Fasilidas Bath and Debre Birhan Selassie, the church with the angel faces painted on the ceiling. After lunch we proceed towards the Simien Mountains encountering spectacular scenery on the way as a good preparation for tomorrow.
Day 6 (Th) Simien Mountains
We will spend the whole day today enjoying the beauty of the Simien Mountains. It’s almost guaranteed that we will see the gelada baboon, although the walia ibex and the Ethiopian wolf are much more difficult to locate.
(it is possible to add any number of days for additional hiking in the Simien Mountains)

Day 7 (Fr) Simien Mountains - Axum
A long but spectacular day takes us to Axum. Just outside Debark we will head down Lima Limo road until we finally cross the Tekeze River gorge. The scenery there is just beautiful.

Day 8 (Sa) Axum
In Axum, we will take you in the footsteps of the famous Queen of Sheba and Ezana, the emperor who converted to Christianity. You will see the spectacular stelae of Axum and visit the Maryam of Tsion churches which unfortunately is not open to woman. You can experience the rest of the day visiting other sites or have a leisure time.

Day 9 (Su) Axum - Mekele
Today we continue our journey through the breathtaking scenery of Tigray. We will visit the Yeha Temple - the oldest structure found in Ethiopia on the way. A small detour that leads us to the Abreha Atsheba church - one of the best examples of the rock-hewn churches of Tigray. It is also possible to visit Debre Damo, the monastery on the top of a cliff only accessible by a 15 meter long rope and unfortunately open for only men.
Day 10 (Mo) Mekele - Lalibela, 335 km/ ~7,5 hr
A long but mesmerizing drive takes us to the best part of your visit to Ethiopia - Lalibela. If the day goes as planned we might have time to visit Yemrehane Kristos church en route.
Day 11/ 12 (Tu/We) Lalibela
The 12th century rock-hewn churches are the legacy of King Lalibela. History says that it’s his visit to Jerusalem that inspired him to build the 11 churches. Therefore to take it all in, we need a full day to get a good impression of these truly amazing places of worship. It is also possible to add additional days to explore more of Lalibela, excellent hiking opportunities are available.


Day 13 (Th) Lalibela - Harar (by plane to Dire Dawa)
Today we will take two domestic flights to reach Harar. A 45 minute flight takes us to Addis Ababa and later that day a one hour flight will take us to Dire Dawa where our driver will be waiting for us to take us to Harar. This journey is about 55 km long and will take close to 1.5 hrs.
Day 14 (Fr) Harar
The city of Harar is a fascinating town to explore. We will go through the maze like layout of this 4th holiest town of Islam. There are many mosques and shrines to discover and it is a lively town too. The Harari market is popular. In the evening we will see the Hyena man, feeding the hyena by hand. You can give it a try if you dare.
Day 15 (Sa) Harar - Awash NP
We will first travel on the mountainous and fertile areas, famous for their coffee and qat. Later on, we will head to the plains of the Rift Valley and Awash National Park. In the late afternoon we go out for our first game drive in the park.
Day 16 (Su) Awash NP
This is a day to explore Awash National Park. Game drives and walks are available to encounter the wildlife and enjoy the scenery. You are likely to see the beisa oryx, kudu, defassa waterbuck, Soemmering's gazelle, warthog and baboon. The park is also a great place for birdwatchers.
(if you want to explore more of the park you might add another day)
Day 17 (Mo) Awash NP - Langano
Today we leave the park behind for our next destination. En route we will stop at Lake Ziway for some birdwatching. You can take the afternoon for leisure. However we would like to take you to the Shala-Abiata National Park, these twin lakes offer great scenery and abundant birdlife. Overgrazing by cattle seriously damaged the area and few larger mammals are found now, but it is still worth a visit.
Day 18 (Tu) Langano - Arba Minch
We leave the resort to visit the Senkele Game Sanctuary. Here we will get the chance to see the endemic Swayne's hartebeest and other savanna animals.

Day 19 (We) Arba Minch (visit Dorze and Nech Sar NP)
We will travel 36 km from Arba Minch to the highland town of Chencha enjoying the beautiful sceneries of Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo on the way. We will then visit the Dorze people in their famous beehive like huts. We will watch the preparation of their staple food made of false banana and of course we will indulge in their food as well. After a relaxing lunch, we will depart for a boat trip on Lake Chamo where you can witness big crocodiles, water birds and hippopotamus.
Day 20 (Th) Arba Minch - Jinka,
Today we will travel further south and traverse the areas where Konso, Tsamay, Banna and Ari people live. We will visit the Thursday market of Key Afar, one of the biggest in the region. Banna, Ari and Tsamay people travel from far to attend this market. A wide selection of goods and fresh produce is sold here. After visiting the market we proceed to Jinka.
Day 21 (Fr) Jinka (visit Mursi and Ari people)
Today we explore more of the area around Jinka. In the morning we will go to the Mago National Park on our way to probably the most well known people of the Omo Valley: the Mursi. After about a 2 hour drive, we will reach one of the villages where the Mursi people live. We will then head back to Jinka for lunch and visit the Ari people in the afternoon. The Ari people adopt a more 'western' lifestyle and live on small compound where they grow a selection of crops.
Day 22 (Sa) Jinka - Turmi
Today, we will first visit the museum at the South Omo Research Centre and then proceed to Dimeka, where Saturday is a market day. Just like the other markets its open from morning until the evening. At the market, you will find mainly Hamar people but also Karo, Bashada and Banna travel here too. After visiting the market we proceed to Turmi. During our stay in Turmi we might be lucky to witness an Evangadi dance or maybe even a Bulljumping ceremony.
Day 23 (Su) Turmi (visit Dassanech and Hamar people)
In the morning, we will drive to Omerate at the east bank of the Omo River, about 72 km/ 1,5 hr from Turmi. We will cross the Omo River by local canoe to visit one of their villages, this is the area where the Dassanech people live.



Day 24 (Mo) Turmi - Yabello
Before departing for Yabello, we will enjoy a walk around Turmi to explore the area on foot. When there's no water running in the Keske River (most of the time) we follow the riverbed and find almost always the black and white colobus monkey and many kinds of birds. After the walk will drive and visit an Arbore village on the way. After lunch we visit the Konso people with their maze like villages and terraces for agriculture. They are also well known for their Waga stelae, grave markers for the brave and important men of the people. The cultural landscape of Konso is the youngest World Heritage Site of Ethiopia.
Day 25 (Tu) Yabello (visit 'singing well' and El Sod)
Yabello is the heartland of the Borana people - pastoralist who travel around with their camels and cattle. They live in semi arid savanna and with their "singing wells" they provide water for both the animals and themselves when water elsewhere is absent. You might be lucky to witness the chain of people bringing the water up, meanwhile singing to keep the spirits up. The crater of El Sod with a salt lake at the bottom offers great scenery and a challenging walk down (and up again) to see the harvesting process of the salt.
Day 26 (We) Yabello - Yirgalem,
Today we will travel into the fertile hills of Yirgalem, where a lot of the famous Ethiopian coffee is grown. We will stay the night at the Aregash Lodge situated at a coffee plantation. The lodge is a fine example of an eco-lodge. The huts are built in the same style as the surrounding Sidamo people. Delicious organic, home grown, food is served in the restaurant. It is a great place to spend an afternoon.
Day 27 (Th) Yirgalem - Goba 274 km/ ~5 hr
On our way to the Bale Mountains we visit the fish market in Hawassa. We will enjoy a beautiful walk in the surrounding area. Here we have a very good chance to see the endemic mountain nyala and Menelik's bushbuck. After the walk we proceed to Goba.
Day 28 (Fr) Goba (visit Bale Mountains NP)
The whole day today is spent to explore the Bale Mountains. This is going to be a day of extraordinary scenery and of course we continue our search for endemic species of which many are found in this area. Among them the Ethiopian wolf and many endemic birds.

Day 29 (Sa) Goba - Addis Ababa
We are leaving the mountainous area behind to travel down to the bottom of the Rift Valley again by a different, very scenic road, via Asela. The last day of your unforgettable visit to Ethiopia brings us back to Addis Ababa.
We will have a complimentary dinner at a cultural restaurant to enjoy Ethiopian food, traditional music and dance from all over the country. After diner we will take you to the airport for your flight back home.