Arrival in Addis Ababa and City Tour

Addis Ababa - Upon arriving at Bole International Airport, a representative from Welcome Ethiopian Wanderer Tours will greet you and escort you to your reserved hotel. Depending on your arrival time, we offer several sightseeing options: a 5-6 hour city tour.

• Mount Entoto: Offers the best views over the capital.
• Institute of Ethiopian Studies: Showcases a variety of artifacts from different regions, reflecting the country’s history and culture.
• National Museum: Home to the 3.5-million-year-old bones of Lucy, among other exhibits.
• George Cathedral: Features paintings by the renowned Ethiopian artist Afework Tekele and other ecclesiastical treasures and cultural heritage.
• Trinity Cathedral: The burial site of members of the imperial family and noted patriots; the cathedral is the most magnificent of its kind in the country, adorned with carvings, mosaics, and other artistic works.
• The Mercato: The largest open-air market in Africa.

Addis Ababa – Bahir Dar

Bahir Dar - This day involves a long drive from Addis to Bahir Dar. In the morning, you will fly with your guide to Bahir Dar and be taken to your hotel. We will then embark on a boat trip on Lake Tana to explore the nearby monastery of Ura Kidane Mihret on the Zege peninsula, known for its 14th-century, round, grass-roofed churches and their magnificent murals, including the Azoa Mariam and Ura Kidane Mihret churches. These churches, with their mud-plastered round walls and conical thatched roofs, are typical examples of ancient Ethiopian Orthodox architecture. The monastery is hidden in the forest of the Zege peninsula and is renowned for its fine frescoes, manuscripts, and ecclesiastical objects, such as the crowns of various emperors dating from the 14th century, gold and silver processional crosses, silver drums, and royal vestments. During our walk through the densely forested area, we hope to encounter monkeys and abundant birdlife.

Bahir Dar – Gondar (170 km) 3 hours drive

Gondar - After breakfast, we drive to Gondar, a 17th-century royal city of Ethiopia, rich in imperial structures like the Castle Compound and the spectacularly painted Debre Birhan Selassie Church.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will visit the royal enclosures of Fassil Ghibe and all the castles of the Gonderian emperors, as well as the famous Debre Berhan Selassie Church, which is completely covered in murals, with the angels’ faces on the wooden ceiling that have become a trademark of Ethiopian art and design.

Gondar – Simien Mountains National Park (120 km)

Gondar - Early in the morning, we continue our journey to the Simien Mountains National Park. We will reach the Simien Lodge, the highest lodge in Africa, around noon. After lunch, we will start exploring the Simien Mountains National Park. Due to its unique landscape and endemic fauna, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. In the park, you may experience close interactions with the friendly Gelada Baboons. We will drive up to Sankaber (3,220m) and admire the impressive scenery with its deep gorges and valleys and the highest waterfall in Ethiopia. A gentle walk here would take about 2 hours. We hope to encounter more endemic animals, such as the Walia Ibex and the Simien fox. In the late afternoon, we will return to Debark, where we will spend the night.

Debark – Axum (240 km)

Axum - After breakfast, we continue to Axum (approx. 7 hours) with stunning views along the way. Axum, at an altitude of 1,637m, is considered a holy city in Ethiopia where Ethiopian Christianity is said to have begun, dating back over 2,000 years. The Axumite kingdom is also considered the cradle of Ethiopian civilization.

Full day in Axum

Axum - The city tour of Axum includes visits to the Axum stelae or obelisks, the largest single pieces of stone erected by human beings anywhere in the world, the castles of former monarchs, Mariam Tsion Church built on the site of Ethiopia’s first church, the Palace of Queen Sheba, the inscriptions of King Ezana, and the tombs of kings Kaleb and Gebre Meskel.

Axum – Yeha – Mekelle (250 km)

Mek’ele - After breakfast, we will visit the temple of Yeha (approx. 50 km / 1 hour). The route passes through Adwa, where the famous battle between the Ethiopians and Italians took place in 1896. Yeha was a pre-Axumite settlement and is famous for its well-preserved stone temple with 12m high walls estimated to be 2,500 years old.

Mekelle – Lalibela

Lalibela - Today we continue our drive through ever-changing landscapes to Lalibela (approx. 8 hours). We will reach Lalibela in the late afternoon.

Full Day in Lalibela

Lalibela - Today we will visit the 11 renowned rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, also known as the “8th wonder of the world.” The Lalibela rock-hewn churches are physically carved from the rock on which they stand. These towering edifices seem to be a superhuman creation in scale, workmanship, and concept. Some are sculpted out of solid volcanic rock, while others are connected by long underground tunnels and mazes. Some are quarried enlargements of caves. The first group of six churches lies in rock cradles, one behind the other: Bet Golgotha, Bet Mikeal, Bet Mariam, Bet Maskel, Bet Dangal, and Bet Medhanealem. Bet Medhanealem, the largest rock-hewn church in the world, is built like a Greek temple.

Lalibela – Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa - This day involves a long drive of about 9 hours.

Evening: In the evening, you will be invited to a memorable farewell dinner in one of Addis Ababa’s traditional restaurants with cultural songs, dances, and traditional food and drinks. You will then be transferred to Bole International Airport.

• All Entrance fee
• Breakfast
• 9 Night Accommodation

• International and domestic air ticket Visa fees Excess luggage charges
• Flights and personal fee