Arrive in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa - Arrive at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and transfer to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you can settle into your accommodation and get some rest and enjoy a first Ethiopian meal.

Addis Ababa Sightseeing/ City tour

Addis Ababa - After breakfast at your accommodation, set out for the day to discover Addis Abeba. Visit the National Museum, which exhibits antiquities, historical relics, and archaeological and paleontological objects from Ethiopia, including the 3.5 million-year-old skeleton of Lucy, one of the earliest humans.

Later, you can also visit one of the city’s many fine Ethiopian Orthodox churches, St. George’s Cathedral, which contains interesting modern paintings and mosaics. Also visit the Mercato, the biggest open market of its kind in Africa, and get a commanding panoramic view from atop Mt. Entoto.

For lunch, choose one of the many eateries that dish out traditional Ethiopian food. Try pancake-like injera heaped with a spiced selection of vegan or meat dishes, washed down with honey-derived tej.

Later, depending on your interests and the weather, you have a choice of activities. Follow the coffee route into the rainforests that swathe Ethiopia’s western highlands. Here you’ll find the Mother Coffee Tree, the oldest living plant of its type anywhere in the world. Alternatively, spend some time exploring the markets and craft stalls of Addis Ababa. You can shop for high-quality crosses, handwoven fabrics, and other uniquely Ethiopian handicrafts.

For dinner, settle back into your accommodation or find out if there is some local entertainment going on. This will depend on the day of the week. Be sure to take in the breathtaking sunset over the city skyline.

Bahir Dar: Boat Cruise & Blue Nile Falls

Bahir Dar - After breakfast, travel to the airport and take a short flight to Bahir Dar (or travel overland to keep costs down, a trip of around three hours).

Ethiopia supports a wealth of lakes, rivers, and other aquatic habitats. The pleasant city of Bahir Dar is located on the shores of Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia. After checking into your hotel, explore Lake Tana and its islands by boat. There are 37 islands on Lake Tana, and 30 of them have churches and monasteries of considerable historical and cultural interest.

Visit the monastery churches of Ura Kidane Mihiret and Azwa Mariam. Ura Kidane Mihiret is the best known of the monasteries and has an important collection of religious icons from the 16th to 18th centuries. Azwa Mariam is known for its paintings, and there will be time to visit the small museum here.

The Blue Nile, which rises in Lake Tana, is associated with two of Ethiopia’s scenic highlights. The first, along the road between Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, is the 5000-foot (1500-m.) deep Blue Nile Gorge, Africa’s answer to the Grand Canyon. The second is the Blue Nile Falls, a popular day trip from Bahir Dar. Other massive gorges, almost as imposing as the Blue Nile, have been carved by the Tekaze and Wabe Shebelle Rivers.

Take an afternoon drive to the Blue Nile Falls, which is known locally as Tissisat (smoking water). The water plunges for 148 feet (45 m.), giving rise to steam clouds and rainbows. Climb down to the base of the falls for an up-close look, and then ascend the other side. The round-trip walk will take about one hour. Then, cross the Blue Nile by boat.

Gondar: African Architecture Adventure

Gonder - After breakfast, take a short flight through to Gondar (or a three-hour drive).

Gondar was the first capital city of the Ethiopian Empire, which began in 1632 with the reign of Fasilidas. In Gondar, there are a dozen castles built by various emperors over the course of 236 years. The city seems more European than African, and also has many Islamic influences.

In the morning, visit Fasilidas’ Palace, the oldest and probably the most impressive of all the castles. Continue on to the Bath of Fasiledes and Quskuam Church. In the afternoon, visit the Church of Debre Berham Selassie (Light of the Trinity). The interior is decorated with beautiful frescoes, cherubs, and paintings. Debre Berham Selassie is rumored to have once been the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Also, pay a visit to the colorful market in Gondar.

Simien Mountains

Simien Mountains National Park - After breakfast, drive for about 1.5 hours through to the Simien Mountains National Park, a UNESCO-listed area. Ethiopia’s scenic centerpiece is a mountainous central plateau that covers half of its surface area, and supports the vast majority of its population. It’s the most extensive contiguous block of fertile land on the eastern side of Africa. The elevated plateau stands almost entirely at altitudes above 6500 feet (2000 m.), and includes dozens of peaks above 13,000 feet (4000 m.), including Ras Dashen, the fifth-highest mountain in Africa at 14,905 feet (4543 m.).

The Ethiopian highlands support a remarkable diversity of habitats. There are lush evergreen forests inhabited by monkeys and parrots, tall sculpted sandstone cliffs studded with ancient rock-hewn churches, high moorlands covered in green grass and pastel-shaded heather, and cultivated fields of tef, wheat, and maize.

The road to the mountains crosses areas of wild beauty, drawing close to the Simien Massif (in Amharic, Simien means north). You will almost certainly encounter troops of the endemic gelada baboons. This animal is often referred to as the bleeding heart baboon, or the lion monkey, because its coat is shaggy and resembles a lion

Axum: Oldest African Empire

Axum - After breakfast, drive to the airport at Gondar (1.5 hours), and take a short flight to Axum, in northern Ethiopia. The alternative is a 5.5-hour drive.

The legends narrated in the Kebre Nagast (‘Book of Kings’) recount how Axum, in the 10th century B.C.E., was where the Queen of Sheba resided. It is recounted that the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant to Axum, where it remains to this day, preserved in a sanctuary. Famous long before the time of Christ, Axum was the capital of the long Axumite reign, one of the oldest African empires, and represented a crucial connecting-point between Africa and Asia for almost a thousand years.

Visit the steles, granite monoliths dating from pre-Christian times and decorated with symbolic engravings. In ancient times, there were seven steles. Now, one of them is in Rome, as Mussolini took it there during Italy’s occupation of Ethiopia. Also visit the church of Santa Maria of Zion, which contains the crowns of Ethiopian kings, and other treasures.

Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela

Goodbye Ethiopia

Addis Ababa - Pack up your bags and your wonderful memories and make your way to Lalibela Airport for a short flight through to the Abbis Ababa International Airport. From there, connect to your flight home.
If Time permits a Fair well Dinner will be Organized.

• Professional and Local Guide
• All Entrance Fees
• Breakfast and Dinner Included
• Comfortable In-vehicle Air Conditioning

• Alcoholic Drinks

During this eight-day exploration of Ethiopia, you’ll discover ancient history, endless landscapes, artistic riches, and delicious cuisine. Starting in Addis Ababa, you’ll meet ‘Lucy’, one of the oldest Hominid Fossil found on earth. Traveling further afield, explore the incredible churches at Lalibela and the remains of millennia-old kingdoms at Axum and Gondar. Visit Simien Mountains National Park, with some of the highest peaks in Africa. You’ll soon understand why Ethiopia is nicknamed the ‘Land of Origins’.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.