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Private Full-Day Tour of Addis Ababa: Sightseeing, Culture, and Cuisine
4.9
85 Ratings
Addis Ababa
Experience the best of Addis Ababa on a private full-day tour. Discover the city's history, culture, and cuisine with an expert guide. Visit top attractions, enjoy stunning views, and immerse yourself in the local way of life. Customize the tour to suit your interests.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- St. George’s Cathedral - Saint George Cathedral is one of the oldest religious sites in Addis Ababa. This historical church is famous for its octagonal architecture.
At Saint George Cathedral, visit beautiful mosaics depicting biblical scenes. See also interesting hand paintings showing historical/political events. These wonderful paintings and mosaics are done by the famous Ethiopian Maître Artist Afework Tekle.
You will also visit the museum of Saint George Cathedral to see a number of historical and religious artifacts.
- National Museum of Ethiopia - At the National Museum of Ethiopia, see the fossil remains of Lucy (3.18 million years old) and some of the oldest stone tools human beings ever made and used. Learn about the historical and cultural background of Ethiopia and its people.
- Mount Entoto - Drive through the Eucalyptus forest to Entoto Hill (3,200 meters above sea level) to enjoy the panoramic view of Addis Ababa, for a LOCAL FAMILY VISIT and to attend TYPICAL ETHIOPIAN COFFEE CEREMONY
- Mercato Market - Visit Merkato - the biggest outdoor market in Africa. Walk at the Spice Market, Second-hand items market, handwoven basket market, and the recycling part of the market.
- Ethnological Museum - Take a guided tour of Ethnological Museum for about 1 hour. Get a great introduction to Ethiopia’s history, people, culture, and religions. Visit also the former palace of Emperor Haile Sillassie I.
- Lion of Judah - Drive on the main streets of Addis Ababa to visit historical monuments such as the Lion of Judah
- Meskel Square - Stop at Meskel Square - the main square in Addis Ababa which is named after a colorful religious ceremony of Meskel (finding of the True Cross of Jesus Christ)
What's Included
- Tour escort/host
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Hotel/Airport pickup and drop-off with private air conditioned vehicle
- Bottled water
- Professional experienced English speaking tour guide
- Lunch
- Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Attendance
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Visits to Merkato Market on Sundays and National Museum of Ethiopia on Mondays. They are closed.
Additional Information
With expert tour guide, get the best first-time visitors’ orientation to Addis Ababa’s history, culture, food, and sights.
Explore Addis Ababa from a local’s perspective visiting popular sites. With a private air-conditioned vehicle, drive through both Addis’s most scenic and unique areas only locals know.
Customize this 8 - 9 hours private tour in Addis Ababa including
- Seeing the fossil remains of Lucy at the National Museum of Ethiopia
- Visiting Holy Trinity Cathedral or Saint George Cathedral
- Enjoying stunning views of Addis Ababa from Mount Entoto
- Driving on main streets in Addis to see the city’s popular monuments, squares, landmarks, and
- Visiting Merkato Market and the Ethnological Museum
With this Viator’s “Badge of Excellence” awardee tour, meet locals in Addis Ababa at their home. Attend a traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony and learn preparing Ethiopian cuisine.
This tour is flexible to customize to your interests.
Location
St. George's Cathedral
Piazza
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(85 Ratings)
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Michael_m
Jun 19, 2024
A visit at Addis Ababa - I loved visiting Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. it was a great experiance. I recommend it to anyone. the tour guid was excellent
Review provided by Viator
W218rbck
Jun 14, 2024
Look elsewhere no more for your 1 day layover in Addis Ababa - This is the most comprehensible and affordable day trip for our one-day layover in Addis Ababa. Our guide and driver were very professional, kind, and friendly. They tried to accommodate our needs and answer questions the best they could. We got to know the country of Ethiopia in in this one-day trip. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diane
Jun 12, 2024
Incredible experience with tour guide Henok - We had a full day city tour with a professional tour guide Henok and driver Srik they are beyond and above thank you our enthusiastic guide henok he knows a lot about his country and he takes us a local house to experience Ethiopian food and coffee once again thank you our tour guide Henok!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cabral_bsb
May 21, 2024
Great tour and guide - I took a private tour with Biruk and the guide was very attentive and showed the best spots in the city of Addis Ababa and answered all my questions and met all my expectations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Woobie_r
May 20, 2024
Such a great experience, we came back for second day. We will use them again in the future - Wow, what can I say, Biruk (guide) and Sirak (driver) are the best guide team around…I don’t know where to start! And we’ve used several other Viator guides for comparison. They both combine the most important qualities you can have from a guide — as a team, they are super knowledgeable about all aspects of Ethiopian culture, from history to food to art and anything we asked them about. They were extremely flexible with our schedule and itinerary, patient with our requests, even accommodating last minute changes. What meant the most to me is how passionate they were about their jobs as guides and their love of Ethiopia, going above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful experience and experience the warmth of the people. We even got to make new Ethiopian friends because of them. As a team, Biruk and Sirak complement each other really well. I will really miss them a lot, but I look forward to seeing them again, and have them show us things outside of Addis Ababa next time into different parts of the country. I couldn’t recommend them more!
Review provided by Viator
Flavia
May 19, 2024
Excellent choice - Excellent option! The coffee ceremony for us was the difference, we loved it! Super helpful, communicative and attentive Henok guide. We recommend!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michaelweiss
May 6, 2024
Great way to pass a layover of 10h in Addis Ababa - Great way to pass a layover of 10h in Addis Ababa. The tour was great and we were able to experience the city and its local vibes with Henok. The authentic meal we had at the mountains was outstanding, the eatery at the restaurant downtown was a bit less, but overall a great experience to have!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John
Apr 11, 2024
Connect with Ethiopia through Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours! - There is plenty to see and experience in Addis Ababa and Ethiopia! Our guide, “Mule” as he is called, is friendly, knowledgeable, responsive and eager to show you the sights of his country. If you have any questions about creating a memorable trip, contact Mule!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Silvinac2022
Mar 1, 2024
100% recommendable - We had a great time with my brother!!!! super interesting all the places we visited!!! very good organization of the visit!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Barbara
Jun 14, 2024
City tour Addis Ababa - We were with Henok in Addis, who contacted us before we arrived, so everything went smoothly.
He has a very good knowledge of history and was able to talk about the surrounding African countries in good English.
We didn't find the National Museum that exciting. But we did find the visit to a traditional house with a typical lunch and coffee ceremony.
The trip through the Merkato, which was arranged specially at our request, was also an extraordinary experience. Simply incredible!
In our opinion, it would be great if a little more information was provided about the lives of the people here. Otherwise, everything went really well and he tried very hard!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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