Adventures in Ethiopia

Upon arrival at the airport, you’ll be warmly greeted and escorted to the Radisson Blu Hotel, ideally located in the city center near the United Nations Conference Center. After time to refresh, join your experienced native-born Trip Leader Samrawit (Sam) for a tour of the city. Situated at an altitude of 8,200 feet above sea level in the Entoto Mountains, the Ethiopian capital is a city with a pleasant year round climate distinguished by its wide avenues and lovely jacaranda trees. Begin your sightseeing atop Mt. Entoto for a sweeping view and introduction to the city. At the National Museum, you’ll see and learn about Lucy, the world-famous hominid fossil that was discovered in southern Ethiopia in 1974. Continue your sightseeing at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, where you’ll admire murals by celebrated Ethiopian artists including Afewerk Tekle, impressive stained-glass windows, and two magnificent Imperial thrones carved of white ebony, ivory and marble. This evening’s welcome dinner features the fine internationally-inspired cuisine and wine of the Kuriftu Diplomat Restaurant.   Meals D

After breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the airport for your included flight into the mountains of northern Ethiopia, where the 11 cave churches of Lalibela bear witness to the extraordinary vision of a 12th-century king. Seeking to create a New Jerusalem after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land, King Lalibela excavated these monolithic churches below ground level. Hewn from enormous blocks of solid granite, these churches are connected to one another by an extensive system of trenches and ceremonial passages, some with openings to ancient hermit caves and catacombs. These churches were then further embellished with stone-carved entry ways, windows, columns and other decorative elements including mural paintings. With its five aisles, Biete Medhani Alem is believed to be the largest cave church in the world. Biete Ghiorgis has a remarkable cruciform floor plan distinct from the other rock-hewn churches. Together, these ancient churches have been important sites of worship and pilgrimage for nearly 9 centuries, though some may have served as royal residences soon after their construction. The 11 churches are divided into two main groups, divided by a river, and this afternoon you’ll join Sam for expertly guided exploration of the first group. After dinner, retire to your comfortable accommodations at the Tukul Village Hotel. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, you’ll enjoy a guided visit to Yemrehanna Kristos, an Axumite church that predates the nearby cave churches by nearly a century. Named for a 12th century ruler of the once-mighty Axumite Kingdom, this ancient church is built inside a natural cavern in the mountain ridges below Mount Abuna Yosef, one of the country’s tallest peaks. Its construction is quite unusual, built with alternating layers of recessed timber beams and projecting plastered stone. The windows are embellished with carved cruciform lattices and the entire interior is decorated with geometric carvings and paintings. After exploring this ancient marvel, experience a slice of modern-day life in the highlands as you join local residents at the bustling market in Lalibela. Your Trip Leader Sam is there to answer questions and offer insight into the traditions and customs you will observe. After lunch, you’ll continue your guided exploration with the second group of Lalibela’s medieval rock-hewn churches. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the airport for your included flight back to Addis Ababa where you’ll connect with the onward flight into southern Ethiopia. Upon arrival in Arba Minch, you’ll be escorted to the Paradise Lodge, where thatched bungalows and private verandahs offer wonderful views over the forests and lakes of the region. Meals B+L+D

Surrounded by lush vegetation and wetlands that give way to picturesque rolling hills, Lake Chamo is home to hippos, a remarkable variety of birds and enormous crocodiles that grow to more than 18 feet in length – among the largest ever recorded. This morning after breakfast, you’ll embark on a guided boat expedition across the waters of Lake Chamo to search for these amazing wildlife inhabitants! After lunch, you’ll travel into the Guge Hills north of Arba Minch to Chencha, a highland village of the Dorze. This tribal group is especially known for their unique bee-hive shaped homes which they build from local materials including hard wood poles, woven bamboo, ensete leaves (false banana) and other natural materials gathered from the mountains. Towering as high as 20 feet (two stories), these dwellings usually feature just one door with no windows and are built to stand for up to 80 years. Inside you’ll usually find a fireplace, seating area and bedrooms. Smaller structures can include a guesthouse, workshop, kitchen and even a cattle shed. With Samrawit’s insight to guide you, you’ll observe and even experience various facets of their daily life – from the crops they plant and the foods they eat to the colorful cotton textiles they weave. Before heading back to Arba Minch, you’ll have a chance to sample a traditional Dorze staple, a type of flat bread made from ensete and honey. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, you’ll check out from the Paradise Lodge for the overland journey to Key Afar. Drawing villagers from across the region, many of them laden with goods to barter and sell and with livestock in tow, weekly markets offer the chance to experience Ethiopia’s diverse tribal traditions in a lively and colorful setting. Your visit to the southern town of Key Afer is timed to coincide with its weekly Thursday market, where you’ll mingle with Bena, Ari and Tsemay villagers for a remarkable look inside the life and culture of these tribal groups. Your Trip Leader Sam will be at your side to deepen your understanding of their local ways. Continue to Jinka in the southern Omo Valley and check in to the Eco-Omo Safari Lodge. Meals B+L+D

Situated on the eastern banks of the Omo River and bisected by the Mago River, a tributary of the Omo, Mago National Park is a vast area of grasslands and forests inhabited by buffalo, giraffe, elephant, lion and zebra. This remote sector of Africa’s Great Rift Valley is also home to the Mursi, a tribal group well known for adorning themselves with paint, beads and body ornaments made of horn and feather. Heading out from your lodge in Jinka, you’ll travel deep into the National Park to spend time with Mursi villagers. The women of the tribe adorn their faces and bodies with white paint and from the age of 15 or 16 also wear pottery or wood discs in their lower lips. Through the years, larger and larger plates are inserted causing the lip to stretch. By tribal custom, the larger the lip plate, the more the women is worth before marriage. Although this practice is an integral part of their cultural heritage and tradition, the plates are worn for only short periods of time as they are heavy and uncomfortable. The men of the Mursi tribe also use white paint on their bodies and faces, and are widely known for their fierce ceremonial dueling with a donga, a long wooden pole. From Mago National Park, you’ll return to Jinka for lunch. Continue overland to Turmi and check in to the Buska Lodge for a 3-night stay deep in the Omo Valley. Meals B+L+D

Today’s guided exploration with Samrawit introduces you to two of the tribal groups that live along the eastern banks of the Omo River. In the morning, you’ll spend time with the Karo, a small tribe with an estimated population of less than 3,000 people. Raising small cattle and practicing flood retreat cultivation of maize, beans and sorghum, the Karo are an agro-pastoralist society widely regarded for their highly-detailed body painting. White chalk paint is the basic material with some use of colored paints derived from natural occurring pigments in local minerals, iron ore and charcoal. Red clay mixed with butter is sometimes used to color the hair. You’ll also see the men of the Karo with scars they have given themselves to represent an enemy or dangerous animal killed. In the afternoon, Sam will introduce you to the life and culture of the Hamer Tribe who live in distinctive huts made of wood, straw and mud and who subsist with cattle herding and agriculture. The women of the tribe are known for their colorful dress and elaborate jewelry made from beads and cowrie shells. The men are celebrated for their traditional bull jumping, a rite of passage that is part of an event that can last three days. The man must jump over a line of 10 to 30 bulls several times without falling. If the task is completed, the young man joins the ranks of the Maza, other men who have successfully completed the bull-jumping. Because this is a coming-of-age rite, there’s no assurance that the time of your visit will coincide with the event. Regardless, your time here promises a deep look into some of Ethiopia’s vanishing tribal ways. At the end of the day, you’ll return to the Buska Lodge dinner and another night. Meals B+L+D

Head out from your lodge after breakfast and travel overland to Omorate, a riverside town deep in the lower Omo Valley. From here you’ll cross the river to immerse in the lives and customs of the people who have lived for millennia here along the Omo’s western shores. Also known as the Galeb, the Dassanech are cattle herders, farmers and fishermen. Unlike southern Ethiopia’s other tribes, the Dassanech are not defined by ethnicity and members come from the many different ethnic groups that inhabit the region. There are eight clans that comprise the Dassanech tribe, each having its own name; these include the Elele, Koro and Inkoria. Each clan is defined by its territory, with the Inkabelo being the wealthiest of the eight clans. As you spend time with Samrawit and the various Dassanech clans, you’ll gain deep insight into their daily lives and some of their unique cultural traditions related to fertility and marriage. You’ll also visit another settlement of the Hamer Tribe before returning across the Omo River and continuing to your lodge in Turmi. Meals B+L+D

This morning’s stop in the town of Turmi is timed to coincide with the weekly Monday market, when members of the Hamer Tribe come together from their scattered villages to shop and barter. It’s a wonderful opportunity to go deeper inside the vanishing tribal ways of the Omo Valley. Continue northward into the scenic highlands to spend time with the Konso people who live in unusual walled towns and settlements strategically built on hilltop plains and summits. With Samrawit guiding your exploration, you’ll learn about living cultural traditions that stretch back more than 400 years. Konso villages are partitioned into separate communities with each community having a main hut. The entire enclave can be entered only through a limited number of gates and a series of maze-like alleys provide added security. Surrounding these settlements, you will see extensive dry stone terraces that bear witness to the generations of Konso who have struggled to grow their crops of sorghum and grains in an inhospitable region of hard, dry rocky soil. These terraces protect valuable soil from erosion, collect water and create the terraced fields that have allowed the Konso to live here for centuries. Distinctive burial rites in the surrounding forests and anthropomorphic wooden statues are other cultural traditions that you will come to understand and appreciate. From the Konso highlands, you’ll continue northward back to Arba Minch where you’ll spend another night at the Paradise Lodge. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, we’ll take you to the airport for your included flight back to the capital. Upon arrival, you’ll be escorted once again to the Radisson Blu Hotel where you’ll have the afternoon to refresh and relax. This evening’s congenial farewell dinner at Yod Abyssinia features a variety of traditional Ethiopian dishes. Lively performances of song and dance showcase Ethiopia’s diverse ethnic groups and provide a wonderful conclusion to your exploration of the country and its people. After a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, you’ll be escorted back to your hotel. Meals B+L+D

This morning is yours to enjoy as you wish. If you have last-minute gifts or souvenirs to purchase, the open-air Merkato market offers a great place to shop. In the afternoon, you’ll check out from your hotel and visit the Ethnological Museum. Set in Haile Selassie’s former palace and surrounded by the lovely gardens and fountains of Addis Ababa University, the museum’s vast and well-curated collection of artifacts and handicrafts promises a fascinating overview of Ethiopia’s diverse groups and their distinctive cultural traditions. After sightseeing, we’ll take you to the airport… Bid farewell to your Trip Leader Samrawit and board your homeward flight. Meals B+L