9-Day Ethiopian Christmas Pilgrimage

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Addis Ababa

Welcome to Abyssinia, the land of origins! Your guide will meet you at the hotel and transfer you to the National Museum of Ethiopia to see how it all started. Here you will meet Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old fossilized skeleton. Her discovery rewrote the story of human evolution, as she was found to have walked on two legs. Later you will visit the Holy Trinity Cathedral, famed for its copper dome and neo-Baroque architecture. It houses the tombs of former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and British suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst.

A short drive up Mount Entoto will take you to the Palace of Emperor Menelik II. From this vantage point, you will have an excellent view of the city. On the way back, you may stop by Shiro Meda, the biggest garment market in the country, where hundreds of vendors line the busy Entoto Road selling handwoven traditional cloths.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

Best Western Premier Dynasty Hotel

• Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Addis Ababa - Arba Minch - Turmi

Eat breakfast at the hotel, then drive to the airport for your flight to Arba Minch with Ethiopian Airlines. Upon arrival, you will meet your driver and continue to Turmi. On the way, you will visit the Konso Cultural Landscape, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia, known for its terracing system used to protect against soil erosion from the sporadic and often heavy rainfall in the region. The villages are encircled by one to six concentric rings of stone walls, mainly consisting of basalt boulders. Some of the country’s best coffee also comes from this area. You will end the day in Turmi for your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Turmi (Lower Omo Valley)

Accommodation:

Paradise Lodge Turmi

• Budget tented camp located near Turmi (Lower Omo Valley)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Turmi

After breakfast in the morning, we will depart from Turmi to the villages of Murulle, Kolcho, and Dus on the shores of the Omo River to visit with the local people. The Karo people are the smallest in number among all the tribes of the Omo Valley and are known for their elaborate decorations, particularly during local ceremonies. Continue through the savannah with shrubs and umbrella acacia trees to Kangaten, home of the Nyangatom tribe. To adorn their long and lean bodies, Nyangatom women wear numerous necklaces and long skirts made from goatskins that are richly decorated.

Later in the afternoon, your guide will introduce you to the culture of the Hamer tribe. Living in distinctive huts made of wood, straw, and mud, the Hamer people depend on cattle herding and agriculture. The women of the tribe are known for their colorful dress and elaborate jewelry made from beads and cowrie shells.

Main Destination:

Turmi (Lower Omo Valley)

Accommodation:

Paradise Lodge Turmi

• Budget tented camp located near Turmi (Lower Omo Valley)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Turmi – Arba Minch

After a relaxing breakfast, you will drive back to Arba Minch via Arbore. Arbore, also known as Ulde, is both the name of a tribe and a village in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia. “Ar” means bull, and “Bore” means earth. For the Arbore people, it means “Land of the Bulls.” The village of Arbore is located 50 km south of Weyto on the Turmi road, west of the Weyto River, and northeast of Lake Chew Bahir (also known as Lake Stefany).

As you venture into the land of the Arbore tribe, the village will appear in the surrounding arid landscape. It is a traditional village built entirely of papyrus, making it a remarkable sight to behold. There is also a relatively large clinic, a police station, and a small church. These structures add a touch of modernity to the traditional village before you continue driving to Arba Minch.

Main Destination:

Arba Minch (City)

Accommodation:

Haile Resort Arba Minch

• Mid-range hotel located in Arba Minch (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Arba Minch - Addis Ababa

After breakfast, you will visit a Dorze village. The Dorze people are experts in a special type of weaving called "shamma," which is a primary profession for many of them. The shape of their houses resembles an elephant, in remembrance of the existence of these animals in the area many years ago. They are also known for their traditional huts made from local bamboo. Enset, also known as the “false banana,” is the staple food of the Dorze people. Later in the afternoon, you will fly to Addis Ababa.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

Best Western Premier Dynasty Hotel

• Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Addis Ababa - Gondar

Fly from Addis Ababa to Gondar with Ethiopian Airlines. After lunch, visit the castles of Gondar, Debre Birhan Selassie Church, and Fasilides' Bath. Gondar is often called the “Camelot of Africa,” a description the royal city deserves; Camelot is legend, whereas Gondar is reality. You will find some of Ethiopia’s most beautiful paintings in Debre Birhan Selassie Church.

Main Destination:

Gondar (City)

Accommodation:

Haile Resort Gondar

• Mid-range hotel located in Gondar (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Gondar - Lalibela

After breakfast, you will drive to the airport for your flight to Lalibela. Upon arrival, you will drive 30 minutes to your hotel. After check-in, you will have lunch at the hotel, and in the afternoon, explore the churches of Lalibela.

The rock-hewn Ethiopian Orthodox Christian churches of Lalibela are considered one of the “Eight Wonders of the World.” They are a collection of churches, some connected by fascinating internal passages with hermit holes where people once lived and died. The connecting walls are full of religious symbols. You will begin visiting the world-famous Lalibela rock-hewn churches, which are classified into three groups, starting with the first and third groups of churches.

Today is Christmas Eve in Lalibela. After dinner, you will head to the rock churches and gather around their edges to witness the ceremony and procession.

Main Destination:

Lalibela (Town)

Accommodation:

Sora Lodge Lalibela

• Mid-range hotel located in Lalibela (Town)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Lalibela

Today is the magical Christmas celebration in Lalibela. In the morning, we will attend the ceremony called Beza Kulu Alem Yom Tewelde, which literally means “Redeemer of the World.”

In the afternoon, visit the second group of rock-hewn churches (four total), including Biete Emanuel, the only monolithic church in the southeast cluster.

Main Destination:

Lalibela (Town)

Accommodation:

Sora Lodge Lalibela

• Mid-range hotel located in Lalibela (Town)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Lalibela - Addis Ababa

After having breakfast at the hotel, you will drive to the airport for your flight to Addis Ababa. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy the amenities, indulge in shopping at galleries, or take part in optional spa treatments. In the evening, enjoy a farewell party dinner at a Yod Abyssinia restaurant featuring cultural performances, a traditional buffet, and local drinks to experience Ethiopia’s cuisine.

It is time to bid Ethiopia goodbye until next time. After breakfast, you will check out of the hotel and be driven to Addis Ababa Bole International Airport for your flight back home.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.