13-Day Best Ethiopian Natural and Cultural Tour

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

Arrival Addis Ababa and City Tours

Welcome to Abyssinia, the land of origins! You will be taken off in a modern air-conditioned vehicle to your 4-star accommodation in the heart of Addis Ababa, Visit the National Museum of Ethiopia for visiting the long age history of Ethiopia and the oldest human ancestor, Lucy. Set within Haile Selassie’s former palace and surrounded by the beautiful gardens and fountains of Addis Ababa University’s main campus is the enthralling Ethnological Museum. Even if you’re not normally a museum fan, this one is worth a bit of your time – it’s easily one of the finest museums in Africa. Before lunch, drive to Holy Trinity Cathedral Church which has unique architectural style immediately after a relaxed lunch, drive up to Entoto Mountains, the best location to observe the panoramic view of the capital. It is also a historical place where Menelik II resided and built his palace.

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)

Fly Addis Ababa to Jinka

Breakfast at the hotel, drive to the Airport for your flight to Jinka. Fly from Addis to Jinka by Ethiopian Airlines, after check in to the hotel, visit Ari Village in the afternoon.
Jinka lies in the Omo Valley, an area known for its diverse ethnic groups and rich cultural heritage. It is located approximately 750 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
The town is located at an elevation of about 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) above sea level, which gives it a warm climate typical of the lowland areas of southern Ethiopia.

Main Destination:

Jinka (Lower Omo Valley)

Accommodation:

Nasa Hotel

• Budget hotel located in Jinka (Lower Omo Valley)

Meals & Drinks:

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

Jinka -Turmi

After breakfast we will drive to Mago National Park to see Mursi who lives in Mago National Park. The Mursi are one of the most original ethnic groups. They live in very low huts made of straw leaves. The women like to wear terra cotta on their enormously stretched lower lips and ear lobes. The men are famous for their hairstyles. They go in for body scarification and among the women the wearing of lip plates. The larger the lip plate, the greater the woman’s value when she is married. She removes her plate for eating and sleeping. They are easily distinguished by how their long, distended lips hang down from their mouths. Visit and drive to Turmi.

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)

Excursion to Karo and Hamer

Following your early breakfast and you will venture to Karo to visit the people of the Karo tribe, depart from Turmi to the villages of Murulle, Kolcho and Duss on the shores of the Omo River. The Karo people are the smallest in number of all of the tribes of the Omo Valley, and they are known for their elaborate decorations body and face painting particular during local ceremonies.
In the afternoon we continue through the savannah with shrubs and umbrella acacia trees. Kangaten (Nyangatom tribe) To adore their long and lean bodies, the Nyangatom women wear numerous necklaces and long Skirts from goatskins that are richly decorated They are indeed fierce warriors which is supposedly demonstrated by their custom to scar their chest; one scar for each killed enemy. Herds of cows are their most valuable property.

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)

Excursion to Dassanech and Hamer

After breakfast you will drive to Omorate crosses the Omo River to visit the Dassanech tribe only 72 Km from Turmi, Dassanech are traditional pastoralists, but in recent years began to move to a semi-nomadic way of life. The highest expression of male beauty is the vulgar transverse scars across the entire chest and back, resembling crocodile skin. Such scars are inflicted on a body of the warrior who showed himself heroically in battle, who killed the enemy in course of tribal cattle raids. Late afternoon visit the Hamer village they are a fine looking people, both men and women take great pride in their appearance, shaving and coloring their hair, oiling their bodies and decorating themselves with beads and bracelets worn around arms and legs. They are famous for their body decoration, moonlight dance (Evangedi Dance) and bull-jumping. Bull jumping marks the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. It is not done every day.

Main Destination:

Lower Omo Valley (Cultural Village)

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- Konso- Arba Minch

After breakfast, you will be driving from Turmi to Arba Minch. En route, you'll visit the Arbore and Konso people. Today, you’ll be exploring Konso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Named after the Konso people, this isolated village is located in hilly terrain at the edge of the Rift Valley. The Konso settlement is over 400 years old, with fortified stone walls surrounding the terraced village. Beekeeping, cotton weaving, and agriculture are the main local industries. It is most famous for its Waga Sculptures. These anthropomorphic wooden carvings memorialize and commemorate people from the community. You'll spend the day with these incredible people and experience their rich culture.

Main Destination:

Arba Minch (City)

Accommodation:

Paradise Lodge

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

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Meals & Drinks:

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

Arba Minch

In the morning, you'll take a boat trip on Lake Chamo. Lake Chamo is a prominent freshwater lake in the Main Ethiopian Rift, located in the Southern Ethiopia Regional State just south of Lake Abaya and the city of Arba Minch. It is celebrated for its dense population of large Nile crocodiles and its role as a core ecological component of Nechisar National Park.
In the Afternoon visit the Dorzie people, The Dorze people are an ethnic group of approximately 30,000 individuals living in the Gamo Highlands of southern Ethiopia, primarily near the cities of Chencha and Arba Minch. They are renowned as Ethiopia’s master weavers and for their unique, towering architectural style.

Main Destination:

Arba Minch (City)

Accommodation:

Paradise Lodge

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

Meals & Drinks:

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

Arba Minch- Hawassa

Both Arba Minch and Hawassa are rich in lakes and natural attractions. You will enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Ethiopia.
On this day, after breakfast, you will be driving from Arba Minch to Awassa. Hawassa (also spelled Awasa) is a rapidly growing city in central Ethiopia, serves as the capital of the Sidama Region, and is located approximately 273 km south of Addis Ababa. Renowned as one of Ethiopia's cleanest and most well-planned urban centers, it is situated on the scenic shores of Lake Hawassa in the Great Rift Valley..

Main Destination:

Awasa (City)

Accommodation:

Haile Resort Hawassa

• Mid-range resort located in Awasa (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

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

Hawassa- Bale Mountain National Park

On this day, after breakfast, you'll visit the fish market in Awassa. The Hawassa fish market is famous, and the stalls around the market offer some of the best fish soup you’ll ever have. Next, you'll drive 5.5 hours from Hawassa to the Bale Mountains National Park. Dinsho, the gateway to the Bale Mountains National Park. In the afternoon you will explore the surrounding, which is the home of different wildlife and antelope, Sightings of Warthog, Mountain Nyala, Menelik’s Bushbuck, and Bohor Reedbuck are all common within this area, as well as many Ethiopian and Abyssinian endemic birds.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Best Time To Visit November to February (Little rain)

High Season October to January (Park is never busy)

Best Weather November to February

Wildlife in Bale Mountains NP

Ethiopian Wolf Common

Mountain Nyala Common

Warthog Common

Menelik's
Bushbuck Occasional

Guereza Monkey Occasional

Show more

Olive Baboon Occasional

Bohor Reedbuck Occasional

Starck's Hare Occasional

Giant Mole-rat Occasional

Bale Monkey Rare

Giant Forest Hog Rare

Golden Jackal Rare

Gelada Monkey None

Walia Ibex None

Accommodation:

Nurobe Hotel

• Budget hotel located less than 1hr drive from Bale Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

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

Explore Bale Mountain National Park

In the morning, you will have breakfast and drive to the Sanetti plateau (altitude of the 4000metre the largest afro-alpine area in Africa and the place to see rare and endangered Ethiopian Wolf) and the view of Tullu Deemtu (4377m) the second-highest point in Ethiopia. After lunch you will proceed to visit Harenna Forest which leads to the apex of the Gushuralle Mountain, rendering panoramic views of primary forest through dense stands of mountain bamboo. With some luck, you may encounter the elusive bamboo specialist endemic to the Bale Mountains, the Bale monkey.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Nurobe Hotel

• Budget hotel located less than 1hr drive from Bale Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

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

Bale - Langano

Today, you will drive from Bale Mountains to Lake Langano. You'll spend the afternoon relaxing around the lodge and lake.
Lake Langano lies in an irregularly shaped basin with a perimeter of 62 kilometers, an area of 305 square kilometers, and a depth of 30 meters in some parts. Langano Lake water is soft brown in color, but pure enough for swimming, which makes it an ideal spot for water sports.

Main Destination:

Lake Langano

Accommodation:

Hara Langano Eco Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located at Lake Langano

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Meals & Drinks:

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

Langano

After breakfast, you'll start exploring Lake Langano and the surrounding area, including Abijatta-Shalla National Park. Today, you’ll head to Abijatta-Shalla National Park, approximately a 40-minute drive, and home to Lakes Abijatta and Shalla. These lakes host an impressive number of flamingos and also several hot springs. The steam rising from the pools casts an ethereal haze over the surrounding area. After this, a 4×4 will take you around the park in search of warthogs, antelopes, and ostriches.
In the afternoon, you'll go for a dip in Lake Langano. You'll retreat to the lakeside lodge and enjoy dinner surrounded by the expansive views and the tranquil atmosphere of this remote.

Main Destination:

Lake Langano

Accommodation:

Hara Langano Eco Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located at Lake Langano

Meals & Drinks:

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

Langano - Addis Ababa

After breakfast, you will be driving to Addis Ababa via Lake Ziway. Situated between four lakes in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, this town is the perfect base to explore the lakes.

You’ll see the diversity of animals and birdlife that Ethiopia is famous for. A boat trip on Lake Ziway takes you to Great White Pelicans, Marabous, Hammer kop, Sacred Ibis, Yellow Billed Storks, and Flamingos. Of course, hippos are a famous resident of the lake. You’ll be able to see them bathing in the sun. In the evening farewell party dinner with cultural dinner and traditional special buffet and local drinks to experience Ethiopia’s cultural meals and drinks at Yod Abyssinia restaurants after the farewell party, you will transfer to Bole International Airport for international departure.

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.