9-Day Classic North Ethiopia Historic Route

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

Bahir Dar

After an early breakfast, you will drive to the airport for your flight from Addis to Bahir Dar. Upon arrival, you will meet your driver and transfer to your hotel. After checking in, we’ll take a scenic 32 km drive to the small town of Tiss Abay and walk for about twenty minutes to visit the famous Blue Nile Falls. The falls are locally known as Tiss Isat, meaning “Water that Smokes.” Those who wish to descend to the base of the falls must climb back to the other side and cross the Blue Nile by boat before returning to the hotel for lunch.

In the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise on this lovely highland lake to visit the monastery churches of the beautifully decorated Ura Kidane Mihret and Azwa Mariam, both of which allow visitors of all genders. Under the thatched roof of the monastery are distinctive, colorful frescoes depicting religious scenes and an impressive display of illuminated Bibles written in Ge’ez, the religious language from which Amharic is derived.

Main Destination:

Bahir Dar (City)

Accommodation:

Jacaranda Hotel Bahir Dar

• Mid-range hotel located in Bahir Dar (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Bahir Dar - Gondar

After breakfast, you will drive 180 km to Gondar for a tour of the city, known as the “Camelot” of Africa. Nestled in the foothills of Simien Mountains National Park in the northwestern part of the country, Gondar was the capital city of Ethiopia during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was founded by Emperor Fasiladas (1632–1667) and was home to a number of emperors, warlords, courtiers, and kings who built several castles and palaces around the area.

Visit the oldest and most impressive Gondarine structure, the castle compound, including the two-story palace of Emperor Fasiladas, built of roughly hewn brown basalt stone and held together with mortar. You will also visit the fantastically decorated Debre Berhan Selassie Church (Light of the Trinity), the bath of King Fasiladas (which is now used as a baptismal place during Ethiopian Epiphany on January 19), and the ruined palace of Queen Mentewab at Qusquam, where the Scottish explorer James Bruce once resided on occasion.

Main Destination:

Gondar (City)

Accommodation:

Goha Hotel

• Mid-range hotel located in Gondar (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Gondar - Lalibela

After breakfast, you will be taken to the airport for your flight to Lalibela. Upon arrival, you will be met and taken to your hotel. After lunch you will visit the first group of churches, which lie in rock cradles one behind the other: Bet Golgotha, Bet Mika’el, Bet Maryam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danagl, and Bet Medhanealem. Bet Medhanealem, the largest one, is built like a Greek temple, and its stone floor is so polished by the countless number of visitors that it reflects shafts of light from apertures in the walls high above. In one corner, there are three empty graves symbolically dug for the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Main Destination:

Lalibela (Town)

Accommodation:

Top Twelve Hotel

• Budget hotel located in Lalibela (Town)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Lalibela

After enjoying a delicious breakfast in the morning at one of the area’s best restaurants, you will continue your visit to the second, or northeastern, cluster of churches. The churches include Bet Gabriel-Rufael, Bet Bethlehem, Bet Merkorios, Bet Amanuel, Bet Abba Libanos, and St. George. St. George is the most famous and picturesque of all the churches and is a symbol of the Zagwe dynasty and the city of Lalibela. Bet Giyorgis (St. George) was constructed in honor of the patron saint, St. George. Finally, enjoy a traditional dinner at one of the local restaurants, accompanied by a traditional music performance in Lalibela.

Main Destination:

Lalibela (Town)

Accommodation:

Monarch Parkview Hotel

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

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Lalibela - Addis Ababa - Mekele

After an early breakfast, you will depart Lalibela for Addis and visit the monastery of Nakuto La’ab, a cave church, en route. This is one of the easiest of all the outlying churches to reach. The monastery of Nakuto La’ab is named after its constructor, the nephew and successor of King Lalibela. The monastery consists of a relatively simple church built around a shallow cave, where several holy pools are fed by natural springs. After this remarkable visit, fly back to Addis Ababa and then continue to Mekele on a connecting flight.

Main Destination:

Mekele (City)

Accommodation:

Planet Hotel

• Budget hotel located in Mekele (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Mekele - Hawzen

After breakfast we will drive to Hawzen, paying a visit to the historic rock-hewn churches of Wukro Cherkos along the way. In Hawzen, there is the option of a spectacular half-day trek in the Gheralta Mountains to explore the churches of Maryam and Daniel Korkor, built on top of several-hundred-meter-high cliffs. The views from the clifftops over the plains of Hawzen are truly magical.

To visit Abuna Yemata Guh, walk for about an hour before commencing a steep ascent up the side of the Gheralta massif. This steep ascent soon turns into a climb using footholds and handholds chipped into the sandstone rock by the passage of many hands and feet. The church itself can be reached by walking along a ledge one meter wide, with a 200 m drop on the left-hand side.

Of the three, Maryam Korkor is the most impressive architecturally. Twelve freestanding pillars support a huge, high ceiling. Looking at it, you cannot help but wonder how the architect managed to carve so high from the ground.

Main Destination:

Hawzen (Town)

Accommodation:

Vision Hotel

• Budget hotel located in Hawzen (Town)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Hawzen - Axum

Drive from Hawzen to Axum via Adigrat and Adwa. About 11 km east of Adwa is the monastery of Abba Garima, said to have been founded by one of the Nine Saints in the 6th century. The monastery is known for its collection of religious artifacts, including three illuminated Gospels from the 10th century.

Use Axum as the base from which to visit Yeha or Debre Damo. Yeha is famous for its huge and remarkable temple. According to the 19th-century German scholar Heinrich Müller, the temple is thought to date back to about seven or eight hundred years before the birth of Christ. The temple is believed to be the oldest standing building in the country. Beside the remarkable temple stands a church dedicated to Abba Aftse, one of the famous Nine Saints who came to Ethiopia in the 6th century from the Eastern Roman Empire to teach the Gospel. The church, which shares the same compound as the temple, is rectangular in shape. Finally, drive to Axum for your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Axum (City)

Accommodation:

Sabean International Hotel

• Budget hotel located in Axum (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Axum

After breakfast, you will begin your visit to the ancient city of Axum. Visit the 2,000-year-old mysterious monolithic Axum stelae, the Queen of Sheba’s palace and bath, the Church of St. Mary of Zion, the Axum Museum, and King Kaleb’s tomb, among other sites.

Following its conversion to Christianity early in the fourth century, Axum also emerged as an important religious center and became the site of the country’s most important and revered church, St. Mary of Zion, which, according to tradition, is the repository of the biblical Ark of the Covenant. The city is home to remarkable antiquities, including the 2,000-year-old monolithic stelae, hewn from single pieces of solid granite and carved to resemble multi-story houses, as well as subterranean stone tombs high enough to walk in. Other highlights include the ruins of the legendary Queen of Sheba’s palace and bath, special gold, silver, and bronze currencies, multilingual tablets dating from the time of Christ, and much more.

Main Destination:

Axum (City)

Accommodation:

Sabean International Hotel

• Budget hotel located in Axum (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

Axum - Addis Ababa

After breakfast, you will visit some souvenir shops before being transferred to Axum Airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa.

In the afternoon, enjoy free time for shopping before attending a farewell cultural dinner at one of the traditional Ethiopian restaurants, featuring dances from different ethnic groups. Afterward, transfer to the airport for your departure.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

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