Ethio Backpacker Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- ASTA & ITAT
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $320 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
SG
Email Li Yuan (Marcus) | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely bad experience with the Tour Team's planning
Echoing some other travellers concerns, there were things several things that are terribly planned. If the owner (Gashaw) asks you if you wish to let him book your flight on your behalf, do NOT get him to book it for you. Both my guide and I suffered as we had to run in and out the domestic terminal security gates, rebook all the domestic tickets since he booked my Ethiopian flights using Ethiopian National, and he did not add my international Ethiopian airline flight in. In the end, I had to repay all the tickets.
Flights impacted: Addis -> Gondar, Gondar -> Addis, Addis -> Lalibela, Lalibela -> Addis, Addis -> Merkele, Mekele -> Addis (6 tickets)
When I contacted him to get him to pay my guide the money, he tried to feign ignorance and even not returning the call. There was a cancellation of Gondar -> Lalibela flight, causing a huge delay. Requested his assistance to provide the itinerary outline to me to claim against insurance, but no response for 2 months. Missed my flight from Mekele to Addis due to the domestic ticket issue and had to stay extra night incurring additional costs. This is an extremely unprofessional behavior as the issue was not rectified immediately from the 1st instance or 2nd instance. It continued to be an issue for 6 times. This whole delay caused me to miss my cross-continental international flight out of Addis as well.
Do NOT book this Tour, if it goes smoothly, it is luck, and the ill-planning by Gashaw has caused huge losses to me and guide, till now no response has been given.
DE
Email Gehrmann, Tatiana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ethiopia: A Journey of a Lifetime. Where Beauty Meets Kindness.
My trip to Ethiopia was truly unforgettable. In just ten days I experienced more adventures than in my entire life. The team works with amazing people, and I was delighted with everyone I met — organizers, guides, drivers, and hotel staff. Ethiopians are incredibly kind, open, smiling, attentive, and ready to help at any moment. The program was rich, diverse, and beautifully designed, giving me memories for a lifetime. I also appreciated your flexibility, care for clients, and ability to make every moment comfortable and enjoyable. Ethiopia has stunning nature, incredible history, and, above all, the most wonderful people.
Email Renee | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gashew is an amazing person!
My mom, sister, and I spent about a week in Ethiopia. We toured the Omo Valley and saw and met some of the most unique tribes. Gele was an outstanding tour guide and we could not have had a better experience. We also visited the Debre Libanos Monastery and had an amazing trip there also. The entire trip was organized and prompt, and Gashaw was extremely understanding and flexible as we wanted to customize the tour along the way. If you are going to Ethiopia, THIS is the company you want to book with. As someone who has visited over 150 countries, and had many, many tour guides, I can honestly say that this is one of the best. You will not regret a trip with Gashew and his company!
PT
Email Maria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not well managed and will no respect to the environment
We booked the 3 day Danakil depression tour with Ethio Backpacker Tours.
Danakil depression is an incredible place, definitely worth visiting. The sights we visited during the tour were great, and our guide Aman was friendly and very attentive. Our driver was great too.
It should also be noted that unlike the rest of the group, we had to finish our tour in Semera. The guide managed to arrange a special agenda for us on the last day so that we didn't miss anything. We are very grateful for that. And the food was also very good.
However, there were many things we didn't like.
1. Gashaw told us the group size will be 15 people max, in reality because of some last minute bookings it was about 30. Which is a huge difference, we would not book it if we knew we'd be in a crowd.
2. On the first day of the tour there was some fuel issue which caused us some 4-5 hour delay. As we learned later, it could have been prevented.
3. The camping sites are very dirty with plastic bottles and other garbage. It's painful to see the nature being treated this way. Nobody seems to care.
4. Travelling long distances with 5 people per car (4 passengers and driver) is quite uncomfortable.
5. The sleeping places in one of the camps were right next to the kitchen, so when the chef started cooking at 2 am, everybody woke up. Almost nobody had proper sleep that night.
My impression is that the operator just took on more clients than they could manage properly. So maybe it was an exception and not a rule.
Throwing out plastic bottles and not cleaning the camp sites is a serious issue though. I hope they will start paying attention to this.
BE
Email Julian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Poor organisation! Poor communication!
My review of this tour operator is rather mixed. Admittedly, the guides and drivers were very good, but the organization regarding the plane tickets was really poor. On every flight, there were ticket errors, which forced us to pay additional amounts several times and to insist in order to get the correct tickets. We experienced stress throughout the trip, constantly wondering if we would have to pay again.
It’s now been almost 4 weeks that we’ve been waiting for the promised refund from the tour operator, but still nothing. Each time we get the same answers: “Yes, we promise we’ll refund you”, “We’ll reimburse you in cash when you’re in Addis”, “Oh, we’re not in Addis but in Lalibela.” When we ask for a bank transfer, they say they need to ask a friend, but apparently this friend doesn’t often answer the phone…
So, I give them 2 out of 5, only thanks to the drivers and guides. For the rest, it was really poorly organized, and I want future clients to be aware of this. If they don’t want to go through a stressful experience during their trip, I would not recommend this tour operator.
Email Dayne Meyer | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fraudulent Company/ Scammed
The reason they are cheap is because the owner (Gashaw) books your flights as if you are an "Ethiopian National" which is 1/4 of the price it should be... Ask me how I know? Because on my final flight back to Addis Ababa I was stopped by the gate agent who said my flight was not for foreigners and took my ticket/ passport away... I called Gashaw in a panic (who played dumb) and said he "didn't know what the agent was talking about" but said he would handle it... As the departure came closer the gate agent said Gashaw still had not paid, and with less than 5 minutes to departure Gashaw said his "internet was not working" and that I would have to pay, but that he would "reimburse me with a wire transfer after"... I knew it was sketch, but I didn't have a choice as it was the last flight out of Lalibela and I needed to catch my international flight that night. As you can guess, he stopped answering my calls and texts after this, and I have not received the reimbursement for the additional flight I was forced to buy... I have spoken to the driver's from my tour, but they have been unsuccessful in getting Gashaw to reimburse me or even respond to my messages either.
Additionally, for each of the flights, Gashaw would text me the confirmation code the night before or morning of, never the full ticket information or payment itself. This was extremely frustrating as someone who likes to plan ahead, but after experiencing this I now understand why... He doesn't want you (or presumably Ethiopian Airlines) to see that he has listed you as an Ethiopian National... When I dug deeper and looked at my other flight tickets, I can see that they were the same and I was simply lucky the gate agents didn't catch it for those ones as well...
Book with ANYONE else, as even if you're ok with the fraud (for whatever reason), the stress associated with his terrible planning/ last minute tickets and lack of communication is not worth the headache...
My previous (positive) review was the day before this occurred. I am working with Safaribookings to have it taken down.
ES
Email Maria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just WOW!!!!!!
We booked a four days activity to visit Addis Ababa and the Danakil Depression with Ethio Backpacker Tours, and it was an exceptional experience. The trip was impeccably organized, and the team was amazing. I loved every aspect of the service and highly recommend them for anyone looking to explore these incredible destinations.
CN
Email Yuli | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lovely Short trip!
I was able to get a spare time for few days in Ethiopia since I came for business, but thanks to my friend's recommendation I contact with Ethio Backpacker Tours and they provided an excellent city tour in Addis Ababa. I visit the important places such as national museum, entoto park and big market merkato. Thanks for the excellent hospitalities!
BE
Email Ruzan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary!
I recently completed a week journey through Ethiopia with Ethio Backpacker Tours, and it was truly unforgettable. The first three days in the Danakil Depression showcased the extreme beauty of one of the hottest places on Earth. From there, we spent three days exploring the Omo Valley, experiencing the vibrant culture of its diverse tribes and finally a city tour of Addis Ababa.
Thank you Gashaw for such an extraordinary adventure!
TR
Email Bahir | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything organized perfectly!
My trip to Ethiopia was unforgettable, thanks to Ethio Backpacker Tours! With only six days off for my holiday, I was eager to explore this beautiful country that had long been on my bucket list. Gashaw organized everything perfectly, helping me prioritize what to see in such a short time.
One of the most incredible experiences was witnessing the active volcano at Erta Ale. Seeing the lava exploding in the lava lake was beyond anything I had ever imagined. The raw power of nature was awe-inspiring, and I’m so grateful I had the chance to witness it.