North & Omo Valley South Ethiopia Tour – 14 Days
Explore the fascinating Omo Valley tribes and the historical and natural highlights of Northern Ethiopia on this unforgettable Ethiopia tour. This organized travel experience combines culture, history, nature, and adventure for the ultimate Ethiopia holiday and vacation.
Day 1 Addis Ababa to Bahir Dar
Drive from Addis Ababa to Bahir Dar through the Sululta plain with a scenic landscape of the Ethiopian highlands. The drive will take us from the Shewa region to the Gojam region. We will have a stop at Debre Libanos, where you will visit the Portuguese Bridge and see the Jemma Valley. Crossing the dramatic landscape of the Blue Nile Gorge, which is comparable to the Grand Canyon of America, with a depth of more than 1000 m.
Overnight Bahir Dar
Day 2 Bahir Dar
Early in the morning after breakfast, walk to Lake Tana port to take a boat ride to Ura Kidane Mihret Monastery. Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile River; it has refreshing air, water birds, hippos, and dozens of islands. After arriving at the Zege Peninsula, we take a 30-minute walk in the forest and coffee plantations, the main economy of the area, to reach the 14th-century monastery of Ura Kidane Mihret, famous for its beautiful mural paintings and sacred religious manuscripts. On Lake Tana, we will try to find hippos. After lunch, you will drive 30 km to the Blue Nile Falls. If it is not the rainy season, we will do a city tour of Bahir Dar.
Overnight hotel
Day 3 Gondar (Bahir Dar – Gondar)
After breakfast, we drive to Gondar. The drive will take about 4 hours through a beautiful countryside landscape. Gondar city tour, which includes the Royal Enclosure, featuring castles and buildings built by a succession of Ethiopian emperors beginning in the early 17th century. After lunch, we will visit Debre Birhan Selassie Church (Trinity), famous for its religious paintings and iconic ceiling depicting many angels. Drive in the center of Gondar to the swimming pool of King Fasil.
Overnight Gondar hotel
Day 4 Simien Mountain Day Trip
Today is an early morning departure to the Simien Mountains. Passing through Woleka Village, or Felash Village, where Ethiopian Jews used to live before they left for Israel. Collect entrance permits, scout, and guide from the Debark Park office. Simien Mountains National Park is a World Natural Site recorded by UNESCO for its rare fauna and flora in the area.
The beauty is majestic while trekking on the escarpment of the mountains. We will also have views of the endemic gelada baboon, famous for its bleeding heart skin color on its chest and big hair on the male. After a beautiful short trek in the landscape and a break for a picnic lunch, we drive back to Gondar.
Overnight hotel
Day 5 Axum
After breakfast, drive to the airport for the Axum flight. Axum was the capital of the Axumite Kingdom and the home of an ancient civilization. Axum is a sacred land for Ethiopian Christians and the holiest place because the original Ark of Moses is believed to be placed in a small chapel inside the Zion Mary Church. Tour the ancient stelae fields, the Archaeological Museum, tombs of kings, archaeological sites, and the Church of Axum Zion Mary.
Overnight hotel
Day 6 Lalibela
Fly to Lalibela, where you will visit churches that are carved out of a single rock. These churches are from the 13th century and were built by the Ethiopian King Lalibela. He is considered a saint by Ethiopian Christians. Lalibela built these 11 magnificent rock-hewn churches by carving them out of volcanic bedrock after he saw a dream. He wanted this complex of churches to be the second Jerusalem, where he represented stories of the Bible and places of Jerusalem in his church complex. Some of the churches are monolithic, which means they are carved and separated from the bedrock. The most famous is the Church of St. George with its iconic cross shape. Lalibela is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best places to visit in the world.
Overnight hotel in Lalibela
Day 7 Lalibela – Addis Ababa
Fly from Lalibela to Addis Ababa.
We will drive you to Lalibela Airport, where you take the flight to Addis Ababa. In the afternoon, Addis Ababa city tour, where you can explore the National Museum to see Lucy, a visit to Entoto to have a panoramic view of the city, Holy Trinity Church, and Merkato, the biggest open-air market in Africa.
Overnight hotel in Addis Ababa
Day 8 Arba Minch
Drive to Arba Minch from Addis Ababa.
Early in the morning after breakfast, we will start driving to the Omo Valley. As we leave Addis to the south, gradually you will feel the warm temperature as we leave the highlands and descend into the Rift Valley. This first day drive will take us through the lands of the Oromo, Gurage, Silte, Wolaita, and Alaba people to reach Arba Minch while enjoying the spectacular landscapes and countryside. You will stop for photos on the way.
Side trip to Dorze Village. The Dorze people are found in the Chencha highlands. They are well known for their finest weaving of traditional garments. Their village is one of the most densely populated areas in the country, as the land they inhabit is becoming smaller due to population growth. They are able to manage life very well by using their small plots of land, cultivating enset (false banana), which gives high yield and resistance to drought. They also grow tobacco. They are distinctive for their traditional elephant-like cottages, which look like elephants and are very beautiful. You will walk in Dorze Village before arriving in Arba Minch.
Overnight hotel in Arba Minch
Day 9 Drive Arba Minch to Jinka (Thursday Key Afer Market Day)
Morning visit to the Crocodile Market. It is actually not a real market but a place where hundreds of crocodiles sunbathe together. They lie on the ground and simply open their big mouths to regulate their temperature. Some are more than 6 m long. Hippos, fish eagles, and water birds are also common.
We leave Arba Minch to the Omo Valley, crossing the Derashe people’s villages. We will stop at Konso to visit the defensive walled village. The Konso people are well known as hardworking people, and their land management system is recorded by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
On the drive toward Jinka, you will also have the chance to see the Tsemai people and Ari villages (who are more or less modern now). If it is Thursday, we will visit the Key Afer Market to see the Bena and Tsemai people, who are very similar to the Hamer people.
Overnight camping/hotel/lodge
Day 10 Drive Jinka – Mursi – Turmi (Saturday Market Day Dimeka)
We will drive into Mago National Park to reach the Mursi villages. On the road, we will encounter many Mursi people.
The Mursi are most famous for their lip plates worn by women and the different body decorations using plants, flowers, and other materials. Children and men paint their bodies with colorful clay and limestone.
The Mursi are mixed farmers but are wrongly considered nomads. They do move from place to place, but they have a subsistence lifestyle. The Mursi go to the Omo River banks to farm corn when the river overflows. They follow the riverside to plant crops, and when it rains and the Omo River becomes full, they return to their grazing land.
After having lunch in Jinka, we continue driving to Turmi.
Overnight Turmi lodge
Day 11 Turmi to Karo
After breakfast in Turmi, we will drive to see the Karo people, who are most famous for their colorful body paintings and are considered among the most beautiful in the Omo Valley. They use different colors of clay.
Our visit is to Kolocho Village, which lies on top of the hills of the Omo River. Geographically, they are surrounded by the Dassanech, Hamer, and Mursi tribes. The Karo, who were once wealthy with hundreds of cattle, now live in the valleys of the Omo River, leading a sedentary farming life after losing most of their cattle due to a devastating outbreak of animal disease.
After the visit to the Karo village, we will drive back to Turmi, where we will look for a bull jumping ceremony in the afternoon or the next day.
Overnight camping with the tribes or lodge
Day 12 Excursion to Omorate (Monday Market Day in Turmi)
Drive from Turmi to Omorate, where the Dassanech people have a daily market. The village is located on the opposite bank of the Omo River. We will take a traditional local boat carved out of a single piece of wood to reach the village.
The Dassanech have elaborate beadwork on their bodies and used to have a nomadic lifestyle until they settled in their present area. We might be invited to drink or dance with them in their traditional music and dance.
Overnight in Turmi (camping with tribes or lodge)
Day 13 Turmi to Arba Minch
Morning drive back to Arba Minch. On the way, you will pass through Bena and Tsemai territories, where they have a small market at Weyto Village, which takes place every Saturday. If you did not stop in Konso earlier, we may have a chance to visit the Konso people and their market as well. After lunch in Karat, we will continue driving to Arba Minch.
Overnight hotel or lodge
Day 14 Drive or Fly Back to Addis Ababa
End of tour. Fly back home.