Tribes of the Ethiopian Omo Valley – 9 Day Tour

Ziua 1 · ARRIVAL

1. 1

   Addis Ababa

   Trecere fără oprire

   Arrival to Addis Ababa. Meeting with company’s representative at the airport. Transfer to city center hotel after which you will have time to relax.

Overnight at Jupiter International Hotel

Ziua 2 · ADDIS ABABA CITY TOUR

1. 1

   Addis Ababa

   7 ore

   On the first full day in Addis Ababa, we’ll bring you on a city tour so that you can get a quick overview of the cities highlights. Places of interest that we will visit include: National Museum of Ethiopia, the Ethnological Museum, Holy Trinity and St. Georges Cathedrals and Entoto Mountain.

   In the evening, we can go to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant to enjoy local food and Ethiopia’s unique form of dancing.

2. 2

   National Museum of Ethiopia

   o oră Intrarea inclusă

   The main draw of visiting the National Museum of Addis Ababa, is to see the remain of ‘Lucy’. ‘Lucy’ is a collection of fossilised bones that once made up the skeleton of a hominid from the Australopithecus afarensis species. She lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago.

3. 3

   Ethnological Museum

   o oră Intrarea inclusă

   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.

4. 4

   Holy Trinity Cathedral

   1 h 30 min Intrarea inclusă

   Holy Trinity Cathedral, known in Amharic as Kidist Selassie, is the highest ranking Orthodox cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia’s liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.

   St George’s Orthodox Cathedral was built by Italian prisoners of war defeated at Adwa in 1896. It was named after St. George, after the Tabot (Ark) of the church was carried to the Battle of Adwa against the Italians during which the Ethiopians secured victory.

5. 5

   Mount Entoto

   1 h 30 min Intrarea inclusă

   Entoto Mountain is where in 1881 King Menelik tried to build a capital city. Some of the most interesting places to see at Entoto are a church museum near the church of St. Mary and the old house of King Menelik.

Jupiter International Hotel

Ziua 3 · ADDIS ABABA / ARBA MINCH

1. 1

   Arba Minch

   Trecere fără oprire

   After breakfast, we’ll depart Addis Ababa and head south in the direction of Arba Minch. On the way, stop to visit the Tiya Stele Field.

   Lunch in the town of Sodo

   Arrival in Arba Minch late in the afternoon.

2. 2

   Tiya World Heritage Site

   2 ore Intrarea inclusă

   Tiya is among the most important of the roughly 160 archaeological sites discovered so far in the Soddo region, south of Addis Ababa. The site contains 36 monuments, including 32 carved stelae covered with symbols, most of which are difficult to decipher. They are the remains of an ancient Ethiopian culture whose age has not yet been precisely determined.

Paradise Lodge

Ziua 4 · ARBA MINCH / CHENCHA

1. 1

   Dorze Village

   3 ore Intrarea inclusă

   In the morning, take a boat ride on Lake Chamo which is part of the Nech Sar Park. Here you can observe huge crocodiles and hippos in the wild, as well as lots of water birds.

   Lunch in Arba Minch, after which we’ll go on an excursion to Chencha, village of Dorze people. The highlight of this excursion is a visit to a traditional Dorze house where you can observe how bread is made from false banana and drink locally made alcohol. Return to Arba Minch in the evening.

Paradise Lodge

Ziua 5 · ARBA MINCH / TURMI

1. 1

   Turmi

   5 ore

   On day 5, we’ll leave Arba Minch and head towards Turmi. On route, there will be stop offs at Karat Konso, Weito, and Erbore. The stop at Erbore will allow you to take photos of the Erbore people. Once we arrival in Turmi, and if you are lucky, we may get a chance to attend a bull-jumping ceremony in a Hamer village near Turmi.

   Rest at the lodge in the evening.

Overnight at Buska Lodge

Ziua 6 · TURMI / JINKA

1. 1

   Key Afer

   2 ore

   Today we’ll drive from Turmi to Jinka. On the way, we make a stop-over at Key Afar, where every Thursday there is a local market. This market attracts Hamer, Benna, Konso, Ari, and many other people of the South Omo. Arrive at Jinka late in the afternoon and rest at the hotel.

Overnight at Eyob Pension and Campsite

Ziua 7 · JINKA / KARAT KONSO

1. 1

   Konso Cultural Centre

   5 ore Intrarea inclusă

   n the morning, excursion to the Mago Park. In this park, live the Mursi tribe. It is probably best known in the South Omo Valley, because women of this tribe slit their lower lip and insert a clay or wooden plate, and men fight donga (a stick fight which determines the most eligible bachelors ready to get married). Return to Jinka at lunch time, then drive to Karat Konso.

Overnight at Kanta Lodge

Ziua 8 · KARAT KONSO / LANGANO

1. 1

   Oprirea 1

   5 ore

   Drive from Karat Konso to Langano early in the morning. Langano, one of the lakes of the Rift Valley, offers you the chance to take a dip. This area is very popular with people looking to get out of Addis for a few days rest and relaxation.

Overnight at Sabana Beach Resort

Ziua 9 · LANGANO / ADDIS ABABA

1. 1

   Addis Ababa

   Trecere fără oprire

   In the afternoon, drive to Addis Ababa.

   Once we arrive in Addis Ababa, the program will finish.