22 days Ethiopia Photography Tour to Omo Valley Tribes, Danakil Depression and Lalibela
Duration: 22 days/ 23 nights
Transportation: surface and scheduled domestic flight
Itinerary
Day 1 :Full day Addis Ababa sightseeing
Þ Morning you will visit Menelik II palace and St Mery church in Entoto.
Þ PM visit to the National Museum, famous for hosting the Humanoid fossil “LUCY” Ethnographic Museums and Trinity cathedral
You will also have a visit to the biggest open-air market in Africa, Mercato. hotel
Day 2: Drive Addis to Awassa for a tour in Omo Valley
Þ Morning will drive to Awassa (275 Km from Addis). En route, you will visit Lake Abijatta-Shala National Park, Lake Shala and Lake Abiatta.
Þ You will be arriving in Awassa in the afternoon and check into a hotel. Later, you can walk along the lake shore for nice evening sunset and aquatic birds such as; Saddle-billed stork, herons, darters and Wood hoope. hotel
Day 3 :Full Day in Awassa
Þ Today is your extra day in Awassa and it will be free day for your photographing.
Þ Vehicle will be provided to explore the city and for taking pictures. hotel
Day 4: Drive for a Tour to Omo Valley from Awassa to Arba Minch
Þ In the morning after breakfast, you will drive to Arba Minch
Þ On the visit the scenic morning Fish market in Awassa.
Þ Then you will drive to Arba Minch (280 Km from Awassa). On the way you will visit Senkelle Wildlife Sanctuary (90 Km from Awassa, well-known for endemic and endangered subspecies of Swayne’s Hartebeest) and you will stop for lunch at Wolayta (154 Km from Awassa).
Þ You will have stops for photographing for the sights and locals en-route. hotel
Day 5: Full day visit in Arba Minch
Þ Morning Boat crossing to Lake Chamo, for the Nech Sar National Park to see the endemic plants and animals inside the park and to see hippos and crocodiles.
Þ Afternoon drive to Dorze (50 Km from Arba Minch) visit the Dorze village (famous for their bee hive shaped houses, weaving styles and their lifestyle).
Photographing for the sights, parks and locals village. hotel
Day 6: Drive Arba Minch to Jinka –Tour to Omo Valley Tribes
Þ Morning after breakfast the drive will be a day to admire the spectacular topography that continues to descend down to the Omo and characterized by warm temperature. If the day falls on Thursday, there will be a colorful market in Key Afer where one can have the chance to see different tribes such as the Tsemay and Bena. hotel
Day 7: Excursion to Mago national park – Mursi people – then back to Jinka
Þ After breakfast have an excursion drive to the settlement of the Mursi people known for their lip plating, body decorating and stick fighting culture.
Þ Take time by having picture and personal contact with the people and back to Jinka. Here you need to take some picnic for lunch en route. hotel
Day 8: Drive Jinka to Turmi ( principal town of the Hamer people)
Þ After breakfast in the hotel, drive to Turmi, a settlement for the Hamer people very much known for their colorful hairstyle and bull jumping tradition at times of wedding. The women normally adorned by leather made skirts decorated by sounding pearls and by gleaming aluminum normally fixed to their neck.
Þ If the day falls on Saturday there will be a colorful market in Dimeka where one can have the chance to see tribe such as the Hammer. hotel
Day 9: Drive Turmi to Murulle to the visit Karo people then back to Turmi
After an early breakfast in the hotel, head to Murulle, a settlement for the Karo people famous for their unique body decorating culture. En route, have a picnic lunch. Start sightseeing in the village of Dus and back to Turmi for overnight stay. hotel
Day 10: Full day visit in Turmi, attend Monday market- Meet and visit Hamers village
Þ You will Attend the biggest Turmi MONDAY market to meet the hamers and neighboring tribes on a much decorated way than other occasions.
Þ Today you will also visit the colorful Hamer tribes and their villages.
Þ Attend Tribal dance or Bull Jumping rite, occasional and optional. hotel
Day 11: Turmi to Konso via Erbore Village
Þ Have breakfast then drive to Konso.
Þ En-route visits the Erbore person that shares many cultural features with the Oromo people in Borena.
Þ Up on arrival in the “Konso”, a settlement for the Konso people. Have lunch break and then go for sightseeing.
Þ The Konso have a clean, well, built and protected villages with each village having a communal house of living called “Mora” where young boys spend the night protecting the village. They have also a tradition of age initiation for boys to advance from child hood to adult hood. Konso well known for having a wooden made grave sign called “Waka”. Night in Konso. Hotel
Day 12:Excursion to Elsod creator salt Lakes & drive to Yirgalem
Þ Early morning excursion to Elsod, the crater salt lake to see the Borena people extracting mud salt for their livestock food and on the way back stop at Dubluk to see the singing well typical of Borena tribes when they serve their cattle from 20 M deep wells. Then proceed driving to Yirgalem via coffee lands. Overnight in the lodge.
Day 13: Yirgalem – Aleta Wendo (coffee tour in Ethiopia)
Visiting Aleta Wendo area coffee farms and coffee union then testing the best coffee, drive back to Yirgalem, overnight in hotel
Day 14: Drive Yirgalem to Addis Ababa via the town of Awassa
Þ After breakfast, you will be driving to Addis Ababa (325 Km from Yireg Alem). You will stop for lunch at Lake Langano. Then continue to addis Ababa. hotel
Day 15: Fly Addis to Mekele; Visit rock hewn churches in Mekele
Þ Morning fly to Mekele on arrival you will have a visit to the rock hewn churches of Mekele Abreha we Atsebeha and Wekro Cherkos.
Then back to Mekel for overnight. Hotel
Day 16: Drive Mekele to Erta ale.
Þ Morning you will meet our representative at your hotel in Mekele. Then drive 305 kms to reach the parking area around the Erta ale.
Þ Evening we will have a 3 to 4 hrs hiking to the top of the volcano site; enjoy the unique and beautiful Erta ale shield volcano eruption. Then back to the campsite to spend the night. Camping
Day 17: Drive from Erta ale to Lake Afdera.
Þ AM breakfast at the volcano site of Erta ale; preparation for a drive to Lake Afdera.
Þ Enjoy the hot springs at Lake Afdera by swimming and take bathing.
Þ After Lunch, we will be back to the town of Abala. Camp/ guest house
Day 18: Early morning ride Abala to Hamed Ella.
Þ Morning drive some 260kms to Hamed Ella via the town of Berhale.
Þ See long camel caravans at Berhale.
Þ On arrival at Hamed Ella then proceed to Lake Asal to enjoy the beautiful sunset.
Þ Over Night in an open air under, the stars on wooden cottage with local beds of the Afar, people. Camping
Day 19: Early morning ride from Hamed Ella to Dallol – Mekele
Þ Morning we will have an early breakfast then preparation for a 45 kms ride to Dallol.
Þ You will visit the colorful salt lakes with active thermo springs of Dallol, a cave of colorful salt rocks and a salt field where the afar people traditionally harvest the salt.
Þ Enjoy the long chain camel caravans loaded with bare of salts.
Þ Early afternoon Dallol and have a lunch at Hamed Ella. Then drive back to Mekele. hotel
Day 20: Drive from Mekele for a tour to Lalibela (360km )
Time it will take will be +- 8 hrs (with short leg stretching stops)
⇒ Beautiful mountain scenery
⇒ Meet the Amhara people, house and village visit. hotel
Day 21: Full day tour in Lalibela
Þ Visit The Amazing rock churches of Lalibela rated as the eighth wonder of the world by many authors. Hotel
Day 22: Morning fly back Lalibela to Addis Ababa
The rest of the day is free leisure time or shopping.
Moreover, in the evening you will be our guest for a farewell dinner in one of Ethiopian traditional restaurants with tasting Ethiopian foods and enjoying folkloric dance.
Evening’s transfered to the airport for your departure flight back to your home country. Departure
———-End of the Tour to Omo Valley Ethiopia arrangement———
