8 Days (simien Mountain, Lalibela, Axum,tigray Rock Churches And Danakil)
Whats included?
Itinerary
7x Breakfast
7x Breakfast
2x Dinner
2x Dinner
4x Lunch
4x Lunch
Accommodation included: 7 nights
Accommodation included: 7 nights
Air-conditioned vehicle
Air-conditioned vehicle
All Fees and Taxes
All Fees and Taxes
Bottles of water for the...
Bottles of water for the trip
Local guide service
Local guide service
Scout and police service
Scout and police service
Four Domestic flights
Four Domestic flights
Entry/Admission - Fasil Ghebbi
Entry/Admission - Fasil Ghebbi
Entry/Admission - Debre Berhan Selassie...
Entry/Admission - Debre Berhan Selassie Church
Entry/Admission - Simien Mountains National...
Entry/Admission - Simien Mountains National Park
Entry/Admission - Rock-Hewn Churches of...
Entry/Admission - Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela
Entry/Admission - The Ruins of...
Entry/Admission - The Ruins of Aksum
Entry/Admission - Abuna Yemata Guh...
Entry/Admission - Abuna Yemata Guh church
Entry/Admission - Maryam Korkor
Entry/Admission - Maryam Korkor
Entry/Admission - Daniel Korkor
Entry/Admission - Daniel Korkor
Entry/Admission - Erta Ale
Entry/Admission - Erta Ale
Entry/Admission - Danakil Depression
Entry/Admission - Danakil Depression
Not included:
Alcoholic Beverage
Alcoholic Beverage
Services which are not listed...
Services which are not listed on the inclusion
Start planning your experience
ยAbout experience
Itinerary
Day 1: Fly to Gondar and Vist Gondar
Stop At: Fasil Ghebbi, Gonder Ethiopia
Catch a flight in the morning and explore the sites of Gondar, including a visit to the Royal Enclosure, with six castles and several other buildings. Additionally, visit Fasilidasโs Pool, still used for Timket celebrations today, Ras Gimb Palace Museum and the Debre Birhan Selassie church, with the most famous ceiling in Ethiopia.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Debre Berhan Selassie Church, Gondar, Ethiopia, Gonder Ethiopia
explore the sites of Gondar, including a visit to the Royal Enclosure, with six castles and several other buildings. Additionally, visit Fasilidasโs Pool, still used for Timket celebrations today, Ras Gimb Palace Museum and the Debre Birhan Selassie church, with the most famous ceiling in Ethiopia.
Duration: 3 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Haz Hotel or similar
Day 2: Gondar to Buit Ras (3,260m) (Simien Mountains)
Stop At: Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
We will meet you in the morning at Gondar Airport or your hotel in Gondar. Drive from Gondar to Debark, which is the headquarter town for the national park. We will stop here to get a permission to enter the park and meet the scout. We will have tea and coffee break and visit the local market if we have time. The local market is open every day, and every Wednesday and Saturday is the big market day. From Debark town, we will drive to the park gate, which is about 16km from the town. Then, we are heading about 6km to Buit Ras, the first area of the national park. From Buit Ras, we will trek for about 3, 4 hours to Chilkuwanit which is one of the most beautiful viewpoints. This area offers stunning views over the escarpment dropping vertically. You will most certainly encounter troops of the endemic Gelada Baboons and see them up-close. You may also see common jackal, klipspringer and more. There are a lot of birds such as Thick-billed Raven, Augar Buzard, Black Kites, Lammergeyer and different plant species such as Abyssinian Rose, Erica Arboria tree, Euphorbia Species, St. Johns Worttree(Hypercumrevoltum) and so on. Our car will pick you up at Chilkuwanit and drive to Gondar
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
โข Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight at Haz Hotel or similar
Day 3: Fly from Gondar to Lalibela and Visit Lalibela
Stop At: Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Lalibela 1260 Ethiopia
Catch a flight after breakfast and visit Lalibela. Lalibela is a town in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia. It's known for its distinctive rock-cut churches dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, which are pilgrimage sites for Coptic Christians. Carved out of rock, the subterranean monoliths include huge Bete Medhane Alem, and cross-shaped Bete Giyorgis. Many are joined by tunnels and trenches, and some have carved bas-reliefs and colored frescoes inside. Bet Medhane Alem, home to the Lalibela Cross and believed to be the largest monolithic church in the world, probably a copy of St Mary of Zion in Aksum. It is linked to Bete Maryam (possibly the oldest of the churches), Bete Golgotha (known for its arts and said to contain the tomb of King Lalibela), the Selassie Chapel and the Tomb of Adam after break proceed to visit the second group of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela called Western Group: Bete Giyorgis, said to be the most finely executed and best preserved church &the third group called The Eastern Group: Bete Amanuel (possibly the former royal chapel), Bete Merkorios (which may be a former prison), Bete Abba Libanos and Bete Gabriel-Rufael (possibly a former royal palace).
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Lalibela Lodge
Day 4: Fly from Lalibela to Axum and visit Axum
Stop At: The Ruins of Aksum, Axum Ethiopia
Start the tour with a visit to obelisks including the one recently back home from Rome, Italy. The obelisks are carved from single rock, one witness artistic works on the obelisks. Continue with a visit to underground tombs of different kings and royal families. Get through Axum archeological museum for the general understanding of the historical chronology. Then visit church museum and St. Mary Zion church which is believed to be a home to the original Arc of the Covenant.In the afternoon/after lunch break Queen of Sheba swimming pool, inscription of king Ezana which is written in the Sabean language. Continue with a visit to tomb of king Kaleb and Gebremeskel. Then visit Queen of Sheba palace and finally visit Judith stele fields. End of the tour
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Branna Hotel or similar
Day 5: Visit Tigray churches
Stop At: Abuna Yemata Guh church, Hawzen Ethiopia
Early morning drive to Gheralta and visit Abune Yemata church. Abuna Yemata Guh is spectacularly sited within a cliff face, halfway up a sheer rock pinnacle 4km west of Megab. The first 45 minutes of the climb is mildly challenging, with a couple of tricky sheer sections requiring toehold action; guides carry ropes for the final push. The last two minutes require nerves of steel to make the final scramble and precarious ledge walk over a 200m drop. Then you will drive back to Mekele
Duration: 5 hours
Stop At: Maryam Korkor, Ethiopia
Then proceed to Maryam Korkor. Although an unsightly green from the outside, this impressive, cross-shaped church is known for its architectural features (cruciform pillars, arches and cupolas), fine 17th-century frescos and church treasures. Itโs also one of the largest churches in the area. The path begins around 1km from the road just southeast of Megab and involves a fairly steep one-hour ascent.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Daniel Korkor, Ethiopia
Just a couple of minutesโ walk from Maryam Korkor is the seldom-used church of Daniel Korkor. It sits atop a paralysing precipice, offers astounding views and has fine paintings.After enjoying Maryam Korkor, there is a short seven-ten min walk to Daniel Korkor. On the way I like to stop under a large sycamore tree, to take in the view and have a snack. Daniel Korkor faces out over the Haiwzen plain, and one of the best pictures of the valley can be taken as you approach the church. Overlooking a terrifying cliff is a small hole in the rockfaceโthat is the entrance to Daniel Korkor. Inside, you will find that there are two chambers where it is believed that two monks lived, before it was converted into a church. The outer chamber is filled with vivid paintings in light pastel colors with a white background, which are very different from any of the other paintings in other churches. Then drive to Mekele to spend the night.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Atse Yohannes Hotel
Day 6: Drive to Danakil
Stop At: Erta Ale, 6611 Ethiopia
We start our day by driving to Erta Ale (which means smoky mountain in Afar language). Erta Ale ranks one of the most alluring and physically challenging natural attractions anywhere in Ethiopia. It is a shield volcano with a base diameter of 30 km and 1km square caldera at its summit. Erta Ale contains the worldโs only permanent lava lake. It is 613 meters, with a lava lake, one of only five in the world, at the summit. It is notable for being the longest existing lava lake, present since the early years of the twentieth century. (may not be as active as before and activity at flank eruption slows down.)
We start early 9:00 AM, drive to Dodom (at the base of Erta Ale). This is may be one of the roughest roads in the world. The 80 km distance may take about 6 hrs passing through changing the landscape of solidified lava, rock, sand and occasional palm-lined oasis. After passing several small hamlets scattered here and there in this deserted land, you will arrive at Dodom camping site, located about 17km from Erta Ale.
Dinner will be served around 17:00 oโclock. After a short break, 30 minutes trek up to Ertale. Camels will be transporting all the camping materials and some food (sleeping materials like light mattresses and mat and water) to the rim of the volcano, where we spend the night watching the dramatic action of the boiling lava. You will spend the night on top of the mountain, at the rim of the Volcano.
Duration: 9 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
โข Lunch
โข Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight Camping
Day 7: Danakil
Stop At: Erta Ale, 6611 Ethiopia
Early Morning sun rise at the northern one corresponds to the main pit crater and walk 5 minutes for the southern and central pits could either corresponds to an ancient pit, or to a simple collapse structure. The main pit-crater, 200 m deep and 350 m across, is sub-circular and three-storied. The smaller southern pit is 65 m wide and about 100 m deep. Descend from Erta Ale around 9 am Dodom โ Leave back to Dodom after an early breakfast, if possible at 07:00 oโclock.
You will reach the latest at 10:30 oโclock at the camp, where you will be relaxing. As soon as possible, drive to reach the mythical Lake Giulietti (or Lake Afrera)(optional may not be available during summertime), a saltwater lake located more than100 meters below sea level, in one of the deepest depressions of the planet. Because of the picturesque landscape, it is interesting to visit the salt flats where the Afar people obtain the salt by evaporating the water of the lake., continue to Erbiti and proceed Abaala/ Hamed Ela
Duration: 9 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
โข Lunch
โข Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping Overnight
Day 8: Danakil to Mekele
Stop At: Danakil Depression, 0125 Ethiopia
Morning tour Drive to Ragad (Asebo), the place where the localities are mining salt. Look the activity of workers breaking salts from the ground, cutting in to rectangular pieces and loading on camels. You drive ahead to Dallol and visit the difference landscape formed by volcanic activity, Dallol + Lake Assal + camel caravans. Excursion to Dallol (116 meters below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world) colorful salts mining, visit Lake Assal, follow up camel caravans (No camel caravan on July, August, and early September) and walk with the Afar people. Drive back to Hamedela and proceed to Mekele. Then fly back to Addis at 7.00 pm and our driver will transfer you to your hotel.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
โข Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 1: Fly to Gondar and Vist Gondar
Stop At: Fasil Ghebbi, Gonder Ethiopia
Catch a flight in the morning and explore the sites of Gondar, including a visit to the Royal Enclosure, with six castles and several other buildings. Additionally, visit Fasilidasโs Pool, still used for Timket celebrations today, Ras Gimb Palace Museum and the Debre Birhan Selassie church, with the most famous ceiling in Ethiopia.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Debre Berhan Selassie Church, Gondar, Ethiopia, Gonder Ethiopia
explore the sites of Gondar, including a visit to the Royal Enclosure, with six castles and several other buildings. Additionally, visit Fasilidasโs Pool, still used for Timket celebrations today, Ras Gimb Palace Museum and the Debre Birhan Selassie church, with the most famous ceiling in Ethiopia.
Duration: 3 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Haz Hotel or similar
Day 2: Gondar to Buit Ras (3,260m) (Simien Mountains)
Stop At: Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
We will meet you in the morning at Gondar Airport or your hotel in Gondar. Drive from Gondar to Debark, which is the headquarter town for the national park. We will stop here to get a permission to enter the park and meet the scout. We will have tea and coffee break and visit the local market if we have time. The local market is open every day, and every Wednesday and Saturday is the big market day. From Debark town, we will drive to the park gate, which is about 16km from the town. Then, we are heading about 6km to Buit Ras, the first area of the national park. From Buit Ras, we will trek for about 3, 4 hours to Chilkuwanit which is one of the most beautiful viewpoints. This area offers stunning views over the escarpment dropping vertically. You will most certainly encounter troops of the endemic Gelada Baboons and see them up-close. You may also see common jackal, klipspringer and more. There are a lot of birds such as Thick-billed Raven, Augar Buzard, Black Kites, Lammergeyer and different plant species such as Abyssinian Rose, Erica Arboria tree, Euphorbia Species, St. Johns Worttree(Hypercumrevoltum) and so on. Our car will pick you up at Chilkuwanit and drive to Gondar
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
โข Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight at Haz Hotel or similar
Day 3: Fly from Gondar to Lalibela and Visit Lalibela
Stop At: Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Lalibela 1260 Ethiopia
Catch a flight after breakfast and visit Lalibela. Lalibela is a town in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia. It's known for its distinctive rock-cut churches dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, which are pilgrimage sites for Coptic Christians. Carved out of rock, the subterranean monoliths include huge Bete Medhane Alem, and cross-shaped Bete Giyorgis. Many are joined by tunnels and trenches, and some have carved bas-reliefs and colored frescoes inside. Bet Medhane Alem, home to the Lalibela Cross and believed to be the largest monolithic church in the world, probably a copy of St Mary of Zion in Aksum. It is linked to Bete Maryam (possibly the oldest of the churches), Bete Golgotha (known for its arts and said to contain the tomb of King Lalibela), the Selassie Chapel and the Tomb of Adam after break proceed to visit the second group of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela called Western Group: Bete Giyorgis, said to be the most finely executed and best preserved church &the third group called The Eastern Group: Bete Amanuel (possibly the former royal chapel), Bete Merkorios (which may be a former prison), Bete Abba Libanos and Bete Gabriel-Rufael (possibly a former royal palace).
Duration: 7 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Lalibela Lodge
Day 4: Fly from Lalibela to Axum and visit Axum
Stop At: The Ruins of Aksum, Axum Ethiopia
Start the tour with a visit to obelisks including the one recently back home from Rome, Italy. The obelisks are carved from single rock, one witness artistic works on the obelisks. Continue with a visit to underground tombs of different kings and royal families. Get through Axum archeological museum for the general understanding of the historical chronology. Then visit church museum and St. Mary Zion church which is believed to be a home to the original Arc of the Covenant.In the afternoon/after lunch break Queen of Sheba swimming pool, inscription of king Ezana which is written in the Sabean language. Continue with a visit to tomb of king Kaleb and Gebremeskel. Then visit Queen of Sheba palace and finally visit Judith stele fields. End of the tour
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Branna Hotel or similar
Day 5: Visit Tigray churches
Stop At: Abuna Yemata Guh church, Hawzen Ethiopia
Early morning drive to Gheralta and visit Abune Yemata church. Abuna Yemata Guh is spectacularly sited within a cliff face, halfway up a sheer rock pinnacle 4km west of Megab. The first 45 minutes of the climb is mildly challenging, with a couple of tricky sheer sections requiring toehold action; guides carry ropes for the final push. The last two minutes require nerves of steel to make the final scramble and precarious ledge walk over a 200m drop. Then you will drive back to Mekele
Duration: 5 hours
Stop At: Maryam Korkor, Ethiopia
Then proceed to Maryam Korkor. Although an unsightly green from the outside, this impressive, cross-shaped church is known for its architectural features (cruciform pillars, arches and cupolas), fine 17th-century frescos and church treasures. Itโs also one of the largest churches in the area. The path begins around 1km from the road just southeast of Megab and involves a fairly steep one-hour ascent.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Daniel Korkor, Ethiopia
Just a couple of minutesโ walk from Maryam Korkor is the seldom-used church of Daniel Korkor. It sits atop a paralysing precipice, offers astounding views and has fine paintings.After enjoying Maryam Korkor, there is a short seven-ten min walk to Daniel Korkor. On the way I like to stop under a large sycamore tree, to take in the view and have a snack. Daniel Korkor faces out over the Haiwzen plain, and one of the best pictures of the valley can be taken as you approach the church. Overlooking a terrifying cliff is a small hole in the rockfaceโthat is the entrance to Daniel Korkor. Inside, you will find that there are two chambers where it is believed that two monks lived, before it was converted into a church. The outer chamber is filled with vivid paintings in light pastel colors with a white background, which are very different from any of the other paintings in other churches. Then drive to Mekele to spend the night.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Atse Yohannes Hotel
Day 6: Drive to Danakil
Stop At: Erta Ale, 6611 Ethiopia
We start our day by driving to Erta Ale (which means smoky mountain in Afar language). Erta Ale ranks one of the most alluring and physically challenging natural attractions anywhere in Ethiopia. It is a shield volcano with a base diameter of 30 km and 1km square caldera at its summit. Erta Ale contains the worldโs only permanent lava lake. It is 613 meters, with a lava lake, one of only five in the world, at the summit. It is notable for being the longest existing lava lake, present since the early years of the twentieth century. (may not be as active as before and activity at flank eruption slows down.)
We start early 9:00 AM, drive to Dodom (at the base of Erta Ale). This is may be one of the roughest roads in the world. The 80 km distance may take about 6 hrs passing through changing the landscape of solidified lava, rock, sand and occasional palm-lined oasis. After passing several small hamlets scattered here and there in this deserted land, you will arrive at Dodom camping site, located about 17km from Erta Ale.
Dinner will be served around 17:00 oโclock. After a short break, 30 minutes trek up to Ertale. Camels will be transporting all the camping materials and some food (sleeping materials like light mattresses and mat and water) to the rim of the volcano, where we spend the night watching the dramatic action of the boiling lava. You will spend the night on top of the mountain, at the rim of the Volcano.
Duration: 9 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
โข Lunch
โข Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight Camping
Day 7: Danakil
Stop At: Erta Ale, 6611 Ethiopia
Early Morning sun rise at the northern one corresponds to the main pit crater and walk 5 minutes for the southern and central pits could either corresponds to an ancient pit, or to a simple collapse structure. The main pit-crater, 200 m deep and 350 m across, is sub-circular and three-storied. The smaller southern pit is 65 m wide and about 100 m deep. Descend from Erta Ale around 9 am Dodom โ Leave back to Dodom after an early breakfast, if possible at 07:00 oโclock.
You will reach the latest at 10:30 oโclock at the camp, where you will be relaxing. As soon as possible, drive to reach the mythical Lake Giulietti (or Lake Afrera)(optional may not be available during summertime), a saltwater lake located more than100 meters below sea level, in one of the deepest depressions of the planet. Because of the picturesque landscape, it is interesting to visit the salt flats where the Afar people obtain the salt by evaporating the water of the lake., continue to Erbiti and proceed Abaala/ Hamed Ela
Duration: 9 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
โข Lunch
โข Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping Overnight
Day 8: Danakil to Mekele
Stop At: Danakil Depression, 0125 Ethiopia
Morning tour Drive to Ragad (Asebo), the place where the localities are mining salt. Look the activity of workers breaking salts from the ground, cutting in to rectangular pieces and loading on camels. You drive ahead to Dallol and visit the difference landscape formed by volcanic activity, Dallol + Lake Assal + camel caravans. Excursion to Dallol (116 meters below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world) colorful salts mining, visit Lake Assal, follow up camel caravans (No camel caravan on July, August, and early September) and walk with the Afar people. Drive back to Hamedela and proceed to Mekele. Then fly back to Addis at 7.00 pm and our driver will transfer you to your hotel.
Duration: 8 hours
Meals included:
โข Breakfast
โข Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.
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