13 days tour

Extra-Ordinary Ethiopia

Extra-Ordinary Ethiopia

This tour includes:

Transport

This Extra-ordinary Ethiopia tour has a considerable element of road trip in its itinerary. We use excellently maintained tourist vehicles to ensure a comfortable and secure trip, with very good visibility for all guests to enable them to appreciate the wonderful changing countryside provided by this journey. As already stated, there are five short domestic flights included in this itinerary which each guest must finance for themselves.

Meals

All food is included in the cost of this tour, providing very adequate and often delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners. A drink is also offered at mealtimes, and further refreshments are offered en route when desirable. Guests may supplement their needs with further dishes as required at their own expense. All alcoholic drinks are likewise paid for by the individual guest.

Accommodation

We use the best hotels available throughout the trip, often in interesting and unusual situations. Guests may choose single or double rooms and there is usually a choice of twin or double bed. We only use hotels that are in peaceful situations and that have their own restaurants and coffee facilities

Guide

This Extra-ordinary Ethiopia tour is accompanied throughout by at least two Ethiopian Experiences guides who have all the language skills necessary to facilitate the tour successfully. On several occasions during the tour, we employ further local experts on particular sites where detailed knowledge of history and culture are required.

Not included:

Insurance

Although all elements of this tour are carefully insured locally by the providers (transport, accommodation, restaurants, etc.), each guest is required to ensure their own basic travel insurance needs according to their wishes.

Flights

Flights are not included in the basic cost of this tour, but Ethiopian Experiences will aid all guests in the best purchase of their international flights arriving in and departing from the capital, Addis Ababa. This tour has five short domestic flights as part of its itinerary. Cost estimates for all flights are issued as appropriate

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Itinerary of your trip Extra-Ordinary Ethiopia

  • Day 1 Exploring Addis Ababa
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Exploring Addis Ababa

      • This is a day of recovery in the capital city in preparation for what follows, with plentiful opportunities for restorative coffees and relaxation. There will also be time and energy for doing some city visits, perhaps the relatively new Medhane Alem church, or Trinity Cathedral where Haile Selassie and notable others are buried, perhaps one of the good museums or one of the impressive art galleries in the Bole area. Or perhaps we might prefer to take ourselves up into the Entoto hills to see Emperor Menelikโ€™s church and its well-curated church museum. 
  • Day 2 Flight To Dire Dawa, Drive To Harar, Hyenas!
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Flight To Dire Dawa, Drive To Harar, Hyenas!

      • A mid-morning flight from Bole airport takes us out to the east of the country, to the attractive French-influenced city of Dire Dawa. We shall return here in a couple of daysโ€™ time but for now we continue our journey eastwards in our private vehicle to our main destination, the Muslim city of Harar with its characterful architecture and narrow colour-washed streets and lanes. 
      • We first check into our memorable Cultural Guesthouse, adorned with colourful plates, rugs and baskets. After lunch we have some time to start our explorations of this fascinating city but, as the late-afternoon light begins to fade, we find ourselves out on the edge of town where groups of hyenas regularly arrive to be fed by hand, illuminated only by our car headlights. You can โ€™try your handโ€™ at this if you really want to!
  • Day 3 Tour Of The Ancient City Of Harar
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Tour Of The Ancient City Of Harar

      • This is our main day of exploration. A simple breakfast of freshly-cooked pancakes and honey sets us up for our investigations - a couple of fascinating museums, a coffee-roasters where you can purchase a bag of high quality beans, an ancient undercover market full of exotic character, possibly a man feeding the yellow-billed kites by hand for your amusement, etc. We shall take as many pauses and refreshment breaks as necessary before eating a good dinner. 
  • Day 4 Explore Dire Dawa And Return To Addis Ababa
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Explore Dire Dawa And Return To Addis Ababa

      • Our private vehicle joins us again today for our return journey via Dire Dawa. An open-air railway museum takes us back almost a hundred years with its original rolling-stock and station signs dating back to before Haile Selassieโ€™s time. The town has lots of tree-shaded cafรฉs and another very characterful market area. A late-afternoon flight eventually delivers us back to Addis for the night
  • Day 5 Flight To Mekele And Explore The City
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Flight To Mekele And Explore The City

      • We take a morning flight from Addis to Mekele and check in to a comfortable base for two nights. This is the capital of the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia and the gateway for our upcoming adventures. We shall visit Yohannes IVโ€™s castle complex and its well-appointed museum in this very attractive and pleasant city and take in the eye-catching local landmark, the TPLF monument. Weโ€™ll take some time off in the afternoon before a good dinner, preparing ourselves for a very early departure by road the next morning
  • Day 6 Extraordinary Trip Into The Danakil Desert
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Extraordinary Trip Into The Danakil Desert

      • Our early morning drive takes us to the place where the Afar workers mine the salt that is sent all over the country. They break the salt from the ground, cutting it into rectangular pieces, and load it onto camels. Then we drive on to Dallol and visit amazing landscapes in the Danakil Desert formed by volcanic activity. Dallol, at 116 metres below sea level, is one of the lowest and hottest places on earth with colourful landscapes and bubbling chemical springs. A day of memorable, extraordinary sights ends back in Mekele once again. 
  • Day 7 The Ancient Rock-Hewn Churches Of Wukro
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      The Ancient Rock-Hewn Churches Of Wukro

      • We use expert local guides for these three days, first driving from Mekele to our base in Wukro to visit one of the most important churches in this area, the church of Wukro Chirkos. After a lunch break in Wukro town, we visit an excellent, new archaeological museum before going to visit a yet more magnificent church, Abreha we Atsbeha, before spending the night in a small but very comfortable hotel in the centre of town..
  • Day 8 More Exploration Of Ancient Churches - Hawzen
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      More Exploration Of Ancient Churches - Hawzen

      • After breakfast we transfer to the peaceful village of Hawzen and a very welcoming and well-appointed hotel. We have another two church visits here, the church of Giorgis Maikado in the morning and then a beautiful hourโ€™s walk along a picturesque valley to the church of Maryam Papasetti in the afternoon. We return to our hotel for dinner and sleep.
  • Day 9 Dizzying Debre Damo, The Temple Of Yeha, And On To The Ancient City Of Axum
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Dizzying Debre Damo, The Temple Of Yeha, And On To The Ancient City Of Axum

      • We are off to Axum today, driving through wonderful, dramatic countryside and calling in at Debre Damo, perhaps the most famous โ€˜challengeโ€™ in Ethiopia. The monastery church here sits high on the vertical amba rock with only a rope to get up there. Women arenโ€™t allowed to climb up and men are unlikely to want to (although the option is there!). But it has to be seen and we shall certainly find some local youth willing to demonstrate the vertiginous climb. 
      • We take a lunch break before moving towards Yeha village to visit the impressively restored Yeha temple. Our night is spent in Axum in preparation for our flight to Lalibela the next morning.
  • Day 10 Flight To Lalibela For The Climax Of The Tour
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Flight To Lalibela For The Climax Of The Tour

      PLEASE NOTE: ONCE A YEAR, IN EARLY JANUARY, OUR TOUR IS CAREFULLY PLANNED TO COINCIDE WITH THE SPECTACULAR EPIPHANY FESTIVAL CALLED โ€™TIMKATโ€™ IN ETHIOPIA. THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST RELIGIOUS SPECTACLES IN THE WORLD AND OUR TOUR ITINERARY WILL BE FLEXED AS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO CATCH THE COLOURFUL PROCESSIONS AND CELEBRATIONS. GET IN TOUCH FOR DETAILS.


      • After a late morning flight to Lalibela, a prompt check-in to our quiet and comfortable hotel and a restoring lunch, we set off on a short drive out of town to visit the large cave-church of Nakute Lab. Built shortly later than the main churches in the centre of Lalibela, the church was named after a nephew of King Lalibela and is tucked inside an amazing overhang of rock in the side of a mountain. We may well have time for a coffee ceremony in a local house on the way back into town before preparing ourselves for a good dinner.
  • Day 11 A Mule Ride, A Hike Or Just A Vehicle Trip Up To Asheton Mariam Monastery
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      A Mule Ride, A Hike Or Just A Vehicle Trip Up To Asheton Mariam Monastery

      • After a relaxed start to the day, we have a very special experience to offer, the lofty monastery of Asheton Mariam which dominates the skyline over the town. We shall perhaps do the ascent on mule-back, or in a tuk-tuk (known as a โ€™bajajโ€™ in Ethiopia) or just by car (you can choose!) although the final short section has to be done on foot to get to the lofty rock-hewn monastery. Unparalleled views can be enjoyed in perfect peace before the return journey. Lunch and downtime will follow, after which you can either explore this mountain town on your own or come with us on a school visit. Lots of choices.
  • Day 12 The Greatest Axumite Church In Ethiopia!
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      The Greatest Axumite Church In Ethiopia!

      • Today we shall equip ourselves with plenty of refreshments as we drive 42km out into the beautiful countryside surrounding this extraordinary town. We are paying a visit to the most treasured of all the ancient churches in Ethiopia, called Yemrihane Kristos (the Forgiveness of Christ), a model of classic Axumite architecture dating back to a century before King Lalibelaโ€™s churches (11th century). A long but gentle staircase leads us up to this memorable site with its decorated stone walls hidden from view in another huge low cave. We shall find ourselves an appealing picnic site for lunch before we start back to the town itself. Our evening meal will be taken at what we suggest may be the most extraordinary restaurant that you may ever have experienced with an almost 360-degree vista of the Lasta Mountains. 
  • Day 13 Flight Back To Addis Ababa For Shopping And Sheraton
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Flight Back To Addis Ababa For Shopping And Sheraton

      • We shall have a little free time in Lalibela to explore further or just to relax prior to our domestic flight back to Addis Ababa and our eventual flight home. We shall find time for a little souvenir shopping if wished and a brief visit to enjoy the beautiful gardens of the Sheraton Hotel. A final farewell dinner together in a good restaurant and a flight back to the UK or wherever you started out.
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Experience Style

Experience Style

Mixed

There will be challenging activities such as hiking, biking, canyoning and trekking, but youโ€™re also going to have other means of transportation and relaxed moments to just chill.

Accomodation level

Accomodation level

Medium

This accommodation includes essential services like a hot shower, electricity, and a nice and comfy bed.

Experience Type

Experience Type

Small Group

Youโ€™ll be accompanied by a small group of travelers just like you.

Physical Rating

Physical Rating

Basic

Almost everyone is fit for these activities. Every hike or physical exercise last less than 30 minutes, such as paragliding and horseback riding. Please ask about specific conditions.

Age range

Age range

Min: 6 / Max: 90

Age range allowed for this experience.

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