Colorful Ethiopia Tour
If you are seeking an extraordinary trip and away from the tourist trap, great photographic opportunity and cultural enlightenment then this trip is for you! This Ethiopian adventure takes you on a cultural high, exploring some of the most remote areas of Ethiopia where some of the most colorful and ...
Read Full Description- Destination:
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Ethiopia; Jinka, Ethiopia
- Trip Length:
- 8 days
- Price Range:
- From $2000 to $3000 per person See what this includes and what this excludes
- Best Time to Go:
- Any time.
- Recommended for:
-
15 - 17, 18 - 20, 25 - 30, 31 - 35, 36 - 40, 41 - 50, 51 - 55
Family Trip, Group Retreat, Trip Around the World
Detailed Trip Description
If you are seeking an extraordinary trip and away from the tourist trap, great photographic opportunity and cultural enlightenment then this trip is for you! This Ethiopian adventure takes you on a cultural high, exploring some of the most remote areas of Ethiopia where some of the most colorful and beautiful tribes of the world live. The Mursi, with their decorative lip plates, the Gheleb in their amazing hair decorations, the Ari, the Bena and several other tribes are covered on this trip. Accommodation is varied on this trip and most accommodation is 2 to 4 star. The accommodation may be at lodges or hotels. Most of the trip is in 4x4 vehicles, very little walking is involved and children are welcome. However, the car journeys are quite long on dusty, unpaved roads. Be prepared for poor road conditions and delays but it is all worth it. (Saturday arrival preferred because of domestic Ethiopian Airline schedule – there are no daily flights from Addis Ababa to some of the areas you will be visiting)
Trip Itinerary
Day 1 - Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa - Hilton Hotel.
Airport Transfer
On arrival in Addis Ababa (Friday arrival is recommended if you want to meet up with the market day at Turmi) you will be met by To Africa Tours & Safaris representative and transferred to Hilton Hotel.
Sightseeing
In the afternoon we will take you on a city tour. Addis Ababa in Amharic language means 'New Flower'. Founded by Emperor Menelik in 1887, Addis is the capital city with a population of 4.5 million people. We will drive through the Mercato, the largest open market in the continent, and then proceed to the National Museum where 'Lucy', the 3.5million year old hominid, resides. Next is the Ethnological Museum which exhibits the culture and arts of the Ethiopian ethnic groups. A selection will be made from interesting churches that may be visited: Ba'ata Church on the grounds of the Imperial Palace of Menelik II; Trinity Cathedral, built to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italy; or St. George Cathedral which houses a large collection of religious paintings, books, parchments, crosses and work of the great Ethiopian artist, Afework Tekle. Return to hotel after the city tour.
Hotel
Overnight at Hilton Hotel on bed and breakfast basis.
Day 2 - Jinka
Addis Ababa - Jinka - Goh Hotel.
Commercial Flight
Today after breakfast, we fly to Jinka.
Sightseeing
After a traditional lunch visit the Ari and Bena tribes. Saturdays for Jinka and the neighboring town, Dimeka, are market days and the towns turn into lively places, attracting people from all around the region. Accommodation is in a very basic yet clean hotel but what else can one expect in an area which is largely untouched by the developments of the modern world. Go with the flow of the life in the town and enjoy the local hospitality.
Hotel
Overnight at Goh hotel.
Day 3 - Ethiopia
Mago National Park - Murulle Lodge.
Rafting
After breakfast, we drive to Mago National Park, sitting on the eastern bank of the Omo River. Rising in the highlands south-west of Addis Ababa, the Omo River charts its course southwards for almost 1000kms (620miles) but never reaches the sea and instead pours into Lake Turkana, East Africa's fourth largest lake. Over millions of years its flood waters have cut deep gorges into the mountains, creating exciting opportunities for white-water rafting.
National Parks
The park, together with its sister park, Omo National Park, are some of the least visited game parks in the world and what a joy it is not to see another vehicle in the vicinity. Huge herds of plain game such as buffalo, elephant and giraffe roam in this splendid wilderness with endless horizons. Lion, leopards, hyena are all here too, complementing the incredible bird life. From here we visit the Mursi highlands where the most illustrious of Ethiopia's unique tribes people live. The Mursi are known all over the world for their decorative lip plates that adorn the lower lips of the Mursi women. The plates stretch the lower lip beyond imagination and the women's beauty and desirability is determined in direct proportion to the size of the plate. You will be explained the various cultural aspects of the tribe and be able to take their photographs (not free) and interact with them. It is truly fascinating.
Hotel
After this immensely rewarding visit we will head straight for the ERVS Murulle Lodge. Within the lodge concession area is a Karo settlement. You are invited to the settlement to be an integral part in the life of this tribe whose people are content to lead a life that is so basic and so close to nature that it is the complete antithesis of the modern world. Overnight at Murulle ERVS Lodge.
Day 4 - Ethiopia
Turmi - Murulle Lodge.
Shopping
Today we enter the fascinating world of the local Hamar market in Turmi. The Hamar women are simply stunning. They wear their hair in dense ringlets smeared with mud and clarified butter and topped off with a head-dress made out of an oblong aluminum plate. Their necks and chests are adorned with string upon sting of cowrie shell and colorful beaded necklaces of varying lengths. Chunky metal wristlets and armlets, shiny nails appended to skirts, multiple earrings simple leather garments are all so a la mode. This tribe is an inspiration to all. The market is exciting too and you may have the opportunity to buy some of the tribal regalia and artifacts. On our lucky day we should be able to see a spectacle called 'cattle jumping', a ceremony that constitutes rite of passage for young men.
Hotel
Overnight at Murulle Lodge.
Day 5 - Ethiopia
Kangatan - Korcho - Murulle Lodge.
Sightseeing
Utterly compelling, the Bume and Karo tribes embody the incredible colorful culture of Ethiopia's tribes. In the absence of any modern materials, these tribes find unique age-old ways in which to express their artistic impulses. The Karo, for example, are experts at body painting, using clay and locally available vegetable pigments to trace amazing patterns on their faces, chests, arms and legs. These designs are simply for fun and aesthetic effect, as each artist vies to outdo his fellow tribesman - it is really a contest of remarkable talents and imagination. The Karo men also sculpt their hair into extravagant shapes, with their special ochre 'caps' of hair containing several ostrich feathers. To watch this tribe perform is to watch Picasso at his best!
Hotel
Overnight at Murulle Lodge.
Day 6 - Ethiopia
Arba Minch - Bekele Molla Hotel.
Sightseeing
As the dawn breaks into a beautiful day, the sleepy lodge awakens to the flavored smoke drifting from the kitchen where breakfast is prepared daily in a traditional English style. This breakfast is one of those 'must have meals'. After breakfast we depart for Omorate to visit the Gheleb tribe. The Gheleb have a decorative sense similar to the Karo tribe. After a picnic lunch we continue onwards to Konso where you will see some impressively terraced farmland and can interact with the Konso people, dressed in colorful costumes. We finally arrive at Arba Minch, 'Forty Springs' in Amharic. From here you can enjoy panaromic views of Nech Sar National Park and its bordering lakes of Chamo and Abaya.
Hotel
Overnight at Bekele Molla Hotel.
Day 7 - Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa - Hilton Hotel .
Sightseeing
After breakfast we embark on a full day's drive to Addis, visiting several Rift Valley Lakes, rich in aquatic birdlife, along the way. The drive is very scenic.
Performing Arts
Enjoy a complimentary cultural evening out.
Hotel
Overnight at Hilton.
Day 8 - Addis Ababa
Depart Addis Ababa.
Airport Transfer
Today you will be transferred to the airport for your flight.
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Meet and greet at airport. Ground transportation. All accommodation is based on double occupancy. Accommodation in Addis at Hilton Hotel. Accommodation out of Addis. Daily laundry service at ERVS Lodge. All entrance fees. Domestic airport embarkation fees. Porterage at domestic airports. Hotel porterage, in & out of Addis. City tour of Addis. 15% Government sales tax An evening out in Addis to enjoy traditional Ethiopian food & musical entertainment; transfer & guide.
Budget Excludes:International Airfares. Domestic airfare (approx. $200). Single supplement room charge. Alcoholic drinks & spirits. Laundry service except at ERVS Lodge. Day room accommodation in Addis. In Murulle: Karo body-painting & dance-on request (approx $65). Video filming and photography fees. Incidental meals, snacks and drinks. Tips and items of personal nature. Insurance. Flights and airport taxes. Ethiopian entry visa.
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