Ethiopia holidays - 14 Days

Duration

14 Days 13 Nights

Tour Type

Specific Tour

Group Size

Unlimited

Languages

Amharic, English

Description

Ethiopia doesn’t feature on any standard tourist trail, but this country is ideal for exploring. This Ethiopia holiday is tailor made, and introduces you to the natural beauty, rich culture, long history and friendly people of this country. Visit Ethiopia’s diverse historical attractions, from the monuments, museums and markets of Addis Ababa to the ancient capital of Gonder and the iconic rock churches at Lalibela. Ethiopia’s beautiful, natural landscape is home to endemic wildlife only found here and trekking at the Simien Mountain National Park brings you closer to the spectacular scenery.
This 14-day itinerary includes domestic flights, to reduce travel times and help you reach key sights easily. Accommodation is in locally owned hotels, with camping in the Simien Mountains and Chenek. You will have a tour leader throughout with local guides at specific sites. This is a time-efficient and cost-effective package, with great levels of service, so you can explore Ethiopia with ease in just two weeks
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Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival at Addis Ababa and city tour

At Addis, the different historical monuments, museums and mausoleums; churches; Merkato (the largest open air market); first palace of Haile Selassie I inside Addis Ababa University; the Selassie Cathedral which places the Emperor’s body; buried in the year 2000 the national museum etc will be your interest showing you Ethiopian lifestyles.
Day 2

Fly to Bahirdar

Bahirdar is as pleasant as you’ll find for relaxing and viewing the lake, and the weather is probably the best in Ethiopia. In the morning, you will drive to and marvel the spectacular Blue Nile falls feeling the water showers like rain and listening to its tremendous roar. Mango Park is the best place to view pelicans and enjoy sitting by the shores of the Lake. A boat trip to Zege, the main tourist attraction in the region, and to the monasteries merit a good half day. Ura-Kidane Mihret is the largest and most impressive monastery on the peninsula, while nearby Azwa Maryam is situated near one of the prettiest and most secluded inlets in the area. You will enjoy great calmness if you stop in at the museums at Azwa, Ura or Mehal Zege; you get an impression of just how far back Christianity goes in this region
Day 3

Drive to Gonder

The Ethiopian medieval capital boasts with its large royal enclosure containing grand castles, palaces, houses and outbuildings. You will visit King Fasiladas’s palace, the oldest and perhaps most Impressive of the castles. Beside the castle are various ruined buildings including the remains of a bathing pool, a chancellery and a library of Fasiladas’s son Yohannes I. You will visit Debre Birhan-Selassie, one of the country’s most famous churches that lie 2km to the north east of Gonder.
Day 4

Drive to Simien Mountains

Sankaber campsite is located approximately 38km North East of Debark town in the Simien Mountain range at an altitude 3300asl and mean annual temperature 10.4c. It comprises the scenic mountains ranges and it is impressive escarpment both in the north and the south faces of the camping site. The trek crosses through beautiful scenery of natural vegetation; varying with altitude beginning with high forest at lower altitudes in the escarpment and extending to the high plateau touched Afro Montana evergreen bush land and thicket. There is also wildlife like the Gelada baboon and klipspringer. And birds such as such as Wattled ibis, Black kite, and White collard pigeon, and many more.
Day 5

Drive/trek to Chenek

The Chenek campsite is located approximately 58km north east of debark town in the Simien mountains range at an altitude of 3600m asl and mean annual temperature 8.8c. It is extremely spectacular containing the scenic mountains range, impressive escarpment super view points and mountains submit and varieties of plant and animal species. Visitors have more chance to see the endemic mammals Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf, and Gelada baboon. Klipspringer and common Jackal are also common for this campsite.
Day 6

Drive back to Gonder

Day 7

Fly and visit Axum

Axum is a place where a high civilization had risen several centuries before the birth of Christ. The astonishing steles strike you for their huge size, their incredible almost pristine preservation and their curiously modern look sculpted from single pieces of granite to look like multistoried buildings. Though the stone is famously hard, Axum’s masons worked it superbly often following a set design.
Day 8

Excursion visits to Yeha and Churches near by Axum

Day 9

Fly and visit Lalibela

 Lalibela rock churches are incredible and astonishing attractions. Rock hewn monolithic, semi monolithic, and cave churches; they are witnessed to undoubtedly rank among the greatest historical sites not only on the African continent, but also in the Christian world. Many are not carved into the rock, but freed entirely from it. The buildings are refined and many are within such a very short distance of one another.
Day 10

Lalibela excursions

 Excursion visits of the monasteries that are found out of town.
Day 11

Fly back to Addis

Transfer to the airport
Day 12

Fly to Dire Dawa - Harer

Harar is also special for its old town within the sturdy wall built between the 13th and 16th centuries. It is a city with a rich and wonderful history; famous architecture; a friendly people who really knows how to roll out a red carpet. At the evening, you will visit the ‘Hyena Man’ at one of the gates of Harar. You will also visit the house of Arthur Rimbaud (a French poet and arms dealer) and the ancient mosque of Abu Beker.
Day 13

Fly back to Addis

Visit Merkato, the largest open air market in Africa.
Day 14

Departure

Transfer to the airport.

Departure Information

This trip can be tailor made at a time to suit you and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary. Minimum 2 people

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