Description

Day 1 Addis Abeba

On arrival in Addis Abeba, after clearing customs and immigration, you will be met by a representative and taken to your hotel and after you check in you will visit the national museum.

Overnight--In jupiter hotel or similar hotel

Day 2 city tour in Addis Abeba

On this day, you go with your guide on a full day city tour around the third highest capital in the world: Addis Abeba. You will visit the panoramic view of Addis from mount Entoto, Ethnological museum-located in the former Emperor Hailesilase’s palace, and also the interesting orthodox church of the holy Trinity, whose dome is a prominent landmark in the city. In the afternoon you will go to the largest open air market in east Africa which is merkato where you can see the recycling area, the spice market and others. On this evening you will have a local cultural dinner in one of Ethiopian traditional restaurant, to let you taste the staple food of Ethiopians injera and wot, a yeastly bread with spicy meat sauce.

Overnight---same hotel

Day 3 Addis Abeba

On this day you will be taken to the place where you will attend the Ethiopian great run, which would be the best experience to run in a country famous for long distance running. It is totally 10 km that you will cover being with the crowd of 35000 attendants and among famous Ethiopia runners, big fun and good opportunity to be mixed with the local people. In the afternoon it would be a leisure time by your own

Overnight----same hotel

Day 4 Drive to Bahir Dar 560km approx.10hrs

This morning you leave to Bahir Dar en route you enjoy the landscape and topography of the countryside. In our way we will have a stop to visit a monastery of Ethiopian orthodox church named Debre libanos where you will see and be briefed about the monastic life there.

Overnight----tana hotel or similar hotel

Day 5 Bahir Dar city tour

On this day we will head to make a boat trip on lake Tana which is the largest lake in the country. The islands and peninsulas of Lake Tana host more than 20 monastic churches, many of them founded in the 14th century. Here we will visit the ura kidane mihret monastery located on the forested zege peninsula which is the most decorated with very impressive Ethiopian paintings. In the afternoon ,we will enjoy the blue nile falls, located about 32 km from Bahir Dar and it will take us approximately an hour and half , then we cross the river by small boat and we will have 20 minute walk along on uneven path to the falls. Known locally Tis abay and once it was one of Africa’s most spectacular falls, today they have unfortunately been drastically demised due to the completion of a Haydro electric power plant that diverts 95% of the water. However it makes an enjoyable half day excursion from Bahir Dar.

Overnight – tana hotel or similar hotel

Day 6 Bahir Dar to Gonder 180km approx. 3 hours and half drive

This morning we leave to Gonder which will take us about 3 hours and half without breaks on the recently paved road and you will be able to experience the countryside away from the towns and historical sites. After you check in to your hotel, you go out for city tour in Gonder which was once a capital city in the history of Ethiopia. You will visit the royal enclosure a walled compound that dominates the city center, its highest enclosure walls containing six castles and a myriad of tunnels and raised walk ways, the royal archive building, the lions’ cage and many others. Next we drive 2 km from the center to visit the Fasiledas’ pool, a 2800 sqm pond, reputedly used by the emperor for bathing, and also we will visit the famous Debre Birhan Silasse church with its wonderful interior paintings.

Overnight ---taye belay hotel or similar hotel

Day 7 Gonder to Debark 104 km approx. 1 hour and half drive

This day we leave to Debark which is a very small town located on 2800 meter high. This town is the hub to the simian mountains national park, the hotels and services in this town are very basic but this is the place to access the park.

On the way to debark you may have stop to visit the Fellasha village where the Felasha Jews used to inhabit before 1980s and they are thought to have come in to Ethiopia 3000 years ago at the time of king Solomon, but their history is shroud in mystery. Although most of the Ethiopian Jews left for Israel during the wars and famines of the 1980s & 90s, there are still few remnants of their culture left. Once you check in to your hotel you leave to the national park which is about 25km away from Debark.

The park is home to Lammergeyer vultures, gelada baboons and bushbuck, the scenery in the simiens is truly breathtaking. This afternoon, you stretch your legs with a short introductory walk through the high simiens to chinkuanit enjoying sensational views from the escarpment to the valleys below and to have acclimatized ourselves for the next whole day stay in the park. Late afternoon we drive back to our hotel in time for a cold drink and the night.

Overnight---sona hotel or similar

Day 8 Simien Mountains National Park

Spend the day trekking with your local guide in the spectacular simiens national park. The length of the trek is flexible dependent on your fitness and your guide will discuss this with you up on arrival. You may decide on a 2-3 hours walk around the sankaber region of the national park, or take a longer full day walk with a picnic lunch- it is on your decision. Tracing the edge of escarpment, the views are simply breathtaking and with any luck you will get to see the gelada baboons which are endemic to the region, different birds like thick billed raven, the wattle ibis and some other animals. We will also see varieties of plants and seasonal flowers.

Overnight---same hotel

Day 9 Debark to Axum approx. 8hours drive

This morning having your breakfast you leave to Axum through the most scenic route in Ethiopia the view of Simien Mountains behind the park is very interesting and for sure the drive is something which gives you the best experience of the topography of the country. On the way you may have stops for photograph, stretching and to meet and visit local peoples.

Overnight--- yeha hotel or similar

Day 10 Axum city Tour

Spend the day around Axum exploring the huge monoliths (stele), ruined castles, palaces and churches that serve as reminders of the city’s former glory. The extraordinary stele fields were built as grave markers to local rulers. You will visit king Remhai’s tomb, underground vaults made from huge granite blocks joined together by metal pins is another extraordinary feat of engineering, king Ezana’s inscription, tomb of king Kaleb and his son king Gebremeskel. Other things to see is Mai shum, a reservoir near the stele field, the cathedral of Tsion Maryam, Ethiopia’s first church, and the city museum.

Overnight – same hotel

Day 11 flight to Lalibela

On this day we will leave to Lalibela which was once a capital city in the 12th century. After you check in to your hotel, you leave to explore the first set of extraordinary rock hewn churches of Lalibela with your guide. Lying in the rugged lasta mountains, ‘Africa’s Petra’- as lalibela is sometimes referred to – is still a place of pilgrimage and undoubtedly one of the greatest historical sights of the African continent. Famous for its rock cut churches such as St. George, many of these incredible buildings are cut into the rock and entirely freed from it, leaving openly standing structures carved up to 15 meter below ground level. Virtually unknown outside Ethiopia for centuries but they are undoubtedly better known ‘wonders of the world’. After lunch we will continue visiting the second church clusters in lalibela .

**note—if the day you are there is Saturday, you will attend the market, most interesting market of the north.

Overnight panoramic view hotel or similar hotel

Day 12 Lalibela

Today continue exploring lalibea and enjoy an excursion by foot or by mule to the church of Asheten Mariam. Sitting on top of a mountain at an altitude of 3150 meter, the local priests believed here they were ‘closer to Heaven and God’. The journey up takes you through some wonderful countryside and the views at the top are fantastic. Later on, there will be a chance to participate in a traditional coffee ceremony at a local coffee house

Overnight same hotel as previous night

Day 13 flight back to Addis Abeba

We fly back to Addis and after we check in we will have lunch in one of the popular restaurants, the afternoon would be a time for shopping and in the evening we will have a farewell dinner and that would be the end of our program in the evening.