Welcome to Addis Ababa.

Addis Ababa “New Flower” is the third highest capital in the world. It is located at 3,000m above sea level which offers bracing temperatures and plenty of fresh highland air. Addis Ababa is a pleasant city with interesting museums and one of the largest open-air markets in Africa, “Mercato”.

Addis Ababa is Africa‟s diplomatic capital with headquarters for the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations Economic Commissions for Africa.

On your arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, after clearing immigration and customs welcome by Absolute Ethiopia Tours staff and get transferred to your hotel.

In early morning, transfer to Addis Ababa (Bole) int. airport for your flight to Bahir Dar (1hr flight).
Bahir Dar is the capital of the Amhara region situated on the shores of Lake Tana, the largest lake in the country. Bahir Dar is one of the best well-planned cities in Ethiopia. Bahir Dar means “by the side of the sea”.

After check into your hotel go for the alluring Blue Nile Falls, “Tissisat” (smoking water), a spectacular view of Bezawit hill top, & the open air market of Bahir Dar to meet up with locals.

Following lunch, explore the 12th-14th century treasured Monasteries of Lake Tana by a cruise, round, grass roofed of the Zeghie Peninsula,, witness the Ethiopia's links with the ancient world by the papyrus Tankwa that sail the lake bear a striking resemblance to the boats of Ancient Egypt.

The Simien Mts. dramatic topography resulted from the volcanic activity, Ascribed it as the world natural heritage site, graced by exceptional botanical phenomena and a zoo of wild life Walia Ibex, Red fox, and Chilada/ bleeding heart Baboons are few to site.

Visit Sankaber the first camp sight of the Simien Mts. Here you will find one of the most spectacular mountain scenery in Ethiopia. Stop to watch Ghelada Baboons and observe their foraging habits, and take a short walk to a waterfall (the ground here is uneven).

Today you will return back to Gondar by drive 110kms/2hrs. Enjoy the scenic view & real country
side feeing on your way.
Gondar “the Camelot of Africa,” is the medieval royal city, distinguished by its castles and imperial compound and by its churches, particularly Debre Berhan Selassie, the walls and ceiling of which are completely covered in murals - the angels‟ faces on the ceiling have become a common motif in Ethiopian design.
On your way to Gondar visit Project Ploughshare Women‟s Crafts Training Centre - Located 5km from Gondar, this centre is focussed on helping disadvantaged women rekindle local pottery traditions, along with Amhara weaving and basketry. Founded in 1993, the aim of the project is to help single mothers who have lost their husbands as a result of HIV/Aids, war, natural disasters or divorce. With an average of 4 to 5 children to support, the proceeds of the products which are sold
to the local community and tourists are a vital source of income.

After breakfast you will drive to the small town of Lalibela, which is home to one of the world's most astounding sacred sites, comprising eleven medieval rock-hewn churches, each carved entirely out of a single piece of stone.

Lalibela, the „New Jerusalem‟, was built by King Lalibela „with the help of angels‟ in the 12th century, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its eleven rock-hewn churches. Perched among wild craggy mountains and vast rocky escarpments, there is a stark cathedral-like grandeur to Lalibela. The houses of Lalibela are of a design unlike anywhere else in Ethiopia, two-story circular stone constructs that huddle in an amorphous mass over the steep slopes on which the town is built.

The rock-hewn churches are large and several are more than ten meters high. Because they are carved below ground level, they are ringed by trenches and courtyards, the sides of which are cut into stone graves and hermit cells, and connected to each other by a tangled maze of tunnels and passages.

Today visit the cave church of Yimrehane Kirstos, 40 km from the city, built by the king of the same name before the reign of King Lalibela. The church is constructed inside a cave, in Axumite style, similar to the church at Debre Damo, with alternating levels of wood and stone. If the day meets, attend the yearly celebration of King & Saint Yimrehane Kirstos which is attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over Ethiopia, making it one of the most joyous annual pilgrimages in Lalibela. It is celebrated with greater devotion, the congregation wrapped in white shawls singing with joy along with the priests‟ one after the other and among the swaying choir the priests chanting, dancing, and singing around the church letting out a deep boom of the drums and female‟s voice responds in a piercing chorus of ululations. Then return back to the town.

Visit the second group of rock churches. The south-east cluster of churches is more irregular in design than the north-western cluster. Several of the individual churches in this cluster are thought to have been secular in origin, and some predate the reign of King Lalibela by five centuries. The churches in the south-east cluster include Bet Gebriel-Rafael, Bet Abba Libanos, Bet Lehem, Bet Emanuel, and Bet Mercurios. According to legend, Bet Abba Libanos was built overnight by Lalibela's wife, Meskel Kebre, who was assisted by a group of angels.

The Ari people of Ethiopia are said to be one of the most culturally and economically dominant groups in the Omo Valley. They currently live in a clan structure, but actually used to live independently until the late 19th century when they were conquered and unified as part of the
Ethiopian empire. Their territories are divided into nine independent units, each with its own leader and a traditional spiritual leader known as Babi.

Like most other Omo Valley Tribes, Ari men are allowed to marry as many women as they want as long as they can provide for their families. However, this practice is becoming relegated as the Ari people embrace Christianity and polygamy becomes less common. Today, most Ari men have only one wife.
The people are friendly and will often invite you into the villages where you can witness some of their traditional lifestyle activities. Some Ari villages are quite large and contain several streets.
Their buildings range from the typical bamboo and straw huts to more substantial structures made from mud and wattle. Cooking and sleeping are all done inside the house.

Mago National Park, one of Africa‟s vast wildernesses, was founded in the 1960s and it encloses dense acacia forests and open savannah. Drive to visit the Mursi villages; they go in for body scarification and among the women the wearing of lip plates. They are known for fierce warrior disposition and wildly decorative appearance, with large circular clay labrets that the women wear in the lower lip.

Turmi is a place for the Hamer tribes, visit the Hamer village they are a fine looking people, both men and women take great pride in their appearance, shaving and coloring their hair, oiling their bodies and decorating themselves with beads and bracelets worn around arms and legs. They are famous for their body decoration, moonlight dance (Evangedi Dance) and bull-jumping. Bull jumping marks the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. It is not a done every day.

Following your early breakfast and holding your picnic lunch; today drive and cross the Omo River to visit the Bumi tribe on the Side of the Omo Valley. The Bumis are great warriors. They are also specialized crocodile hunters using harpoons from a dugout canoe. Cross back to the Omo River and drive to the village of Kolcho and visit the Karo tribes. They are considered the masters of body painting, in which they engage when preparing for a dance, feast or celebration. Finally drive back to Turmi.

Say hello to the beautiful women of Arbore tribe with their black veils, but are half nude and head shaved, so the contrast is really amazing. Arbore / Erbore, is far more rustic and unaffected than many similarly size towns in south Omo, in common with their linguistically and culturally affiliated Tsemai neighbors, the Arbore migrated to their present homeland from Konso perhaps two centuries ago. Because they have ancestral and cultural links to Konso and the pastoralists of the surrounding lowlands, the Arbore traditionally played an important role as middlemen in trade between the Omo River and the Konso Highlands. The town of Arbore lies in an area where several tribal boundaries coverage.
Continue to Konso and following lunch visit Konso Cultural Community. The rolling hills of Ethiopia‟s Southern Rift Valley, dotted with bright green moringa trees and quaint thatched huts, are home to the Konso people – traditional farmers who cultivate cereals and cotton and rear cows and goats.
The vast and majestic landscape provides a stunning backdrop for the unique Konso culture.
Konso villages, known as kantas, are built into the hillsides and encircled with stone walls for protection. The winding paths that weave through the village all lead to the mora, a large, thatched pavilion that acts as a special meeting place for the people of the surrounding villages. At night the young, unmarried men sleep here to protect the community and learn about life.
The Konso culture has much to offer visitors. From cultural performances to handcraft demonstrations, visitors can learn about the traditions of the Konso people and the important roles these traditions still play in their lives. And finally, drive to Arba Minch.

Following the breakfast, detour visit the home of the Dorze people at Chencha, 40 km from the city.
The Dorze are renowned cotton weavers whose tall beehive-shaped dwellings are among the most distinctive traditional structures to be seen anywhere in Africa. The main occupations of the region are subsistence farming and weaving. The Shama cloth produced around Chencha is regarded to be the finest in Ethiopia: Plain white Gabbi robes and brightly colored scarf-like Netalas are sold along the roadside. Explore the local Dorze market decorated with many colors. Then transfer to Arba Minch airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa.

Tonight you will have a wonderful cultural evening at one of Addis Ababa Restaurants; Ethiopia is a mosaic of people with more than 80 languages, different lifestyles, costumes, and cultural dances.

Visit the Entoto Hills – the best introduction place to Addis Ababa. Mt. Entoto is the highest peak in Addis Ababa reaching 3,200 meters above sea level, giving the opportunity to catch stunning views over the city and the surrounding area from the summit.

It is the first settlement in Addis Ababa where Emperor Menelik II resided and built his palace in 1887. It is a historical place that offers a unique glimpse into the history of Ethiopia‟s distinct

culture. The compound at the peak hosts the Entoto Mariam church, an Ethiopian artifact museum as well as Menelik II palace.