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.
Depending on your arrival time it is possible to arrange sightseeing in Addis Ababa with a national guide and this includes;

A visit to the National Archaeological Museum; ranks among the most important museums in sub-Sahara Africa. It housed the 3.5 million-year-old bones of Lucy. Lucy is believed to be the ancestor of all Humankind. It has lots of ancient exhibits that reflect the importance of Ethiopia as the „Cradle of Mankind‟. Its historic room features finery worn in the wars, such as crowns, weapons, and pictures of wartime heroes and kings. Lunch can be served at the gate of the Museum – the famous Lucy gazebo restaurant, have both local and international dishes.

Following a hearty breakfast at your hotel, transfer to the airport for your 1hr & 10min flight to Gondar. On your arrival at Gondar airport, met by our spacious vehicles and drive to the
magnificent Simien Mts National Park via Gondar. Road/ Surface transfer 110kms/2hrs.

The Simien Mts. dramatic topography resulted from volcanic activity, Ascribed as a world natural heritage site, graced by exceptional botanical phenomena and a zoo of wildlife Walia Ibex, Red fox, and Chilada/ bleeding heart Baboons are few to the 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 driving 110kms/2hrs. Enjoy the scenic view & real countryside feeling 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.

Today leave for Bahir dar city by a drive which is 185 km/3hrs away. Bahir Dar is one of the best well-planned cities in Ethiopia. Bahir Dar means “by the side of the sea”.

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

Following your breakfast set off to the alluring Blue Nile Falls, locally known as Tissisat (smoking water) 100m (328 ft) wide, the water plunges for 45m (148 ft); it is about 35km /45min drive from the town and depending on the fluctuations at the nearby dam, may give rise to steam clouds and rainbows. Climb down to the base of the falls for an up-close look and then ascend the other side;
the round trip will take about 1 hour of walking. One can cross the Blue Nile by boat to return to the point of departure. Then return back to the city and could possibly have the city tour after lunch.
This includes Agelgil Market & Bazawit Hill Top which offers a spectacular view of the surrounding, the city, the islands of Lake Tana, and the Blue Nile leaving the lake. With some luck hippopotamus colonies can be seen at the bottom. There is the palace of Emperor Hailesillasie built in the 1960s which you could see from the outside.
In the evening you can enjoy the sunset mood. For dinner, you will visit an Ethiopian family and get to know the traditional cuisine of Ethiopia. Learn about Ethiopian culinary, you'll experience how to make injera, Shiro and other vegetarian options & dine. To the people of Ethiopia, Injera is the staple food, eaten with every meal of the day. Injera is a pancake (tasted a bit sour) shaped product mostly made from teff, although other grain products, like maize are sometimes also used.
Injera is eaten with hands, by picking up meat or vegetables first and then dipping and soaking it in sauce of gravy. Teff is a gluten free grain, grown in the highlands of Ethiopia.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner are included

After breakfast, you drive 310kms/5-6hrs 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.
The eleven rock churches, thought to be at least 200 years old, are divided into two groups and are visited by foot. The steps are uneven and walking around can require a little agility.
After the decline of the Axumite Empire, lamenting their lost grandeur, Ethiopia's rulers retreated with their Christian subjects to the lofty escarpment of the central uplands. There, protected by mountain battlements more formidable than anything the hand of man could fashion, they were able to repel an increasingly expansionist and militant Islamic army by trapping and confusing their enemies in the precipitous maze of valleys that intersects the high plateau. Inevitably, a fortress mentality took root: an intense suspicion of the motives of strangers, a hatred of intrusion and interference, and protective secrecy. From roughly the seventh to the 16th century AD, the Ethiopians were encompassed by the enemies of their religion, and were described by the British historian Edward Gibbon as having "slept for near a thousand years, forgetful of the world by whom they were forgotten". It is true, moreover, that in holding back those who sought to destroy their faith, the highlanders also effectively cut themselves off the evolving mainstream of Christian culture. However, this is the only sense in which they slept. Their unique, idiosyncratic civilization was otherwise very much awake, a singular and spirited affirmation of the creative power of the human intellect.

Today visit the cave church of Yimrehane Kirstos, 40kms 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 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 sing 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 respond in a piercing chorus of ululations. Then return back to the town.
Visit the second group of the 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.
You can also visit the Markets in Lalibela see the colourful and variety of offers. Very intense and enlightening experience or participate in tree planting.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner are included

Today, transfer to Lalibela Airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa. Spend the rest of the day at leisure or go shopping or more sightseeing in Addis.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner are included

Visit to the Entoto Hills – 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.

later Transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Many thanks & have a safe flight.