Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Africa. There is nowhere like it on the planet for wildlife, wild lands & rich traditions that endure. No other continent comes close to it for scale, variety and pure, raw impact. Prepare to fall in love.

Welcome to mystical Ethiopia – dubbed the Cradle of Humanity. Ethiopia is like nowhere else on the planet, a beautiful country blessed with a peerless history, fabulous wildlife & some of Africa's most soulful peoples. 

Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s sprawling capital in the highlands bordering the Great Rift Valley & the country’s commercial & cultural hub. 

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, subsequent to Immigration & Customs, you will be met by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel, help you settle in & also provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area as well as discuss the program for the next few days.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s sprawling capital in the highlands bordering the Great Rift Valley, is the country’s commercial & cultural hub. And yet, Addis - Africa’s fourth-largest city & its diplomatic capital - is also a traffic-choked, sprawling city of no discernible beauty which many foreign visitors try to transit as quickly as possible. Since its establishment in the 19^th century, Addis Ababa has always seemed like a magical portal, a gateway to another world.

And yet, Addis - Africa’s 4^th largest city & its diplomatic capital - is also a traffic-choked, sprawling city of no discernible beauty which many foreign visitors try to transit as quickly as possible. This urban center serves as the gateway to Ethiopia’s mythical & ancient world, and continues to earn its reputation for friendly people, delicious food & the world’s best coffee.

This urban center serves as the gateway to Ethiopia’s mythical & ancient world, and continues to earn its reputation for friendly people, delicious food, and the world’s best coffee. For the rural masses of Ethiopia it was, & is, a city whose streets are paved in gold; for a foreign visitor, the gateway of Addis Ababa is at the verge of an ancient & mystical world.

Its National Museum exhibits Ethiopian art, traditional crafts and prehistoric fossils, including replicas of the famous early hominid, "Lucy." The burial place of the 20^th century emperor Haile Selassie, copper-domed Holy Trinity Cathedral, is a neo-baroque architectural landmark.  By skipping out on the contradictions of this complex city, you run the risk of failing to understand Ethiopia altogether.

Balance of the day is at leisure for independent exploration or for optional activities (we would be happy to offer suggestions & / or make arrangements if you want to go out).

Despite its size, Addis retains a small-town feel with lively markets, donkey carts hurrying down main streets & traditional coffee shops.

Explore cool neighborhoods with iconic sites, colorful markets, museums, restaurants & discover Ethiopia’s rich religious history through it’s beautiful churches, and of course, best places to grab a cup of Ethiopia’s famous coffee.

If arrival time permits, wander in the bustling vibrant & colorful Merkato - the largest open-air market in East Africa with bright displays of fabric, handicrafts & produce from around the country - where vendors offer all manner of weird & wonderful things - vegetables, coffee, traditional clothes & handmade baskets, recycled metal goods - you name it!

With what is left of the day, we have time to visit some traditional weavers & do some final shopping.

Overnight.  D 

Early morning, you will be transferred to the Airport for the short flight to Bahir Dar.

Arrive in Bahir Dar the capital of the Amhara region, is the third largest city in Ethiopia, inhabited by the Amhara people, the country's ethnically & geographically 2^nd largest ethnic largest group.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Bahir Dar Ginbot Haya Airport,  you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel, help you settle in & also provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area as well as discuss the program for the next few days.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in & relax for an hour.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Bahir Dar is one of Ethiopia's most attractive towns & some people like to describe Bahir Dar as the Ethiopian Riviera. The moniker may sound strange, but when you pull into town & see the wide streets shaded by palm trees & sweeping views across Lake Tana’s shimmering blue waters, you will understand.

Clean & well-maintained by African city standards, it got somewhat popular with national tourists as the lake & easy climate even made it the emperor's choice for his summer residence.  In the 16^th & 17^th centuries, various temporary Ethiopian capitals were established in the vicinity of Lake Tana. It was here that the Jesuits attempted, with disastrous consequences, to impose Catholicism on the Ethiopian people. One moss-covered Jesuit building, which was built by the well-known Spanish missionary Pedro Paez, can still be seen today in the compound of St George’s monastery

Being a relatively flat city with wide streets, Bahir Dar is an excellent city for cycling, and bikes can be rented at various locations in the city. There are numerous places to play pool, enjoy draft beer in garden style bars and have fresh fruit juices and the choice from big menus in plenty of cafés and restaurants.

Bahir Dar makes a pleasant base to explore the Blue Nile falls and the island monasteries of Lake Tana.

Shortly after, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby & proceed for a visit to the Blue Nile Falls.

Smaller than Victoria Falls, but amazingly scenic, the Blue Nile Falls as James Bruce - the 18^th century Scottish traveler described it: "A magnificent sight that ages added to the greatest length of human life, would not efface or eradicate from my memory”

The Blue Nile Falls start as a gentle river flowing 5,223 km north of the Mediterranean Sea before joining the impressive falls. The waterfall itself is around 150ft high & half a mile wide, which is just spectacular to witness. Surrounded by immense natural beauty, the falls attract parrots, bee-eaters, white throated seedeaters & vervet monkeys, just to name a few. 

You will drive through the countryside to the village of Tis Abay & from there, walk to the Falls. Spend an hour there, enjoying the scenery.

If you take an optional boat trip ask the 'driver' to take you to the place where the river flows out of the lake. Here, you have a high probability of spotting hippos.

Later, embark on a boat trip on Ethiopia’s largest water body - Lake Tana (3,600 Sq. Km) to visit the island Monasteries where you can experience a great calmness.

Lake Tana is the largest lake in Ethiopia, measuring approximately 84 km long & 66 km wide, is also the source of the Blue Nile. The lake contains 37 islands but their visibility varies according to seasonal water fluctuations, which are regulated to measure inflow to the Blue Nile Falls.

The 'boatman' will also take you to the place where the river flows out of the Lake. Here, you have a high probability of spotting hippos

The islands accommodate some of the world's oldest Churches & about 20 Monasteries, which are used to store religious artifacts due to their remote location. In some of these monasteries, women are not allowed to enter. Be cautious & aware of the traditions and rules of the Ethiopian Orthodox church when you visit (but don’t worry, we are here to guide you accordingly).

Among others, the 14^th century Ura-Kidane Mihret is the largest & most impressive Monastery on the peninsula, situated near one of the prettiest & most secluded inlets in the area, which you will visit.

You will also have the opportunity to visit Azwa Mariam, Mehal Zege, Kibran Gabriel, Entos Eyesus & guess just how far back Christianity goes in this region. Christianity has a long history in Ethiopia, and the whole ancient culture, architecture & art surrounding it, is fascinating

Come back to the shore to Mango Park to sit & watch the pelicans. You will see the local boatsmen feeding the pelicans in front of the lakeside "promenade" just before sunset.

Return to the hotel.

Balance of the evening is at leisure (we would be happy to offer suggestions). Tonight, you may join the locals in one of their cultural bars to see some traditional music & dance - you may even get the chance to try out some local dances yourself.

Overnight.  B L D

Early morning, depart for Debark, the entry point for venturing to Simien Mountains, one of Africa’s most beautiful ranges.

Drive through rural villages & mountain passes with stunning vistas to reach Sankaber- the headquarters of Simien Mountains National Park.  

UNESCO World Heritage listed Simien Mountains National Park is an exotic setting with unique wildlife & breath-taking views on a landscape shaped by nature & traditional agriculture.

No matter how you look at them, the area is awesome. This massive plateau, riven with gullies & 4000m high pinnacles, offers tough but immensely rewarding trekking along the ridge that falls sheer to the plains far below. High up in the Simien Mountains, we look down on landscapes similar to those of the Grand Canyon (only greener!) - a high plateau that gives way to deep, sloping valleys. Simien Mountains are often called God's playground because of their unique formations.

Famous for its dramatic highland scenery composed of jagged peaks (or 'ambas') & gigantic pieces of rock are in fact hard cores of volcanic outlets from which the surrounding material has eroded away over the centuries - one of the most diverse characteristics of these highlands, which constitute one of the major mountain massifs in Africa.

The main attraction of the Simien Mountains National Park is its biosphere: the steep cliffs & the cool climate at the altitude of the Erica tree line (3600 - 4000m) have created conditions that are appropriate for the survival of an ibex species endemic to the Simien Mountains.

The Park is home to many endemic species, like the gelada baboon, Ethiopian wolf & wild ibex, as well as over 57 tree species & a variety of herbaceous plants, 22 large, 13 small mammals & about 180 bird species including the bearded vulture, have been recorded. Despite the severe restriction of their habitat over the last centuries, several hundred animals have survived up to the present.

It is not just the scenery (& altitude) that will leave you speechless, but also the excitement of sitting among a group of gelada baboons or watching magnificent Walya ibex joust on rock ledges.

Apart from the Walya ibex, many other animal species are found in the Park, for example the endemic Simien fox or Ethiopian wolf, several birds of prey, the endemic Gelada baboon, the Klippspringer & Menelik's bushbuck.

Immediately on arrival, drive to Chenek, a scenic spot with views of the surrounding mountains in the Debark National Park. 

Visit the western escarpments where you will encounter troops of the endemic Gelada baboons (found only in Ethiopia). They are often referred to as the bleeding heart baboon or the lion monkey. Their coat is shaggy resembling a lion whilst their chest has a marked red heart or patch.

Spend 2 hours there watching the antics of the baboons & enjoy a picnic lunch. You will enjoy watching the troops at close distances.  

Continue on to a very special traditional style Eco-lodge, with wonderful views & Check-in.

Balance of the day is at leisure.

Overnight.  B L D  

Morning, enjoy another Nature Walk in the Park.

Trekking in the National Park offers a unique combination of animals & incredible landscapes. The scenery is dramatic in the extreme, with stomach-turning cliffs dropping away & birds of prey soaring on the thermals above them. Curiously-shaped rock pinnacles pierce the horizon & waterfall-carved valleys stretch up to grassy plains spotted with palms & cacti. It’s with good reason that this region of Ethiopia is known as the Roof of Africa, as most of the hike will be at an altitude of 3,000 - 4,000 metres. The solitude in such a pristine natural environment is wonderful, especially given the endless seas of over-populated agricultural land which has taken over 95% of the country. Nature or wildlife lovers are richly rewarded for their efforts in reaching the “Roof”.

Come back to the lodge.

Balance of the day is at leisure for independent exploration.

Overnight.  B L D  

Morning, depart for Gondar.

Enroute, stop at village of Wolleka which was once home to a thriving population of Falashas (Ethiopian Jews), most were airlifted to Israel in the 1980s & today none remain. There are a few original houses with interesting artwork on their fronts & the small synagogue.

The brightly painted Star of David & the hand-painted sign proclaiming “Wolleka Falasha Jewish Village,” will come as a surprise

A few hundred Jews lived in this village for generations, until they left in the 1980s & early 90s. Some went by foot to Sudan & were airlifted to Israel during Operation Moses in 1984. Others made their way to Addis Ababa & departed from there.

After the adoption of Christianity as the state religion, Falashas had their land confiscated for refusing to convert. To survive, many became skilled craftspeople working with pottery, blacksmithing, embroidery, weaving cloth & cane baskets.

Research suggests Falashas may have provided the labour for the construction & decoration of Gonder’s castles. Sadly, the pottery for which they were once famous has mostly degenerated into half-hearted art, though the figurines & trinkets produced by the villagers do make cool souvenirs.

There are no Jews left in the village of Wolleka but its reputation as a craft center made it a natural home for a kitschy shopping stop for tourists on their way to treks in the Simien Mountains.

Interestingly, the current residents have chosen to celebrate the village’s Jewish roots rather than let them fade into history.

One family keeps the keys to the old Synagogue, a round, squat building located a 10 minute walk from the road. The turquoise Stars of David painted on the mud walls outside are starting to fade, but the interior’s intricate paint job is still preserved, a mosaic of natural paints made from red earth, ash & water.

There is also a Jewish cemetery with a Jewish Agency memorial to the Ethiopian Jews who lost their lives on the treacherous journey to Sudan. The brightly painted graves are all adorned with Stars of David.

However, there are Jews still living today in Gondar city. Most have never been to Wolleka, though they are proud that the site has retained its Jewish character.

Continue driving to Gonder - the royal & ancient capital of Ethiopia, driving through a patchwork quilt landscape of barley, tef, beans & wheat fields.

It is not what Gondar is, but what Gondar was that i so enthralling. The city lies in a bowl of hills where tall trees shelter tin-roofed stone houses, but rising above these & standing proud through the centuries, are the walls of castles bathed in blood & painted in the pomp of royalty.

Emperor Fasilidas founded Gondar as his imperial seat in 1636 & the city was both the capital & a great commercial center from the 17^th - mid 19^th century.  It was the home of many emperors & princesses who led the country from the 12^th century to the last decade of the 20^th century. It served as the capital of both the Ethiopian Empire & the subsequent Begemder Province.

The city holds the remains of several royal castles, including those in Fasil Ghebbi (the Royal Enclosure), for which Gondar has been called the "Camelot of Africa" although this description does the royal city a disservice: Camelot is legend, whereas Gonder is reality.

Surrounded by fertile land & lying at the crossroads of three major caravan routes, it is easy to understand why Emperor Fasiladas (reigned 1632 - 67) made Gondar his capital in 1636. To the southwest, lay rich sources of gold, civet, ivory & slaves, to the northeast lay Massawa & access to the Red Sea, and to the northwest, lay Sudan & Egypt.

At the time of Fasiladas’ death, Gondar’s population already exceeded 65,000 and its wealth & splendour had become legendary. Drifting through the old palaces, banqueting halls & former gardens, it is not difficult to imagine the courtly pageantry, ceremony & intrigue that went on here.

The city flourished as a capital for well over a century before infighting severely weakened the kingdom. In the 1880s what remained of Gondar was extensively looted by the Sudanese Dervishes. Despite this, & further damage sustained by British bombs during the liberation campaign of 1941, much of Gondar remains intact.

Although Gondar is fairly spread out, it is still a great place to navigate on foot. The Italian-built piazza marks the centre of town and packs in most shops and services travellers need.

Immediately on arrival in the city, first stop will be a Non-profit Women’s Project set up in 1994 by a British man to help single mothers who have no skills or means of income. Project Ploughshare Women’s Crafts Training Center is helping disadvantaged women rekindle this craft, along with traditional weaving of Amhara cloth & cane baskets. You can watch the women working Monday to Saturday and buy the high-quality pottery every day. Here, you will have the opportunity to give back, or support them by buying some of the pottery, scarves & other handicrafts that they produce to support themselves. 

Then, drive to the hotel to Check-in at the hotel & relax for a while

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Afternoon, around 02.00 pm, meet the Tour-guide & proceed for a 4 hour sightseeing of this ancient city. You will visit the various ruined buildings including the remains of a bathing pool.

First stop will be the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the imperial Castle Compound of Gondar. See the1640 Fasilides Castle - home of King Fasilides & his ‘Bath’ used today for the religious ceremony of Timkat (Epiphany). On this major festive occasion, a nearby river is diverted to fill an area the size of a small swimming pool & Worshippers plunge into the cold water in a re-enactment of the baptism of Christ in the River Jordan. 

Visit Iyasu Palace - home of Emperor Iyasu I. An earthquake & bombings by the British destroyed its once ornate & lavish interior, but the structure itself remains mostly intact & is the largest in the area; the 17^th century AD Church of Quskuam Mariam; the residence of Empress Mintwab.

Then it is on to the 17^th century Debre Birhan Selassie Church, a short distance away.

One of the country's famous churches, it seems more like a fortress than a church at first glance. This is because the local churches were once vulnerable to attacks by the Sudanese. Churches like this were once quite common in the area, but this is the only church to survive the Sudanese attacks, making it even more of a treasure. There are twelve towers guarding this church, each representing one of the twelve apostles. Marvel at the amazing intricately painted frescoes of angels on the ceiling & walls.

The tour ends & you return to the hotel.

Balance of the evening is at leisure (we would be happy to offer suggestions).

Overnight.  B L D 

Morning, you will be transferred to Terminal? - Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport for your flight to Lalibela.

Arrive in Lalibela in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia, known for its distinctive rock-cut churches dating from the 12^th & 13^th centuries.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Lalibela Airport, you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel, help you settle in & also provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area as well as discuss the program for the next few days.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

The small rural town of Lalibela with its extraordinary monolithic churches, built during the reign of 12^th century King Lalibela, is known around the world & is a pilgrimage site for Coptic Christians.   

When the King’s rivals began to increase in power, Lalibela sought the support of the powerful Ethiopian Orthodox Church by building the churches in this small town.

Lalibela is history & mystery frozen in stone, its soul alive with the rites & awe of Christianity at its most ancient & unbending. No matter what you have heard about Lalibela, no matter how many pictures you have seen of its breathtaking rock-hewn churches, nothing can prepare you for the reality of seeing it for yourself. It is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but truly a world wonder.

Spending a night vigil here during one of the big religious festivals, when white-robed pilgrims in their hundreds crowd the courtyards of the churches, is to witness Christianity in its most raw & powerful form.

With its cobblestone streets, distant views, good food & lack of cars, the town itself is a pleasant surprise.

Later in the afternoon, around 02.00 pm, meet the Tour-guide & embark on a 4 hour sightseeing tour.

King Lalibela's goal was to create a New Jerusalem for those who could not make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (and to create a sacred city to rival powerful Aksum, with its Ark of the Covenant). According to some reports, he had been to the Holy Land himself & was inspired by what he saw. But the king made no attempt to copy the churches of the Holy Land; in fact, Lalibela's sacred architecture could not be more unique.

The churches of Lalibela were not constructed - they were excavated. Each church was created by first carving out a wide trench on all four sides of the rock, then painstakingly chiseling out the interior. The largest church is 40 feet high & the labor required to complete such a task with only hammers & chisels would have been astounding.

Popular legend has it that angels came every night to pick up where the workmen had left off. One of the churches, Bet Maryam, contains a stone pillar on which King Lalibela wrote the secrets of the buildings' construction. It is covered with old cloths and only the priests may look on it.

King Lalibela's project for gaining the church's favor had two unexpected results: the creation of a holy place of unparalleled beauty & the king's conversion to a religious life. After laboring for 20 years, he abdicated his throne to become a hermit, living in a cave and eating only roots & vegetables. To this day, Ethiopian Christians regard King Lalibela as one of their greatest saints.

There are 11 UNESCO World Heritage listed churches, assembled in 3 Groups. You will visit the Western section today. Most are joined by tunnels & trenches, and & contain many old treasures: beautiful coloured frescoes, carved bas-reliefs, ancient books & processional crosses. All the churches are still in use today as a place of worship.

See Bet Giyorgis, a cross-shaped church entirely carved out of a giant rock, said to be the most finely executed & best preserved church. This is the most prominently featured church on the Lalibela postcards.

Spend some time there before returning to the hotel.

Balance of the evening is at leisure (we would be happy to offer suggestions).

Overnight.  B  L D  

Morning, meet the Tour-guide at 08.00 am & proceed for a full day 8 hour visit to the other churches.

You will visit the Northern Group today. Get up on a mule & ride to the hill top to see the 13^th century semi monolithic Church of Asheton Mariam. Getting to the top of the hill rewards you with great & unforgettable scenery of the area.

See Bet Medhane Alem - home to the Lalibela Cross & believed to be the largest monolithic church in the world, probably a copy of St Mary of Zion in Aksum. It is linked to Bet Maryam (possibly the oldest of the churches), Bet Golgotha (known for its art & said to contain the tomb of King Lalibela), the Selassie Chapel & the Tomb of Adam.

Continue on to the Eastern Group.

Amanuel (possibly the former royal chapel), Bet Merkorios (which may be a former prison), Bet Abba Libanos & Bet Gabriel-Rufael (possibly a former royal palace) are linked to a holy bakery. The best way to access this group is to enter via Bet Gabriel-Rufael, then via a dark trench next to the church you will access Bet Merkorios, Amanuel and Abba Libanos.

The churches have been in continuous use since they were built in the 12^th century. The first Europeans to see these extraordinary holy sites were Portuguese explorers in the 1520s, one of whom noted in his journal that the sights were so fantastic, he expected readers of his descriptions would accuse him of lying.

The tour comes to an end & you return to the hotel.

Balance of the evening is at leisure (we would be happy to offer suggestions).

Overnight.  B  L D 

Morning, you will be transferred to the Lalibela Airport for your flight to Aksum.

Arrive in Aksum in northern Ethiopia, known for its tall, carved obelisks, relics of the ancient Kingdom of Aksum.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Aksum Emperor Yohannes IV Airport, you will be welcomed by The Journeys Rep who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel, help you settle in & also provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area as well as discuss the program for the next few days.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in & relax for an hour.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Aksum is a riddle waiting to be solved. Did the Queen of Sheba really call the town’s dusty streets home? Does the very same Ark of the Covenant that holds Moses’ 10 Commandments reside in a small Aksum chapel? Are there still secret hordes of treasure hidden inside undiscovered tombs? And what exactly do those famous stelae signify?

It is often described as ‘the last of the great civilisations of Antiquity to be revealed to modern knowledge’. Yet even today, despite being one of the most important ancient sites in sub-Saharan Africa, Aksum has revealed only a tiny fraction of its secrets, and an exploration of its ruined tombs & palaces is sure to light a spark of excitement.

Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia. It's known for its tall, carved obelisks, relics of the ancient Kingdom of Aksum. Most are in the northern Stelae Park, including a huge fallen pillar, now in pieces. Centuries old St. Mary of Zion is a Christian church & pilgrimage site believed to have housed the biblical Ark of the Covenant. The neighboring Chapel of the Tablet is said to contain the Ark today.

The original capital of the Kingdom of Aksum or Axum, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Africa. Around 100 - 940 AD, it was a trading nation in the area of Eritrea & Northern Ethiopia & was a major player in the commercial route between the Roman Empire & ancient India. 

The Aksumite rulers facilitated trade by minting their own Aksumite currency, the state established its hegemony over the declining Kingdom of Kush & regularly entered the politics of the kingdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, eventually extending its rule over the region with the conquest of the Himyarite Kingdom. The Persian Prophet Mani regarded Axum as third of the four greatest powers of his time after Persia and Rome, with China being the fourth.

Its ancient capital, also called Aksum, was in northern part of Ethiopia & the Kingdom used the name "Ethiopia" as early as the 4^th century.

Aksum is more than just a collection of lifeless ruins, though. Proudly Tigrian, the town remains rural at heart & has a vibrancy, life & continuing national importance very rarely found at ancient sites. Pilgrims still journey here in the thousands to pay homage at its great churches and what they have no doubt is the magical Ark of the Covenant

Shortly after, meet the Tour-guide in the lobby & proceed for a full day 6 hour tour of this exciting city.

Visit Archaeological Museum of Aksum containing an impressive haul of treasure, including an unsurpassed collection of former Ethiopian rulers’ crowns and a dazzling display of gold & silver chalices, crosses, jewellery & even drums. It clearly demonstrates the immense wealth of the Church.

Continue on to the Church of St. Mary of Zion which is believed to be the last resting place of the original Ark of the Covenant

Though religions have come and gone, Aksum remains a holy city throughout. Opposite the Northern Stelae Field, in a walled compound, lies the centre of the universe for Christian Ethiopians.

A church of some form or other has stood at this spot since the very earliest days of Ethiopian Christianity & it was God himself who, descending from heaven, indicated that a church should be built here, though the original church is long gone.

The rectangular old church (men only) at the southern end of the complex is a remarkable example of traditional architecture built by the Emperor Fasiladas, the founder of Gonder, in 1665. Inside there are fine original murals, including a painting of the Nine Saints.

The huge new Church of St Mary of Zion was built in the 1960s so women had a place to worship & it displays Haile Selassie’s usual hideous taste. Still it does cut a dramatic silhouette on the skyline. Beside it, a disproportionately tall bell tower, inspired by the stelae, sprouts heavenwards.

Finally, in between the old & new churches, is the real reason for most people’s devotion: a tiny, carefully guarded chapel that houses what most Ethiopians believe is the legendary Ark of the Covenant. Don’t think you can take a peek: just one specially chosen guardian has access to the Ark. Nobody else is allowed in the chapel & foreigners aren’t even allowed to approach the fence guarding the chapel grounds because previously some foreigners tried to scale the fence & rush into the chapel! No matter what you think of the legend, there’s no denying that to be in this church compound during a major service or festival, when thousands of pilgrims pour into the city, is an experience of pure devotion & faith that that will leave you spellbound.

Move to the 6^th century palace & tombs of King Kaleb & his son, King Gebre Meskel.

Although the twin tombs’ architecture resembles the Tomb of the False Door, they show more sophistication, using irregular-shaped, self-locking stones that don’t require iron clamps. The tomb consists of one chamber & five rooms, with one boasting an exceptionally finely carved portal leading into it. Inside that room are three sarcophagi, one adorned with a cross similar to Christian crosses found on Aksumite coins. This points toward an age around the 6^th century, which, as seldom happens, corresponds with local tradition

Like Meskel’s tomb, King Kaleb’s is accessed via a long straight stairway. Inside you’ll notice the stones are larger, more angular and less precisely joined. Of those who attribute the making of the tomb to Kaleb, few accept that he was actually buried here. The common theory is that his body lies at Abba Pentalewon Monastery, where he lived after abdicating his throne. The tomb’s unfinished state fits with the theory. Local rumour has it that there’s a secret tunnel leading from here to the Red Sea.

Next, stop at Dungur Palace.

The structure at Dungur is popularly known as Queen of Sheba’s Palace, though historians think it is the mansion of a nobleman. It’s fully excavated & though in places rather clumsily restored, you can make out enough of the 44-room layout to make a visit interesting. Nobody is certain of the complex’s age, but it probably dates to around the 6^th century AD.

It has small undressed stones & walls recessed at intervals and unusually tapering with height. The well-preserved flagstone floor is thought to have belonged to a throne room. The palace also contains hidden treasure rooms, a private bathing area & a kitchen, where a large brick oven can still be seen. The stairwells suggest the existence of at least one upper storey.

Last point will be Queen of Sheba’s Bath.

Despite the colourful legends, this large reservoir wasn’t where Sheba played with her rubber duck. It was an important reservoir rather than a swimming pool or gargantuan bath. Nobody is totally sure of its age, but it’s certainly been used as a water source for millennia & its large size is even more impressive considering it is hewn out of solid rock. It is also known as Mai Shum, which translates to ‘Chief’s Water’.

The sightseeing comes to an end & you return to the hotel.

Balance of the evening is at leisure (we would be happy to offer suggestions).

Overnight.  B  L D 

Morning, you will be transferred to Aksum Emperor Yohannes IV Airport for your flight to Addis Ababa.

Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s sprawling capital in the highlands bordering the Great Rift Valley & the country’s commercial & cultural hub

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & will immediately see you off for a drive to Lake Langano in the Rift Valley.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Enroute, you will be stopping at a few interesting places.

West of Lake Langano lie the twin lakes of Abiyata & Shalla, which form part of the National Park. Identical twins these lakes are not: Shala’s 410 sq km surface sits within a collapsed volcanic caldera & depths exceed 260m in some areas, making it the deepest lake in Ethiopia, while Abiata’s highly alkaline waters rest in a shallow pan no more than 14m in depth.

Abiyata Shalla Lakes National Park in the Great Rift Valley, was created primarily for its aquatic bird life, particularly those that feed & breed on the Lakes in large numbers. Flamingoes can be seen scattered over most of its surface, especially along the windward edge where their algai food source concentrates.

Drive through the fenced land around the Abiyata & Shalla, which form part of the National Park headquarters. While attention here is focused on the water birds & some semi-tame ostrich, the area does contain a reasonable amount of other wildlife. You can also see some mammal species, especially Grant’s gazelle & warthogs (almost certainly the only non-winged wildlife you will encounter) & occasionally the Oribi.

Stop first at Shalla where you will see a spread of gurgling sulphurous hot springs on the northeast shore where locals wash clothes & bathe.  At the southwestern shore, there is a 2^nd hot spring & a stunning, pint-sized crater lake.

Another 7km drive takes you to the shrunken shore of Abiyata to look for flamingos, which have increased dramatically & can be seen in flocks of thousands, especially from October to February.  Looking 80m down from the rim to Lake Chitu and spotting its 2000 or so semi-resident flamingos is a sight worth the effort.

Spend a couple of hours enjoying the sights before departing for Lake Ziway.

Surrounded by volcanic hills & encompassing a massive 425 sq km Lake Ziway known for its prolific birdlife, is the largest of the northern group of Rift Valley lakes. Do some bird-watching here & if you want, you also enjoy an optional short boat ride in the lake (nor included - direct payment).

Depending on the time, you may also catch up on some history.

Stop at the rock-hewn monolithic Church of Adadi Mariam that is believed to be the southern-most church founded by King Lalibela in the 12^th or 13^th century. It is fairly crude in comparison with its counterparts in Lalibela, It is a sanctuary in the building tradition of the northern part of Ethiopia & marks the advent of Christianity in the southern region of Adadi Mariam. Throughout its history the Church has been damaged by both man-made & natural causes but it is being strengthened & restored with aid from Switzerland.

Drive further to the nearby pre-historic Neolithic archeological site of Melka Kunture in the town of Awash Melka, where many stone tools & fossils, dating back 1.8 million years, have been found. Archaeologists have uncovered over 30 occupation sites here. The finds are dated by volcanic depositions left by eruptions of Mount Zuqualla, northeast of Melka Kunture.

There is a site known as Balchit, with imposing outcrops of obsidian.  As recent analyses of samples from several sites in Melka Kunture bear out, these outcrops were used, ever since the earliest Oldowan phases, as an important source of raw material. The exploitation of obsidian in the Melka region went on until historical times, leaving numerous and extensive accumulations of tens of thousands of blades, cores & scars of this volcanic rock.

A Museum was built at the site by the Oromia Culture & Tourism Commission with financial assistance from the European Community, consisting of four buildings with exhibits - one on prehistoric Africa, another on Geology & Volcanology, a third on Paleoanthropology and the fourth on the prehistory of Melka Kunture.

There is also an adjacent "Open Air Museum," which displays the excavation of two Acheulean sites that have been dated to 0.8 million years. Tools used by the Homo erectus who once inhabited the area are displayed in four tukuls (huts) and there is also an open excavation site down a sometimes muddy path.

Then, it on to the town of Tiya in central Ethiopia.

Tiya is known for its UNESCO World Heritage listed archeological site, distinguished by 36 standing stones or stelae marking a large, prehistoric burial complex of an ancient Ethiopian culture, on the outskirts of the village.

Tiya is among the most important of the roughly 160 archaeological sites discovered so far in the Soddo region, south of Addis Ababa.

Almost like a small, African version of Stonehenge, the 36 standing stones, including 32 carved stelae covered with engraved symbols that resemble plants, swords & human figures, standing “akimbo,” with their hands on their hips & elbows turned out. A wonderful archaeological reminder of an early Ethiopian culture, though most symbols are difficult to decipher. These peculiar type of engraved, standing stellae are believed to be almost certainly grave markers – recent excavations at Tiya have revealed the remains of young people of both sexes, buried on the site.

Although the construction of such megaliths is an ancient tradition in Ethiopia, the Tiya stones are fairly ‘recent’, dating to sometime between the 10^th & 15^th centuries. Remarkably little is known about the Tiya stelae, beyond descriptions of their physical appearance. These large monuments likely had some cultural significance when erected, but their meaning remains unclear & very few efforts have been made towards understanding these magnificent monoliths.

Much of the exact background & history of the stones is not yet understood by experts (the exact age of the monuments is yet to be determined) & interpretations of the depicted images vary. Guides will have interesting stories to tell, some of which are backed by research, while other rather stem from local beliefs.

And finally, it is on to Lake Langano.

On arrival by evening, Check-in at the hotel.

Lake Langano, is one of a series of lakes in the Oromia Region, running south down the Ethiopian Rift Valley & then on into Kenya. It is covers an area of 230 square kilometers & has a maximum depth of 46 meters. It resembles a giant puddle of milky English tea set against the blue curtain of the Arsi Mountains. 

The water may be brown & unappealing, but it is one of the few Ethiopian lakes to be declared bilharzia-free, unlike most other freshwater lakes in the country, & is thus safe for swimming. The western lakeside beaches are marginally better than the eastern,

The area around the lake is largely deforested, however, & a large number of pastoral rural people live around the area. And, as with all the Rift Valley lakes, the birdwatching is good.

Bordering the eastern shore of Lake Langano is East Langano Nature Reserve, a beautiful lakeside acacia forest and home to a variety of birds & mammals, including monkeys, baboons, warthogs & the occasional hippo, although in low numbers due to seasonal traditional hunting of the forest by local communities.

The forests are mainly podocarpus & wild fig trees, full of Colobus Monkeys & over 300 species of birds, 7 of which are endemic to Ethiopia. There are also numerous wild mammals recorded,

Lake Langano is popular with tourists & city-dwellers & there are a number of Resorts around the lake and water sports are popular here. The area is a delight to explore on foot or on horseback.

Balance of the day is at leisure for independent exploration or to relax.

Overnight. B L D

Early morning, depart for Arba Minch, driving through the fertile land of Wolayta & Alaba regions and stopping briefly at a quaint Alaba tribal village in southern Ethiopia, yet to be discovered by most tourists.

The Alabas are an ethnic group inhabiting the central Ethiopian highlands & claim to originate from the Arab cleric, Abadir who settled in Harar. They are mostly Muslims but there are also some Christians. The unique feature of the traditional Alaba villages is that both Muslim & Christian communities have a special propensity & are famous for beautiful colourful murals painted in their homes – on outside walls & inside.

The Alabas lead a very modest life style, are traditionally self-confident & very resistant to outside influence and this consequently, has kept them from modern developments & education. But, now this seems to be changing & the latest statistics from 2002 - 2003 show that there are 36 schools in the Alaba area with some 26,000 students.

Practically all the houses in the rural area are round-shaped, thatch roofed houses, made of wood & mud. They are without ceilings & have mud floors. Livestock spend the night inside together with people. Most of the people get their drinking water from rivers & ponds by carrying it long distances. Firewood & tree leaves are used for cooking. Electricity is available only in a very limited area. 

Also stop to explore Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary, a protected area covering 58 sq km dedicated especially to the protection of the Swayne's Hartebeest which once roamed the plans of Somalia & Ethiopia in thousands, but is now restricted to 4 small locations in Ethiopia. The original herd of 3,000 animals has dwindled to a few hundred due to poaching.

Nevertheless, the small size of the reserve & open terrain make it the one place in Ethiopia where Swayne's hartebeest sightings are practically guaranteed.

Continue driving & reach Arba Minch by afternoon.

Check-in at the hotel.

Bordered by verdant mountains & home to two of Ethiopia’s largest Rift Valley lakes, Arba Minch is a growing resort town & more than a convenient overnight stop on the southern circuit.

Its name means "forty springs" for the springs in the Nechsar National Park feeding a local forest of gigantic ficus trees, as well as the towns drinking water plant. It is also the home of Arba Minch University.

Arba Minch is actually two cities in one. Its dual settlements of Shecha & Sikela, separated by 3km of virtual no-man’s land, have distinct personalities. Larger Sikela is more commercial & chaotic than her slightly more refined sibling up the hill. Shecha also offers fantastic views over the lakes. The 2 large lakes, placed at different altitudes, are separated by a land bridge.

The provincial town of about 100,000 inhabitants is a mix of majority followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church & Protestants with a 5% muslim population.  It is also a famous (or infamous) former home to a US military drone base where one could often see drones flying out to Somalia to counter terrorism in Ethiopia's troubled neighbor country.

Balance of the day is at leisure for independent exploration or to relax.

Overnight. B L D 

Morning at 08.00 am, drive to Chencha, homeland to Dorze people. High up in the Guge Mountains, is cold & cloudy Dorze territory.

Experiencing a cultural immersion in a Dorze village is one of the highlights of any trip to southern Ethiopia - not to mention the journey up there, which affords some spectacular views over Arba Minch & the Rift Valley lakes.  You will have the opportunity to observe the daily activity of the village.

With around 28,000 people in total, the Dorze, speaking Dorze language (an Omotic tongue ) are among Ethiopia’s smallest ethnic groups & are mostly clustered in the southern part of the country in villages around Chencha & Arba Minch towns in the Semien Omo district.

The Dorze people are well known for the fine cotton weaving tradition & their elephant shaped traditional towering huts constructed entirely from natural materials, such as strips of bamboo or false banana tree leafs (leaves from the etete tree).

You will see the children first - naked little imps, their bodies decorated with paint. One may be completely in white, another may sport zebra-style stripes. They hop wildly about - singing, dancing & jumping - hoping to impress the visitors enough to earn a few coins for their community. The little demonstration seems skillful & well-rehearsed. The children spot the dust raised by the vehicles in the valley below from a distance, and prepare themselves to perform. Irrespective of its contrivance, the performance would seem to be an ideal introduction to Southern Ethiopia, echoing all the preconceived notions of a brightly-coloured people living in small huts & dancing around fires.

You can take a walk on the nature-trail through the elephant huts of the Dorze.

The Dorze are not only known for their dancing children that bewitch tourists for small change, but also for their large, handmade houses, which resemble huge grey beehives or the faces of elephants. This elephantine design is not entirely coincidental, as the beasts which inspired them once roamed freely throughout this region. The elephants have long since dispersed, preferring to tramp across the plains of Kenya than those of southern Ethiopia. Their loss is lamented by the Dorze, although it does enable them to court tourism. The elephant-shaped Dorze house remains a major draw, with two air-holes at the top to resemble eyes.

If you enter inside, the elephant house will be dark & will smell strongly of frankincense & of livestock. The latter are there on the ground, concealed beneath a quilt of eucalyptus leaves. It is surely difficult to disguise the fact that a sheep & two goats are sleeping in your house.  You will see (with help from the Tour-guide’s flashlight) that the traditional tools & equipment of the Dorze are tidily mounted on the walls. You can snap as many photographs as you like, especially of the animals.

And feeling a little like school-children from an inner city, who have been ferried out into the countryside to learn to distinguish the wood from the trees, you will be taught about what the Dorze consider good & bad bananas. The bad sort looks much the same as an ordinary banana, but are better suited to use as a building material, or added to a sort of bread dough.

You may go inside a school & see students in activity process of learning.

Join in the kitchen, sitting cross-legged, to   knead at the dough, encouraged by a grinning Dorze-Mann. Visit a small & carefully-tended garden presented in a tiny space, displaying some of the Ethiopian people’s most important fruits & vegetables.

Apart from the occasional tourist visits, which bring in a significant amount of money, the Dorze’s day-to-day life remains largely unchanged from the traditions of the past. The men tend to the maize & bean harvests on the fields & weave the traditional cloth (women take care of spinning of the cotton), the boys chase the goats & cattle across the meadows and the women care for home & hearth.

And finally, depending on the time, walk to the heart of the Dorze village, where the interactions seems most authentic - the village pub. In the evening the locals gather here, in the pub. After all, what better way to end the day than here, relaxing over the strong local liquor & followed by the slightly sour flatbread, laughing about the day’s tourists or discussing the money earned by the children from their dancing in the road. Another ordinary day in the land of the elephants.

The experience comes to an end & you get ready to return to your hotel in Arba Minch.

Enjoy lunch in the town & relax for an hour.

Later in the afternoon, drive to Chamo lake to see the Crocodile Market.

Trip to “Crocodile Market” you would think it will probably be a place with a lot of merchants selling to tourists some bags & belts made of crocodile skin!  Why not some crocodile shoes? But, you would be completely mistaken. There is no market, there are no people who live in this national park; only wild animals.

The Crocodile Market is a point located 15 min drive away from Arba Minch in the Nechisar National Park, where the Kulfo River empties into Lake Chamo. Here, you will find oodles of crocodiles sunning themselves. Both the density of the congregation & the size of the crocs (over 6 metres is common) make this one of Africa’s best crocodile displays. There are also plenty of hippos, fish eagles, a few baboons & different aquatic birds.  

The Park stretches for 514 sq km of territory, including the “Bridge of God” (an isthmus between Lakes Abaya & Chamo) & the Nechisar plains east of the lakes. The highlight of course, is the Nile crocodiles.

Spend some time enjoying the scenery before embarking on a 2 hour boat trip on one of Ethiopia’s largest water body & cruise around Lake Chamo to observe the river life

You cannot imagine that the banks on the other side of the lake would be covered with such huge Nile crocodiles, literally hundreds of massive reptiles lying in the sun with the mouths wide open to regulate their temperature. Crocodiles usually eat after dusk so it seemed that they would not be that hungry in the afternoon. The Boatman will maneuver to within a few metres & you will surely feel a rush of adrenalin.

The 'boatman' will also take you to the place where the river flows out of the Lake. Here, you have a high probability of spotting hippos. You will see the Hippos from a farther distance as getting closer to them is quite dangerous. Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in the world. You will only see some dark hippo eyes watching as you make your way through their territory.

Return to the shore by sunset & disembark from the little ferry boat.

You will now have the chance to walk around in the Park with a Ranger & see Monkeys, Hornbill, Zebra, Dikdik & Antelope.

Come back to the hotel.

Balance of the evening is at leisure to relax or explore independently. You may want to go to the University area to walk around & enjoy dinner in one of the pubs.

Overnight.  B L D  

Morning, depart for Jinka, driving through the towns & tribal villages.

Stop at the Tsemay village near the Woito River, home to 2 - 3 tribes. Let us learn about Arbore people.

Arbore are spread over 4 small villages in the area. They are thought to be an offshoot - distant cousins - of the dominant Konso tribe (largest in Ethiopia). Arbore are one of the few tribes in this area to practice both male & female circumcision.

These pastoralists measure their wealth in cattle. The men leave their huts at sunrise & take their flock to the field.

The women, accessorized with colorful necklaces, waist bands made of highly polished beads & serpent shaped earnings, do what most do in the Omo Valley; haul water, prepare coffee, nurse their young & beautify themselves. Their feminine way of being, graceful & playful to blend into the environment.   

Often photographed by the streams of foreigners who pull in to their villages in search of the “undiscovered”, “feral”, “lost” the Arbore are rarely interacted with in a meaningful way. Much more laid back than their cousins to the west, they barely acknowledge the visitor’s presence & certainly do not rush up for the photograph.

Drive on & hour away, stop at an Ari village.

To find a traditional Ari village, one has to venture into remote & distant places, in that case, if you are accepted in the village, you can still see the traditional houses & clothes of this ethnic group.

The Ari people are the most ‘modern’ of the region’s ethnic groups. They have adopted a more Western lifestyle & dress no differently than city dwellers these days, but life in Ari villages remains interesting. In almost all villages you will meet potters, blacksmiths & women grinding grain to make a version of injera, which uses maize or sorghum instead of tef & has dagussa (‘finger millet’) mixed into it. If you are lucky, someone may invite you to try bunaketele, a delicious drink made from coffee leaves, chillies & several spices including lemongrass.

Much of the vegetables & fruits found on the markets in the area are grown by the Ari.

They go to school and carry out work. Most of the Ari are Protestants & you will see a church. In the courtyard of a traditional house, once they built circular huts with the walls built with wooden poles that were then covered with mud, while the roof was in straw. Now, the houses here are in masonry, larger & probably more comfortable and they all have a garden where, among other things, there is also the kitchen positioned under a round conical thatched roof supported by wooden poles.

Next stop will be at UNESCO World Heritage listed Konso, town / village of about 5,000 souls, the gateway for the Lower Omo Valley,

Named after the Konso people, Konso boasts a lofty ridge-top setting, but it is the ancient, complex & fascinating culture of the Konso people & their architecturally inspiring villages around the town that make it a must-stop. Konso tribe is one of the largest ethnic groupings in southern Ethiopia numbering some 250,000.

The Konso people have largely forsaken animal hides in favor of pants & shirts but are renowned for their colorful hand-woven cotton clothes. They are largely involved in agriculture - irrigating & cultivating staple crops of sorghum & corn and cotton & coffee on the beautiful rock terraces on the mountain slopes. Cattle, sheep & goats are raised for food & milk.

Konso Cultural Landscape is a 55 sq km arid property of stone walled terraces & fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. It constitutes a spectacular example of a living cultural tradition stretching back 21 generations (more than 400 years) adapted to its dry hostile environment. The landscape demonstrates the shared values, social cohesion & engineering knowledge of its communities.

The stone walls, terraced fields & ceremonial structures comprise such a unique lifestyle that the whole surrounding traditional Cultural Landscape with terraced agriculture & typical villages was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Important features are the unique designs of the houses, the organization of the 32 dwellings behind 1 to 6 rows of defensive stone walls as well as nearby fossil beds. The communities also build traditional reservoirs to supply the villages with water during the dry season. The terraces are built behind up to 5m high stone walls to prevent soil erosion & maximize the collection of rainwater, so as to enhance agricultural production.

The site also features anthropomorphic wooden statues - grouped to represent respected members of their communities & particularly heroic events - which are an exceptional living testimony to funerary traditions that are on the verge of disappearing. Stone steles in the towns express a complex system of marking the passing of generations of leaders. Group members also erected carvings (wagas), which are created in memory of a dead man who has killed an enemy or animal. The statues are often arranged in groups, with statues representing the man, his wives & his adversaries present.

Konso is known for its religious traditions. The latter include the gadaa generation-grading system of social organization, similar high priests & a cult of phallicism. They also have numerous cults based around the breeding & veneration of serpents. Although today, there are marked differences in customs between the Konso & their Oromo neighbours, Konso society has also retained some commonalities with traditional Oromo culture.

A permaculture farm, Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge, was founded in 2007 north of town & works with international volunteers & 3 local schools to grow food, promote ecotourism & provide permaculture education. There is a market on Mondays & Thursdays just out of town along the road towards Jinka.

This will be an excellent day to mingle among the people, take photographs with them & learn first-hand about a culture virtually untouched by the outside world.

After exploring the UNESCO sites for a couple of hours, continue on to Jinka located at the foot of Mago National Park.

Reach the hotel by afternoon & Check-in.

Set in the hills above Mago National Park, fast-growing Jinka is the biggest market town in the region & one of the most well-known tourist destination in the country. It is also as the center for 16 indigenous ethnic groups including Ari, Banna, Mursi & sometimes Bashada.

Jinka is home to the German-funded South-Omo Museum & Research Center, perched on a hill northeast of town. The museum hosts an interesting exhibition on the region's cultures & there is also a collection of ethnographic DVDs to view.

Balance of the evening is at leisure to relax or explore independently (we would be happy to offer suggestions).

Overnight.  B L D  

Early in the morning today, at 07.00 am, you will depart for Turmi.

Enroute, stop at Mursi tribal village.

One has to reach a Mursi village as early in the morning as possible, before they started to drink their home brewed rice beer, which apparently makes them even more aggressive.

According to the latest 2007 national census, there are a total of 7,500 Mursi, 448 of whom live in urban areas.

Surrounded by mountains between the Omo River & its tributary the Mago, the home of the Mursi is one of the most isolated regions of the country. Their neighbors include the Aari, the Banna, the Bodi, the Karo, the Kwegu, the Nyangatom & the Suri. They are grouped together with the Me'en & Suri by the Ethiopian government under the name Surma.

The first rays of sun throw the Kudu antelopes into a light dither. Nothing but flat, parched land as far as the eye can see. Dust clouds pass over the prairie. It slowly gets lighter & the outlines of the round straw huts, scattered around a few trees, gradually become visible. The Mursi people in the secluded Omo Valley in southwestern Ethiopia are waking up.

First, you see the cattle. They arduously nibble at the sparse thorn bushes around the simple houses at the tree. Tribal members slowly emerge from the round mud huts, loosely clothed in a cloth that they have just used as a blanket for sleeping. This is the only clothing that Mursi men, women & children tend to have, as jewellery is more important to them. The average village consists of 6 - 7 little huts set up inside a circular fence made of fallen trees and thorny shrubs with a low small door to keep the cattle from entering.   

Living in one of the most isolated regions of Ethiopia, the Mursi tribe in the beautiful Omo Valley, are one of the most fascinating tribes in Africa. Although they have suffered in recent years from extreme drought, which has made herding and cultivation difficult, they still adhere to their traditional and unique culture.

Like many other tribes, the Mursi people live as nomads on the lower area Africa’s Great Rift Valley in the Omi river basin. Extreme drought has made it difficult for them to feed themselves by means of traditional cultivation and herding.  The individual village communities set off again after 9-18 months, depending on how quickly their cattle grazes the land. The establishment of national parks has restricted their access and threatened their natural resources. But, everything here in the Mago National Park still looks very green.

Their economy is concentrated on an ancient way of bartering & sharing possessions with other tribe members.  As tourists are now often visiting Mursi villages, offering money in exchange for photographs, the communal economy is changing.

The Mursi are the most mystical & fearsome Tribe of the Omo Valley & one of the last remaining tribes in Africa to still wear traditional dress (or no dress) & accessories.

The Mursi undergo various rites of passage, educational or disciplinary processes. The cultural curiosity draws them a lot of attention & their unique accessory make the indigenous Mursi people stand out.

Mursi (& Surma tribe) are probably some of the last groups in Africa amongst whom it is still the norm for women to wear large pottery, colourful, painted clay or wooden discs, or ‘plates,’ into their lower lips, many as large as saucers.

Girls' of the Mursi tribe may have their lips cut at the age of 15 or 16. The women have the choice of piercing their lips, their ears, or both. The lower lip is slit open as early as puberty & small clay plate called a dhebi, is inserted. The girl must make, bake & paint the dhebi. Through the years, larger plates are inserted into the lip causing it to stretch. Some researchers claim that the size of the lip plate (the bigger the better) was a sign of social importance or wealth within the tribe. Occasionally lip plates are worn to a dance by unmarried women & increasingly they are worn to attract tourists in order to earn some extra money.

There are many theories about the original of the lip plate tradition. One says that the Mursi men wanted to guard their women by making them unattractive. One theory is that lip plating originated as a deliberate disfigurement designed to make women & young girls less attractive to slave traders. Whether it is true or not, a girl must still undergo a long procedure to get the identity mark characteristic of the tribe.

People might also be interested to know that although the initial 3-6 months are no doubt painful for a girl, once the lip has healed (& the Mursi have very good plant based ointments to heal these wounds), there is no pain involved. The most painful part, however, is when it rubs against the lower incisors, which can break off at random.  For the past few years however, young girls have been able to decide for themselves whether to go through with it, rather than have it forced upon them by men.

The lip disk is considered a sign of beauty & fetches an appropriate dowry of cattle when the women marry. They remove these disks when they eat or sleep. The Mursi women also decorate their bodies by scarring designs and patterns and rubbing these scars with saliva so that the wounds heal as a raised scar and remain on their bodies for life. These are symmetrical and geometrical designs that are performed by selective people of the tribe.

The Mursi men also undergo various rites of passage, educational or disciplinary processes.

Traditional ceremonial duelling (thagine), a form of ritualised male violence, is a highly valued & popular activity of Mursi men, especially unmarried men & a key marker of Mursi identity. Age sets are an important political feature, where men are formed into named "age sets" and pass through a number of "age grades" during the course of their lives; married women have the same age grade status as their husbands.

They go into ceremonious battle armed with a two-metre long wooden stick called a donga, duelling with men from other villages. A Mursi should learn the stick fight to perfection, and he should start early, because the queen of his heart will be at stake, and the blows of the slender, strong stick will be lethal & hard. Sometimes blood is shed & sometimes it lasts for days. To achieve the right appearance, they give themselves decorative scars. For the Mursi people, becoming a living work of art is an important part of their development.  With pierced lips, body scarring, and marks carved into their shoulders that keep a count of enemies killed - welcome to the most mystical & fearsome tribe of Ethiopia - the Mursi.

Like several other tribes of Ethiopia, the Mursi men must compete to claim the hand of a girl in marriage. They challenge other contenders to a fierce stick fight, where they attack each other with serious blows with a long & strong stick and the last man standing wins the bride. An adult Mursi must therefore defeat his adversary in a fiercely fought match of skill & strength to claim the most beautiful girl of the village.

The religion of the Mursi people is classified as Animism although some Mursi have adopted Christianity.

Like many agro-pastoralists in East Africa, the Mursi experience a force greater than themselves, which they call Tumwi. This is usually located in the Sky, although sometimes Tumwi manifests itself as a thing of the sky (ahi a tumwin), such as a rainbow or a bird.

The principal religious & ritual office in the society is that of the Komoru, the Priest or Shaman. This is an inherited office, unlike the more informal political role of the Jalaba. The Komoru embodies in his person the well-being of the group as a whole & acts as a means of communication between the community & the god (Tumwi), especially when it is threatened by such events as drought, crop pests & disease. His role is characterized by the performance of public rituals to bring rain, to protect men, cattle & crops from disease, and to ward off threatened attacks from other tribes. Ideally, in order to preserve this link between the people & the Tumwi, the Komoru should not leave Mursiland or even his local group (bhuran). One clan in particular, Komorte, is considered to be, par excellence, the priestly clan, but there are priestly families in two other clans, namely Garikuli & Bumai.

“Photo? Yes, photo?” we hear from all around, directed at the visitors to the Mursi village. The women are vivid sights to behold & the main reason that tourists make the trek over the boundless mogul field in a 4×4 vehicles.

When Western tourists started travelling sporadically to the Mursi homeland in the early 2000s, two vastly different worlds collided. Some visitors gave a tip as thanks for permission to take a photo. The Mursi people soon realised that their appearance was unusual & a photograph was worth money. Each one costs 5 birr, or around 20 cents – even for small children. This price applies at a per-person rate for group photos.

Swapping cash for photos creates more profit than breeding cattle. Even agriculture is no longer attractive. Why should it be, when the model job is more lucrative? While the income from tourists is overtaking agricultural income by far, millet & maize fields lay bare. For years now, cattle have been sold instead of reared. And even the women’s lip plates are largely Made in China.

The Mursi people accept cash for nearly everything. On top of 200 birr per head for entry fee into the village, the journey through Mago National park costs 460 birr per vehicle. Not to forget the essential local travel guide, who asks for 300 birr & the scout who wants 150 birr.

That is enough money for all kinds of antics. A large part of the photo & entrance money is spent on kalashnikovs imported from neighbouring countries Kenya and South Sudan, for as little as €50. Those who don’t have the money can exchange 10 cows for one.

The rest of the income goes towards schnaps, which the Mursi drink heavily during the day. They are known for their alcohol-influenced behaviour. In fact, tourists are often advised to visit early in the mornings, when the inhabitants are still half-asleep. Later in the day, some are inebriated from home-brewed areke, a milky, maize-based drink with a very high liquor content - or, indeed, Western alcohol available in the provincial capital of Jinka. In the afternoons, the atmosphere is too heated to let visitors see the Mursi. Or maybe, the other way around.

But what actually happens with the money they are getting? The tribal leader proudly explains it is distributed fairly - except for the photo tip, which is each person’s “own little business”, he says, laughing. Big business, though, is his area of expertise; he & his brother spend half the year travelling around the world, giving lectures. This has taken him to 6 countries, while his brother has been to over 20. As a Mursi ambassador, he waves the flag for his brothers & sisters, spreading the message of their way of life. It is a wonder that the culture hasn’t changed so quickly when it is being promoted by these two.

For a while, the Ethiopian government has been wanting to integrate the Mursi people into the modern world: sending children to school, providing work for adults in the city, or even better, in their backyard. The government is building a huge sugar cane plantation, poised to be the biggest in the whole of Africa. The local tribes will want in on it, the Mursi included. They are to become sedentary, do “proper” work and arrive in the technology-ruled present.

The advent of Tourism there created a Catch 22 situation - a contradiction. Visitors in a way, hinder development as they show interest in the Mursi, while financing them through their visit. Without this money, the Mursi would have gone from their centuries old tradition a long time ago & evolved to find their way to do conventional work in the cities & assimilated into modern life.

The construction of the Gibe III dam - the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa - and large cotton & sugar plantations and factories are also impacting heavily on the tribes living in the valley who depend on the Omo river for survival.

After spending a couple of hours interacting with the Mursi, depart for Mago National Park.

The dramatically beautiful 2162 sq km Park is divided by the Mago River, a tributary of the Omo, into two parts. To the west is the Tama Wildlife Reserve, with the Tama river defining the boundary between the two. To the south is the Murle Controlled Hunting Area, distinguished by Lake Dipa which stretches along the left side of the lower Omo.

The major environments in & around the Park are the rivers & riverine forest, the wetlands along the lower Mago & around Lake Dipa, the various grasslands on the more level areas, & scrub on the sides of the hills. The largest trees are found in the riverine forest beside the Omo.

The Park is also famous for a rich diversity of ethnic groups living in or around it along the lower Omo (within the park) - including the Aari, Banna, Bongoso, Hamar, Karo, Kwegu, Male & Mursi tribes. But, the Park's perhaps best known attraction is of course, the Mursi.

Wildlife is fairly abundant by Ethiopian standards, however, there is no chance of an East African-safari-style experience. Poaching remains a problem and the thick acacia woodland dominating the plains makes seeing what wildlife remains quite tough.

You can expect to see dik-diks, baboons & guinea fowl, and, if you are lucky, Burchell’s zebras, lesser kudus, defassa waterbucks, gerenuks and black & white colobus.

Continue on to the small market town of Turmi in south-western Ethiopia in the accessible Omo valley, surrounded by Hamer villages.

Arrive by afternoon & Check-in at the hotel.

Balance of the day is at leisure to elax or walk around on your own (we will be happy to offer suggestions).

Overnight.  B L D

Morning, meet the Tour-guide at 07.00 am & proceed for a full day tour of the tribal villages.

The Hamar villages are spread around the town. On Monday, the villagers, along with nearly every tourist in the valley, descend on the large market in the town. The smaller Thursday market is almost tourist-free.  

Hamer women, with their shimmering coppery-coloured tresses, sell vegetables, spices, butter, milk & traditional items like incised calabashes, head stools, metal arm bracelets & fantastically smelly goatskins decorated with beads & cowrie shells - it doesn't get more atmospheric than this.

The Hamer men have many striking characteristics, one particularly noticeable is their elaborate hair-dressing. They wear a clay “cap” that is painted and decorated with feathers & other ornaments.

The 25,000 strong Hamar tribe lives among the bush covered hills in the villages spread around Turmi. Hamars are agro pastoralists, making their living as successful cattle herders & farmers. Once they hunted, but the wild pigs & small antelope have almost disappeared from the lands in which they live and until 20 years ago, all ploughing was done by hand with digging sticks.

The land isn’t owned by individuals; it is free for cultivation & grazing, just as fruit & berries are free for whoever collects them. The Hamar move on when the land is exhausted or overwhelmed by weeds.

Often families will pool their livestock & labour to herd their cattle together. In the dry season, whole families go to live in grazing camps with their herds, where they survive on milk & blood from the cattle. Just as for the other tribes in the valley, cattle & goats are at the heart of Hamar life. They provide the cornerstone of a household's livelihood; it is only with cattle & goats to pay as ‘bride wealth’ that a man can marry.

There is a division of labour in terms of sex & age. The women & girls grow crops (the staple is sorghum, alongside beans, maize & pumpkins). They are also responsible for collecting water, doing the cooking & looking after the children - who start helping the family by herding the goats from around the age of eight. The young men of the village work the crops, defend the herds or go off raiding for livestock from other tribes, while adult men herd the cattle, plough with oxen & raise beehives in acacia trees.

Sometimes, for a task like raising a new roof or getting the harvest in, a woman will invite her neighbours to join her in a work party in return for beer or a meal of goat, specially slaughtered to feed them.

During the day, it is most common to see women & children in the villages as the men are out in the field tending to their animals while they graze. To make money, Hamar villages will gladly pose for photos but you will have to pay them.

Relations with neighbouring tribes vary. Cattle raids & counter-raids are a constant danger. The Hamar can marry as many women as they like but only within their own. They have nothing against borrowing - songs, hairstyles, even names - from other tribes in the valley like the Nyangatom & the Dassanech.

Hamar parents have a lot of control over their sons, who herd the cattle and goats for the family. It is the parents who give permission for the men to marry & many don’t get married until their mid-thirties. Girls, on the other hand, tend to marry at about 17.

Marriage requires ‘bride wealth’, a payment made to the woman’s family & generally made up of goats, cattle & guns. Although it is paid over time like instalments of a bank loan, it is so high (30 goats & 20 head of cattle) that it can't usually be paid back in a lifetime.

One effect is that whenever a family has a lot of livestock, the wife’s & mother’s brothers will claim outstanding bride wealth debts. It means that Hamar men can't stay wealthy & grow wealthier as their livestock is claimed by others. If a man can afford the bride wealth, he can have three or four wives, But, women only marry one man.

The women who are not first wives are treated more like slaves as they do a majority of the work. The leather band, with the metal protuberance, hanging around her neck signifies that she is the “first wife”. Her hairstyle of bangs & fine dreadlocks, coated in red mud that has been mixed with oil, is typical of the Hamar. She wears an apron style piece of goat skin that is adorned with beads that come from Kenya & that she most likely traded for. Earrings, necklaces, armbands & often leg bands complete the Hamar look.

Because men tend to be older than their wives, they often die first. Lots of Hamar households are headed by women who have survived their husbands - one study found an amazing 27 out of 39 married women were widows. A widow also has power over her husband’s younger brothers (and their livestock) if their parents are already dead. Brothers & sisters are important to each other in other ways.

They are an extraordinary people with a unique expression & culture.

They are said to be abreast with everything happening around the world, even with football, but that has not stopped them from practising a rather bizarre culture of women proudly accepting beatings as part of an initiation ceremony for men. The most dramatic example is the ritual whipping before a brother’s cattle-leaping ceremony.

A Hamar man comes of age by leaping over a line of cattle. Bull-jumping has been practised by the Hamars for thousands of years & the ceremony which qualifies him to marry, own cattle & have children. The timing of the ceremony is up to the man’s parents & happens after harvest. As an invitation, the guests receive a strip of bark with a number of knots - one to cut off for each day that passes in the run up to the ceremony. They have several days of feasting & drinking sorghum beer in prospect.

On the afternoon of the leap, the ceremony starts with all the female relatives performing a dance, during which they offer themselves as subjects to be whipped by men who have recently been initiated.

The girls go out to meet the Maza, the ones who will whip them - a group of men who have already leapt across the cattle & live apart from the rest of the tribe, moving from ceremony to ceremony. The whipping appears to be consensual; the girls gather round & beg to be whipped on their backs. The beatings go on until their backs turn bloody. During the beatings, women are not allowed to scream. They do not also flee the ceremony but rather beg the men to beat them over & over again. They don’t show the pain they must feel & say they are proud of the scars. They would look down on a woman who refuses to join in, but young girls are discouraged from getting whipped.

One effect of this ritual whipping is to create a strong debt between the young man & his sisters. If they face hard times in the future, he will remember them because of the pain they went through at his initiation. Her scars are a mark of how she suffered for her brother.

As for the young man leaping over the cattle, before the ceremony his head is partially shaved, he is rubbed with sand to wash away his sins & smeared with dung to give him strength. Finally, strips of tree bark are strapped round his body in a cross, as a form of spiritual protection.

Meanwhile, the Maza & elders line up about 15 cows & castrated male cattle, which represent the women and children of the tribe. The cattle in turn are smeared with dung to make them slippery. To come of age, the man must subsequently leap across 15 cows in order to be allowed to marry & once that is achieved a celebration is held to end the ceremony

If he falls, it is a shame, but he can try again. If he is blind or lame he will be helped across the cattle by others. Only when he has been through this initiation rite can he marry the wife chosen for him by his parents & start to build up his own herd. Once his marriage has been agreed upon he & his family are indebted to his wife's family for marriage payments amounting to 30 goats & 20 cattle.

At the end of the leap, he is blessed & sent off with the Maza who shave his head & make him one of their number. His kinsmen & neighbours decamp for a huge dance. It is also a chance for large-scale flirting. The girls get to choose who they want to dance with & indicate their chosen partner by kicking him on the leg.

It doesn’t stop there. Wife beating is an accepted part of life rather than a taboo & the convention is that a man will not generally tell his wife why she is being whipped. This has created deep scars at the backs of the women which they proudly show off as beautiful. On the other hand, if a beating is severe then family or neighbours will step in & after a couple have had two or three children, beating stops.

In spite of these, women in the Hamar tribe are expected to be strong like the men & are supposed to do all household chores, take care of the children & sow crops as well as keep the cattle

On this photography intensive trip, you will experience how the Hamer people live, in an arrangement of camps that consist of several related families. The families live in tents arranged in a circle, and the cattle are brought into the centre of the camp at night. The structures are covered with thatch during the dry season & canvas mats during the rainy season.

For the last 10 years, tourists have been visiting the Hamar, especially to watch the cattle-leaping ceremonies. The Hamar appear to be confident in the survival of their traditions. Despite increasing contact with town-dwellers, they continue to marry only from within the tribe & scorn those who refuse to take part in tribal ceremonies. Of more concern to them are the tourists who refuse to pay for the privilege of taking photographs.

The proper etiquette is to bring a small gift for the chief or head elder of the tribe when asking permission to interact with the villagers. This gift of sugar, flour or coffee should actually be in a small cloth bag.

Some believe this contact will change Hamar society by undermining their cultural values. Others say it is one way that they can be preserved, as the money from tourists helps to pay for the cattle-leaping ceremonies, & the tourists' attention gives the Hamar pride in their customs.

Many elements of their traditional religion are still practiced today. For instance, they believe that natural objects such as rocks and trees have spirits.

The road network & local towns are expanding in this part of the Omo Valley. Some Hamar people are moving to town, going to school, forgetting traditions & choosing not to join in whipping rituals. For others, towns are a place to sell surplus produce & buy goods from outside.

Move on to the next tribe.

Visit the Dassanach people who are the southernmost people of the country,known for their scarification & Karo tribe.

The Daasanach are an ethnic group inhabiting parts of Ethiopia, Kenya & South Sudan.

Having lost the majority of their lands over the past 50 years or so, primarily as a result from being excluded from their traditional Kenyan lands, including on both sides of Lake Turkana, and the 'Ilemi Triangle' of Sudan, they have suffered a massive decrease in the numbers of cattle, goats & sheep.

The Daasanach are traditionally pastoralists, but in recent years have become primarily agro-pastoral. They grow sorghum, maize, pumpkins & beans when the Omo river & its delta floods. As a result, large numbers of them have moved to areas closer to the Omo River, where they attempt to grow enough crops to survive.

Cattle are central to the lives of the Dassanech - just as they are for the other tribes of the Omo Valley. As well as meat, milk, leather for clothing, houses and mattresses, they provide status in the tribe, and the bride-wealth that allows a man to marry. Daasanach rely on their goats & cattle which give them milk, and are slaughtered in the dry season for meat & hides. Sorghum is cooked with water into a porridge eaten with a stew. Corn is usually roasted & sorghum is also fermented into beer. 

Like many pastoral peoples throughout this region of Africa, the Daasanach are a highly egalitarian society, with a social system involving age sets and clan lineages - both of which involve strong reciprocity relations.

They have an interesting ‘class’ divide. The phenomenon & their versatility is a fine illustration of how life has to adapt in fundamental ways in the face of some of the most inhospitable conditions in the world.

When Dassanach people lose their cattle to disease, drought or a raid by a neighbouring tribe, they are unable to sustain their usual way of life. Instead, they become the Dies, or ‘poor people’ & turn for their livelihood to Lake Turkana, where they fish & hunt crocodile and occasionally, even hippopotamus.

The Dies’ place in Dassanech society is unique. As cattle are a central status symbol & they have none, they are looked down on. On the one hand, they are considered members of the tribe yet economically & to some extent culturally, they are set apart.

The different members of the tribe do, however, help each other. In times of need, Dies provide food for the Dassanach ‘herder’ (richer) families as well, sharing crocodile meat & fish with the villages. The Dassanach, in turn, give the Dies meat from goats or cattle. Dies do have access to livestock if they really need it. For instance, a man still needs to exchange ‘bride-wealth’ with his wife’s family in order to marry. Most Dies have relatives with cattle & as bride-wealth is repaid over long periods of time, the cattle can be drawn upon over months & years as new calves are born.

In good times, Dies can acquire livestock again & return to the mainstream, being herders, by exchanging goods for small stock and acquiring more & more livestock over time. Ideally, being Dies is only a temporary thing until they can return to ‘being’ Dassanech again. For some, a generation or more is needed to complete the transition back to cattle herding. But for others, the shift has become permanent. It also follows that in times of plenty, there are fewer Dies. As famine spreads, their numbers increase. For those who have lost their cattle, there is another option. That is to cross tribal boundaries, which have always been fairly permeable & join with another group where an individual might have a family connection.

The Daasanach ‘herders’ live in dome-shaped houses made from a frame of branches, covered with hides and woven boxes (which are used to carry possessions on donkeys when the Daasanach migrate). The huts have a hearth, with mats covering the floor used for sleeping.

The Dies, or lower class, are people who have lost their cattle & their way of living. They live on the shores of Lake Turkana hunting crocodiles & fishing. Although their status is low because of their lack of cattle, the Dies help the herders with crocodile meat and fish in return for meat.

Hunting Crocodiles has been turned into art.  They men risk their lives hunting for crocodile at night in the shallow waters of the Omo River delta, sitting in small dugout canoes. They hunt in silence, making occasional hand gestures to instruct the oarsman to change direction. Using a torch – their only concession to modernity – to pick out the crocodiles’ eyes in the darkness, they slowly manoeuvre their canoes close to the crocodile before letting fly with a harpoon attached to a rope. Once the barb penetrates the tough skin, the crocodile has little chance. It is hauled alongside and repeatedly speared until it is safe to haul it inside the canoe.

Even a small crocodile can provide a good meal for a family. In fact, the fishermen are in some ways luckier than their herding cousins, whose livestock is often at risk from the enduring drought now affecting the Lake Turkana region. They can still obtain good sources of protein from fish during even the harshest droughts.

Within the village, it is the women who build & take down the huts during migrations. They are semi-circular constructions with no interior divisions, made up of sticks & branches called miede. The first part of the hut to be constructed is the ‘store’ - actually a small box-like structure made from reeds & rope from cow skin. This is also the box used for moving items on the donkey back. It is set on one side of the hut & used for storing tobacco, coffee & other important items.

These huts are well ventilated, as it is important to have airflow through in such a hot environment. There is only one entrance, a small opening that is closed by animal skin - that way it is extremely difficult for an enemy to go through the opening un-noticed. Inside the huts, are a hearth, an area where animal skins are laid for sleeping on & the store. Women also claim the right-hand side of the hut (and of the porch outside) as their own.

The tribes here have always traded between each other, for beads, food, cattle, cloths and so on. More recently, the trade has been in guns and bullets. Inevitably, as roads are made through the area, other goods like beer & food find their way into the villages.

The Dassanach tribe is not strictly defined by ethnicity. Anyone - man or woman - will be admitted, as long as they agree to be circumcised. Over the centuries, the tribe has absorbed a wide range of different peoples. It is now divided into eight main clans, which to some extent reflect the wide-ranging origin of its members. Each clan has its own identity & customs, its own responsibilities towards the rest of the tribe & is linked to a particular territory.

The largest clan is the Galbur, or Water & Crocodile clan. The Dassanach believe its members have the power over both water & crocodiles and are responsible for dealing with diseases of the glands across the tribe. The Turat clan is responsible for dealing with burns from the fire. They have powers to keep away snakes & to cure many diseases, and also have the ability to keep away enemies from their animals. Another important clan is Turnyerim, which has powers over drought. They pray for rains during dry periods & they can also cure snakebites by spitting on the wound. Other clans claim to have healing powers over eye infections, scorpion bites, muscular problems, & so on. Members of the same clan are forbidden from marrying - or indeed dancing - with each other.

Dassanach girls are circumcised young, at around 10 or 12 years of age. If they are not circumcised, a girl can’t marry or wear clothes and her father won’t receive her bride-price, so he has a direct interest in her going through the ordeal. Until they are circumcised, girls are called ‘wild animals’ or ‘men’ to tease them - the idea is that their clitoris has to be removed before they act like women.

Women who have been through the ritual, wear a pleated cowskin skirt and necklaces & bracelets, they are usually married off at 17 while men are at 20. Boys are circumcised. Men wear only a checkered cloth around their waist.

Girls may be circumcised in their mother’s house, or in another village, but always with other girls of their age going through the same ritual & the cutting itself is usually done by an older woman who will be helped by the girl’s relatives. She is held down & a leather strap is tied around her ankles or in between her legs to restrict the girl’s movement, until the wounds have healed & the pain has subsided.

When the ritual has been completed, the girl is given sour milk to drink & a necklace by her mother. From then on, she is allowed to wear a leather skirt to show she is now considered an adult. Marriage for girls often takes place soon after.

The biggest ceremony in a man’s life is called Dimi. Its purpose is to celebrate and bless his daughter for fertility & future marriage. When he has gone through Dimi, a man becomes an elder. About 10 cattle & 30 smaller animals are slaughtered and other stock is traded for coffee. Men & women dress in animal fur capes to feast & dance, and the leaders of the village bless the girl.

Dimi ceremonies, with their need to slaughter cattle, take place in the dry season - when cattle aren’t producing much milk & grazing has limited value. Slaughtering cattle at this time of year provides meat when other food sources are low.  

Spend 2 hours exploring the Dassanech village & interacting with the clan.

Then, enjoy the packed Lunch sitting in a shade somewhere before driving through a beautiful savannah landscape with the highest termite mounts, to the next adventure - visiting the Korcho village to meet the Karo tribe.

The Omo Valley is home to an estimated 200,000 indigenous peoples who have lived there for millennia. Amongst them are 1,000 to 3,000 Karo who dwell on the eastern banks of the Omo river & practise flood-retreat cultivation, growing sorghum, maize & beans.

The village of Korcho is beautifully situated on a hill overlooking the Omo River & is one of three Karo villages. The other 2 are Duss & Labuk, all on the eastern side of the Omo River. The Karo tribe is one of the smallest tribes of the Valley.   

The Karo were known for their magnificent houses (when still rich in cattle), but after they lost their wealth, they adopted the much lighter conical huts. Every Karo family owns two houses: the Ono, the principal living room of the family, and the Gappa, the centre of several household activities.

You will see the tribal members, artificially painted with white limestone, red ocher & clay mixed with yellow minerals, lined up in perfect poses, a dream for any photographer.

On the river slope with the Omo River as a beautiful backdrop, the Karo men, covered with impressive body paint, beads & feathers, will proudly pose with their Kalashnikovs. Fixed rate is 5 birr (= 1 $ almost), to be allowed to take a picture. The money is well deserved, but the situation feels uncomfortable for most folks. 

Body painting is a tradition of the Karo tribe & something that is done daily regardless of whether tourists come or not. Kalashnikovs are a status symbol, but also a necessity to protect both the herd & themselves. At regular intervals, the Karo tribe is in conflict with its neighbors, especially the Nyangatom tribe on the other side of the river. In the Omo Valley, it has been easy to get to Kalashnikovs because of its close proximity to Sudan & the warships there.

In recent years, the Ethiopian government has rented or sold large areas to Chinese, Indian, Malaysian & Saudi Arabian investors for large sugar cane & cotton plantations and their lives are severely threatened. The annual flooding of the Omo River feeds the rich biodiversity of the region & guarantees the food security of the tribes especially as rainfall is low & erratic. The Tribes depend on it to practice ‘flood retreat cultivation’ using the rich silt left along the river banks by the slowly receding waters.

Karo also practice rain-fed, shifting cultivation growing sorghum, maize & beans on the flood plains. Karo fish in the river & sometimes they manage to catch a crocodile.

Cattle, goats & sheep are vital to most tribes’ livelihood producing blood, milk, meat & hides. Cattle are highly valued & used in payment for bride wealth. They are an important defence against starvation when rains and crops fail. In certain seasons families travel to temporary camps to provide new grazing for herds, surviving on milk and blood from their cattle.

The Karo & Hamer tribes have a close relationship and speak almost the same language. The traditions are quite similar & both tribes practice bull jumping ceremonies. But in the Karo tribe, the bull jumping takes place for a large group of boys & men with many years of space, while in the Hamer tribe it takes place every time a boy is reaching the age for marriage.

Walk around the village & interact with the friendly Karo. Some kids go to school & speak in English.

Come back to the Lodge.

Balance of the evening is at leisure.

Early morning, depart for Arba Minch Airport to connect your flight for Addis Ababa.

Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s sprawling capital in the highlands bordering the Great Rift Valley & the country’s commercial & cultural hub.  

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, subsequent to Immigration & Customs, you will be met by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel, help you settle in & also provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area as well as discuss the program for the next few days.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Later in the afternoon, meet the Tour-guide at 02.00 pm & embark on a 4 hour sightseeing tour to explore the vibrant neighborhoods & historic landmarks of Addis Ababa.

Despite its size, Addis retains a small-town feel with lively markets, donkey carts hurrying down main streets and traditional coffee shops.

See the richly decorated interior of Holy Trinity Cathedral which commemorates the patriots who fought the Italian aggression in the 1930s, then trace Ethiopia’s long history through the Museum of Ethiopia - rated one of the best sub-Saharan museums - which gives you a good introduction to Ethiopian history & culture, by showcasing an extensive collection of Ethiopian antiquities. There is also a replica of the 3.5 million year old skull of "Lucy" or Dinknesh (Amharic for ‘wonderful’), whose discovery made Ethiopia the Cradle of Mankind.

Explore Haile Selassie’s former palace, now the fascinating Ethnological Museum & go deep into the traditions of Ethiopia’s diverse communities as you view cultural materials from over 80 ethnic groups of the region. Drive up to the Entoto hills from where we get a panoramic view of the city.

Return to the hotel.

Late evening, you will be invited for dinner at one of the best traditional restaurants to partake the local cuisine(s) of Ethiopian people as you enjoy the folkloric dances showcasing different ethnic tribal cultures.

Come back to the hotel.

Alas, like all good things, the wonderful experience comes to an end. Time to say good-bye to enchanting Ethiopia  & go home. But, we sure hope that you may want to discover a bit more of “Cradle of Mankind” with its amazing history, wonderful cultures, friendly faces & stunning landscapes, on your next visit. 

Check-out of the hotel by 12:00 noon (if the departure time is later in the evening, we will request the hotel to allow the use of the hotel facilities & leave the luggage at the Bell Desk if you have the time to walk out). 

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