01. Arrival in Addis Ababa. Transfer to the chosen hotel. Have a free morning. Afternoon (1400 hrs from the hotel) tour of the capital: visit Entoto mountain with views over the capital and visit the new Entoto park, St George church and the National museum.
ON (overnight) hotel.
02. Start your tour south, with first stop at the Debrezeit crater lakes for a relaxing view and then proceed to Zway and Langano Rift Valley lakes spotting lot of birds.
In Zway visit of the monastery over the lake’s island.
Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel in Langano
03. Drive to Arbaminch (in amharic meaning forty springs) through the Wolayta people & villages and admiring spectacular green hills.
Ones arrived, check-in and lunch at Emerald Resort Arbaminch.
Emerald Resort is a beautiful Resort with a spectacular view over the Rift Valley lakes of Chamo and Abaya which are divided by a mountain called in Amharic “Yezghier dildi” which means “Bridge of Heaven” and the Netch Sar National park, in Amharic meaning “white grass”.
www.emeraldresortandlodge.com
Afternoon drive to Chencha mountain to visit the Dorze people, with their unique culture, houses and traditions. The Dorze are famous for their elephant truck shaped houses, their cultivation of the false banana (from which root they extract their traditional bread called Kotcho), the weaving works, cultivation of sorghum and more. If time permits visit also their Saturday’s market.
Meals & ON Emerald Resort Arbaminch
04. Morning boat excursion on Chamo lake to admire the biggest crocodiles in Africa (reach 6 meters of length), hippos and birds. Walk then to the Netch Sar national park and spot endemic animals as the Swaynes Hartbeest, then numerous zebra and spectacular views. Walk then back to the boat and make the way back; or the vehicles can reach you in the park and you drive back.
Lunch box; dinner & ON Arbaminch Emerald Resort
05. Early morning drive about 2 hrs from Arbaminch south to the Omo valley and visit a Konso people village, famous for being the first in Africa to start the terracing agriculture.
Visit their culture, lifestyle, way of counting the age of the village, the community works and much more. Is a UNESCO heritage site!
Walk then to a more remote village admiring spectacular view over the hills too and visiting the real Konso people culture and traditions in a village not contaminated by tourism.
Meals and overnight camping next to a Konso village.
06. Morning have your final visits of the Konso villages and walk back to your vehicles.
Then drive to Dimeka village to admire the very colorful Hamer, Karo and Dassanech people Saturday’s weekly market. Dimeka, 28km north of Turmi, is the biggest town in Hamer territory and its Saturday market (Tuesday is smaller) is said to be the most atmospheric and liveliest of the big ones. It has a great crafts section, with jewellery, woodcarvings, masks and pottery.
Have lunch on the way; dinner & ON Emerald lodge Turmi www.emeraldresortandlodge.com
07. Morning drive to the Karo people, for their very interesting decoration, scarification all over their body and culture. From Kortcho village you’ll enjoy also a spectacular view over the Omo.
Afternoon drive back to Turmi & visit a Hamer villages.
With luck we’ll try to participate to ceremonies as the bull jumping and the Evangadi dances.
The Hamer are known for their unique custom of “bull jumping” which initiates a boy into manhood. First, female relatives dance and invite whipping from men who have recently been initiated; this shows their support of the initiate, and their scars give them a right to demand his help in time of need. The boy must jump back and forth twice across the backs of a row of bulls or castrated steers, and is ridiculed if he fails.
Lunch Emerald lodge Turmi; dinner & ON camping next to a Hamer village.
08. Morning remaining visits and enjoy at the village.
Then walk with the Hamer people to Turmi town to admire the very colorful Hamer, Karo and Dassanech people Monday market. Enjoy the rest of the day with the Hamer people.
Meals & ON Emerald lodge Turmi
09. Morning drive to Omorate, at bank of Omo river, to visit the Dassanech people and villages. Then back to Turmi, for lunch. Afternoon drive to Jinka, admiring on the way the Hamer, Ari & Bena people. If you reach on time, visit then also the Jinka museum.
Lunch on the way; dinner and ON hotel in Jinka.
10. Enter into the Mago National park and proceed to visit the Mursi people and their villages. Here for beauty women use to put round plates into their lips while men have different scarifications all over their body. Visit their villages and culture.
Pass the night next to a Mursi village (or camping can be at Mago park campsite).
Lunch box; dinner & ON camping at Mursi village.
11. Drive to KeyAfer to visit the colorful Tsemay, Hamer and Bena people market.
Once a week, a small town of Key Afer in the Lower Omo Valley holds a large market (the largest in Omo Valley) where three different tribes come together to buy and sell. The market brings together people from Tsemai, Hamer, and Bena tribes. Everything from fruits and vegetables to wood to honey and butter to silverware and animals is sold here – the open-air market brims with color and sound.
Then proceed to Konso and overnight in hotel (Kanta or Korebta lodge).
12. Morning visit of one Konso village. Then drive to Yabelo and visit a Borena people.
Proceed then to ElSod crater and camping next to a Borena village, above the crater.
Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping.
13. Early morning walk down to the crater where Borena men extract salt from a marshy lake by hand & sticks. The salt is used for their cattle.
After Elsod visit, drive to visit the Dubock singing wells, where the Borena men pass to each other the water and doing this hard work they sing.
Afternoon drive north, visiting the Guji people and villages; and admire very nice views with lot of coffee and fruit plantations. Reach then Yirgalem and visit lot of fruit and coffe plantation
Lunch on the way; dinner & ON Aregash lodge or other in Yirgalem.
14. Drive back to Addis Ababa and time for souvenir shops. Day use room till 18 hrs.
Lunch on the way or in Addis. Green Land Tours invite you in a traditional restaurant with folkloristic dances for dinner. Then transfer to Bole International airport for your departure.
