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 the Ethnographic museum, view from Entoto mountain and the Mercato, biggest open air market in Africa. Meals free. ON (overnight) hotel.
02. Drive to the Rift Valley lake of Zway & Awasa for very nice nature and lot of birds. If time permits make also a boat trip on lake Awasa. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel
03. Early morning around 06 visit the fish market in Awasa. After breakfast drive to the Arbaminch. 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 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. Note well that this is a UNESCO heritage site! Have spectacular view over the hills too. Afternoon proceed to Turmi, the famous colorful Hamer people town. Have lunch in Konso; dinner & ON Emerald lodge Turmi www.emeraldresortandlodge.com
05. Morning walk with the Hamer people to the colorful Turmi’s village weekly market. This is the Monday’s market of Hamer, Dassanech, Karo and Tsemay people. Enjoy this vibrant market, meet different people and see how they merchandise. Afternoon visit a Hamer villages and understand their way of life and culture. 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. Have meals & ON Emerald lodge Turmi
06. Morning drive to Omorate, at bank of the Omo river, to visit the Dassanech people. Are very colorful villages and interesting culture. We are at border with Kenya. Afternoon relax and make walks around Turmi for the Hamer people and villages. Have meals & ON Emerald lodge Turmi
07. This day drive to visit other two very interesting cultures and their villages: a Nyangatom people village, then cross the famous Omo river and proceed to a Karo people village. They also have very particular traditions, hairstyles, decorations and unique way of life. Visit also the Kortcho village, with very nice view over the Omo river. Finally proceed back to Turmi. Have lunch box; dinner & ON Emerald lodge Turmi www.emeraldresortandlodge.com
08. Drive to KeyAfer village to visit the weekly market of the Tsemay & Erbore people. Reach then late afternoon Jinka town. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel in Jinka
09. Drive to visit very interesting villages of the Ari and Benna people. Afternoon back to Jinka and visit the Ethnographic museum. Lunch box; dinner & ON hotel in Jinka
10. Early morning drive to Mursi villages. Here for beauty women use to put round plates into their lips and men different scarifications all over their body. Their villages and way of life is very unique. And being Saturday visit also the colorful market at Hana Mursi village. Back to Jinka late afternoon. Have a lunch box; dinner & ON in a hotel in Jinka.
11. Drive to Yabelo. Visit a Borena people village and their culture. Lunch on the way; dinner and ON hotel in Yabelo
12. Early morning drive to ElSod crater. Here 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 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, to reach Yirgalem. Lunch on the way; dinner and ON hotel in Yirgalem
13. Drive to the Bale Mountains. The Bale Mountains have a real particular flora and fauna, with afro-alpine vegetation and endemic mammals. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel Bale Goba
14. Morning visit to the Sanete plateau, for its unique Afro-alpine vegetation and to spot different animals, among which the endemic Semien Red Fox. Afternoon drive to the Tuludimtu forest and see animals as the endemic Mountain Nyala. Lunch box on the way; dinner & ON hotel
15. Drive back to Addis Ababa via to Asela & Nazareth towns and with a stop at the crater lakes of DebreZeith. For those which like to fly back to Addis, there is Bale Goba-Addis flight; so inform us and we can book the flight. Reach Addis Ababa in the afternoon. Lunch on the way. Evening Green Land Tours will invite you a fare well dinner in one of the Ethiopian restaurant for cultural dances from the different ethnic groups. Then transfer to the airport for flight back home. Evening Aquila Tours will invite you a fare well dinner in one of the Ethiopian restaurant for cultural dances from the different ethnic groups. Then transfer to the airport for flight back home.
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