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, the National & the Ethnographic museums, St George church and the Mercato, biggest open air market in Africa. Meals free. ON hotel.
02. Leave your hotel at 0700 am & drive north, admiring spectacular views and crossing the Blue Nile river gorge. Continue to Kossober to visit the Gojam and Agew people Saturday’s market. Are Semitic people. Then proceed to Chagni and Mandura to Zengena lake. We reach on this tour altitudes of 1,800 till 2,300 m.a.s.l. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping near to Zengena lake
03. Drive to Dahans Baguna village to admire a Gumze & Agew people market. Then proceed to a traditional Agew people village. Reach then the Blue Nile. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping at Shinashia, next to a Agew people village.
04. Visit the palace of Dej Asmach Jemal, built during Emperor Menelik reign. Visit Monday’s market at Almahal village, of the Gumze & Shinashia people Reach Janga where you can admire the Blue Nile, before entering in Sudan, called here “Sirba Abay” (189 kms, 4 hrs). Proceed to Sherkole where you can admire the Berta people, traditional gold miners.
Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping at Asosa, at Mango campsite, or local hotel
05. Drive to Fametsere, where under a volcanic mountain (which they call the gold mountain and have many traditional believes) the Berta people extract gold. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping at Asosa, at Mango campsite, or local hotel
06. Drive to Bambasi & Ye’amsera villages (Tongo region) of the Mao and Komo people. The Mao & Komo are semi-nomadic people with scarification all over their body & different traditions. The Mao men have scarification in the face & chest, while female on the belly. The Komo on the front & face, while female on the belly. Proceed to the Ganzo people village. The Ganzo are the 81st tribe, just registered few years ago. Are totally 150 members. Have scarification over their body, mainly the men in the face & chest; while female in the belly, arms & back. They hunt (warthog, alligators, monkeys, etc) and in the evening they dine and dance in the village On our return to Asosa visit also a mosque, built in 1952, where in July (Arabian calendar on Mirage 27) there is a famous pilgrimage. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping at Asosa, at Mango campsite, or local hotel
07. Early morning make a 1 hrs trek at Inzi, for very nice views over the region, and visit some villages. Come back to your camping and start your drive to Gambela. Lunch on the way at Gimbi; dinner & ON Gambela.
08. Drive to visit Anuak and Nuer people and villages. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel in Gambela
09. Drive to Mizanteferi. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel
10. Proceed to Tum and Tulgit, visiting Dizi and Surma people and their villages. ON camp
11. Visit Surma people and villages. For beauty women wear circular or trapezoidal shaped plates into their lips. Men have different scarification all over their body. Visit their villages and way of life. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camp near to Tulgit
12/13. Drive to Kibish, admiring very nice views. Visit the Surma people around Kibish. With luck we’ll participate to a donga game, which is a stick fighting ritual. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping
14. Drive to Adikas and proceed to the Omo National park. It is the richest park in Ethiopia. Late afternoon game drive, with the chance of spotting lot of buffaloes, giraffe, some leopards & lions, many antelopes and birds. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping
15. Morning game drive. Then drive to visit the Nyangatom people and their villages Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping, next to a village
16. Drive to Maji, visiting on the way different Adikas and Dizi people villages. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camp at Maji
17. Proceed to Jima, via Macha Waji. Visit Bench Meshenger people on the way. Visit also the Aba Jifar palace and museum in Jimma (or next morning) Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel
18. Drive to Arbaminch, visiting Wolayta people. Lunch on the way. Dinner & ON at the Emerald Resort www.emeraldresortandlodge.com
19. Morning drive to Chencha, for the Dorze people, with their unique houses and traditions. Visit the false banana cultivations, from which they extract their traditional bread (the Kotcho), the weaving works and more. Afternoon make a boat excursion on Chamo lake for crocodiles, hippos, birds and a fantastic sunset. Meals & ON Emerald Resort
20. Leave your hotel around 0730 am & drive to Jinka. See on the way the Konso, Derase, Tsemay, Ari and Benna people. Being Thursday admire the KeyAfer village market of Tsemay & Erbore people. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON in a hotel in Jinka
21. Drive to the Mago National park, admiring different mammals and birds. Proceed to visit the Mursi people and their villages. Here for beauty women use to put round plates into their lips. Afternoon then drive back to Jinka and visit the museum. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON in hotel
22. SAT. Drive to Turmi. On the way admire Saturday’s Dimeka village market of the Hamer, Karo & Tsemay people. Proceed to visit the Hamer people and villages. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON Turmi Emerald lodge www.emeraldresortandlodge.com
23. Leave your hotel around 0730 am & drive to the Nyangatom people crossing the Omo river with small boats at Kangate. Walk to the villages. Then back to Kangate, meet the vehicles and drive about 1 hr to visit the Karo people, for their very interesting decoration and scarification all over their body. From Kortcho village you’ll enjoy also a spectacular view over the Omo River. Late afternoon drive back to Turmi, to visit the Hamer people and their villages + culture Lunch on the way; dinner & ON Turmi Emerald lodge
24. MON. Drive to Omorate, at Omo river bank, to visit Dassanech people & villages. Then back to Turmi to admire the colorful Hamer, Karo and Dassanech people market. Ones the market is done have a full day for the Hamer people. With luck we’ll try also to participate to the Hamer people marriage ceremonies, with the bull jumping. And in the evening visit the Evangadi dances Lunch on the way; dinner & ON Turmi Emerald lodge
25. Drive to the Erbore people and visit their villages and interesting culture. Then proceed to the Weyto river valley, where you might have your lunch. Make a stop for the visit of a Konso people village, which are famous for the terracing agriculture, and have particular traditions. Afternoon proceed your drive, crossing the Derase and Konso people, to reach Arbaminch. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON Emerald Resort
26. Drive to the Rift Valley lake of Langano. Here you have possibility of trekking and short walking, bird-watching (this is inhabitant of 400 species of birds), spot mammals and monkeys as the culubus monkey (in Amharic Gelada baboons), have the possibility to explore the area by horse-riding, and can have a relaxing swimming in the only bilharzias free lake. Lunch on the way. Dinner and ON lodge
27. Morning relax at Langano and have the possibility of the above mentioned activities. Afternoon drive back to Addis. Lunch at Langano. Dinner traditional restaurant with folkloristic dances in Addis. After dinner transfer airport for departure
