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Ethiopia Spiritual Discoverer - 10 Days

Small group Lodge Safari - 9 nights / 10 days

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Images from Ethiopia Images from Ethiopia Images from Ethiopia Images from Ethiopia
Tour code: ESD

A small group, no participation lodge safari with all nights in lodges / permanent tented camps. The tour starts and ends in Addis Ababa and includes almost all the major highlights of Northern Ethiopia.

Departs: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ends: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Group size: Guaranteed from 2 guests; 7 guests maximum. *Guaranteed departures with no minimum pax available, please enquire.

Summary
Fully Accommodated Safari from and to Addis Ababa.

Highlights
Addis Ababa city tour, Axum, Lalibela, Gondar, Bahir Dar, Rock Churches.

Meals
Breakfast and dinner will be prepared by the lodge where you are staying. They will also prepare lunch or a lunch pack depending on the itinerary for the day. Please advise us of any special dietary requirements in advance.

SAFARI COST: Call for Pricing.

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: Call for Pricing.

 

Map of Ethiopia Spiritual Discoverer


DAY 1; (1 Night)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia  [Hotel]

Arrival at Addis AbabaUpon arrival at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel.

The name of the city, in Amharic, means “new flower”. Founded in 1886 by Menelik II, it is located at 2,500 meters above sea level in one of the highest parts of the Entoto mountain chain (3,000 meters above sea level). It enjoys an excellent climate all year round, with an average temperature of 25°C. Addis Ababa is a pleasant city with wide avenues of jacaranda trees, interesting museums and one of the largest open air markets in Africa, known as the “Mercato”. It also has a good number of restaurants and discotheques.

We will have a tour of Haile Selassie’s former palace which is now the home of the Ethnological Museum. Exhibits here represent the best of the arts and crafts of the country and give an in-depth insight into the various peoples of Ethiopia. Next is a visit to the National Museum, known to be the best museum in Africa, where cultural and archaeological relics, including a plaster cast of "Lucy," the 3.2 million-year-old Hominid, are displayed.

Time permitting, we will see Mercato, eastern Africa’s largest market or Mount Entoto which rises up to an altitude of 3200 meters and offers a panoramic view of the metropolis.


Overnight:
Jupiter hotel or Similar.
Meals: Own account.


DAY 2; (1 Night)
AXUM, Ethiopia
  [Hotel]

Axum, EthiopiaIn the morning, you shall be transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Axum. The legends narrated in the Kebre Negist “Book of Kings” recount how the city of Axum as early as the 10th century BC was the city in which the Queen of Sheba resided. It is recounted that the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant to Axum and it remains there to this day, preserved in a sanctuary. Famous long before the time of Christ, Axum was the capital of the long Axumite reign, one of the oldest African empires, and represented a crucial connecting-point between Africa and Asia for almost a thousand years. A visit is organized to the stelae: granite monoliths dating from pre-Christian times and decorated with symbolic engravings. In ancient times, there were seven steles. During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia, Mussolini had taken one of them to Rome. It has since then been returned and re-erected in Axum. There is also a visit to the church of Santa Maria of Zion, which contains the crowns of Ethiopian kings and other treasures.


Overnight:
Yeha Hotel or Similar.
Meals:
Breakfast: at Jupiter Hotel or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Jupiter Hotel or similar; Dinner: at Yeha Hotel or similar.

DAY 3; (1 Night)
AXUM - ADIGRAT, Ethiopia  [Hotel]

Axum, EthiopiaWe shall drive to Adigrat enjoying the landscape that is found on our way. En route we shall visit the first temple of Ethiopia, Yeha temple. Next is a visit to Debre Damo monastery which is not allowed to be visited by females and where one will be climbing or pulled up with a rope to enter into the monastery.


Distance / Time: 155 km; approx. 4-5 hours.
Overnight:
Agoro Lodge or similar.
Meals: Breakfast: At Yeha Hotel or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Yeha Hotel or similar; Dinner: At Agoro Lodge or similar.


DAY 4; (1 Night)
ADIGRAT - MEKELE, Ethiopia
  [Hotel]

Mekele, EthiopiaWhile driving to Mekele you shall visit the Tigray Churches like Daniel Korkor, Debre Mariyam Korkor and Abreha We Atsbeha en route.


Distance / Time: 200 km; approx. 5-6 hours.
Overnight:
Axum Hotel or similar.
Meals: Breakfast: at Agoro Lodge or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Agoro Lodge or similar; Dinner: at Axum Hotel or similar.


DAY 5; (1 Night)
MEKELE - LALIBELA, Ethiopia
  [Hotel]

Laibela, EthiopiaOn our way to Lalibela for overnight, we admire the spectacular views of Lake Ashenge and cross sites like Ambalage, Alamata and the Tekeze River, encountering the Tigray, Azebo/ Raya, Afar & Wollo people.


Distance / Time: 440 km; approx. 9-10 hours.
Overnight:
Panoramic View Hotel or similar.
Meals: Breakfast: at Axum Hotel or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Axum Hotel or similar; Dinner: at Panoramic View Hotel or similar.


DAY 6; (1 Night)
LALIBELA, Ethiopia
  [Hotel]

Lalibela, EthiopiaGame Drive in BotswanaLalibela is located at an altitude of 2,600 meters above sea level. The city contains 11 monolithic churches that were built in the twelfth century and are carved out of the pink granite rock; they have been classified as one of the wonders of the world. Each church has a unique architectural style. All are superbly carved and most of them are decorated with well-preserved paintings. The entire city may be described as a sculpture dedicated to the glory of God. There are no less than 1000 churches in the Lasta region of Lalibela some hidden in enormous caves, but it is exceptional to find 11 churches of such master craftsmanship in one locality. The day is dedicated to visiting the first and second group of churches.


Overnight: Panoramic View Hotel or similar.
Meals: Breakfast: at Panoramic View Hotel or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Axum Hotel or similar; Dinner: at Panoramic View Hotel or similar.


DAY 7; (1 Night)
LALIBELA - GONDAR, Ethiopia  [Hotel]

Gondor, EthiopiaIn the morning, we visit Naktule’ab church and then drive to Gondar which is the city of castes and churches, defined as the African Camelot. The Historical site of Debre Tabor was the Ethiopian capital during the reign of Emperor Tewodros IV (19th century) and is one of the most fertile lands in Ethiopia.


Distance / Time: 370 km; approx. 8-9 hours.
Overnight:
Taye Belaye Hotel or similar.
Meals: Breakfast: at Panoramic View Hotel or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Panoramic View Hotel or similar; Dinner: at Taye Belaye Hotel or similar.


DAY 8; (1 Night)
GONDAR - BAHIR DAR, Ethiopia
  [Lodge]

Priest - EthiopiaIn the morning we visit Gondar which was the capital city of the Ethiopian empire during the 17th and 18th century, which began in 1632 with the reign of Fasilidas. It is set in a landscape of incomparable beauty, located at the foot of the Semien Mountains. The city’s unique imperial compound contains a number of castles built 1632 to 1885 by the various Emperors who reigned during this period. These dramatic castles, unlike any other in Africa, display richness in architecture that reveals the Axumite traditions as well as the influence of Arabia.

The church of Debre-Berhan Sellassie (Light of the Trinity), is located at the summit of a hill and surrounded by fortified walls and its interior is decorated with unique murals. Other treasures of Gondar include the 18th century palace of Ras Beit, the Bath of Fasilidas, the ruined palace of the Queen Mentiwab Kuskuam church and the swimming pool of King Fassik which is used to baptize Christians during Ethiopian Epiphany on 19th of January every year. In the afternoon we drive to Bahir Dar for overnight.


Distance / Time: 180 km; approx. 3-4 hours.
Overnight:
Abay Minch Lodge or similar.
Meals: Breakfast: at Taye Belaye Hotel or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Taye Belaye Hotel or similar; Dinner: at Abay Minch Lodge or similar.


DAY 9; (1 Night)
BAHIR DAR, Ethiopia  [Lodge]

Ethiopian artistBahir Dar is a decidedly attractive town with palm-lined avenues and pretty lakeside vista. Nearby Lake Tana, 1,800 meters above sea level, is one of the long hidden sources of the Nile. We take a drive to admire the Blue Nile Falls. The Tissiat Falls (meaning water that smokes) are 30 km from where the Blue Nile leaves the lake, heading towards Khartoum. In the afternoon we visit Lake Tana and embark on a boat trip of 3-4 hours to admire the beautiful monasteries of Asua Mariam and Ura Kidane Meheret. Lake Tana covers a surface of about 3600 sq. km and is dotted with more than 36 islands, many of which are the sites of monasteries and churches, some dating from the 14th century in the reign of Emperor Amde Tsion.


Overnight: Abay Minch Lodge or similar.
Meals: Breakfast: at Abay Minch Lodge or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Abay Minch Lodge or similar; Dinner: at Abay Minch Lodge or similar.


DAY 10;
BAHIR DAR - ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia  [TOUR ENDS]

Market in Addis AbabaEarly in the morning, we drive back to Addis Ababa. On the way we visit the Amhara people and Blue Nile Gorge by crossing the bridge and we continue to Addis through the rolling plains of the Shewan Plateau. On our way, we shall visit the ancient monastic centre of Debre Libanos, founded in the 15th century. Time permitting, we shall also visit Portuguese bridge near the monastery.

In the evening, there is a farewell traditional dinner where we will experience live cultural music and dance. The tour concludes and you will be transferred to the Bole International Airport to catch your flight home.


Overnight: None.
Meals: Breakfast: at Abay Minch Lodge or similar; Lunch: Lunch pack from Abay Minch Lodge or similar; Dinner: Traditional dinner.




Note: The accommodation specified in the itinerary is a guide only and is subject to availability. Alternatives will be nearby and of a similar standard.


Included
Nine (9) nights in lodges and/or hotels as per itinerary, all with en-suite bathrooms, all transport in a fully kitted-out safari minibus, meals and activities as per the itinerary, park entrance fees, experienced professional guide.

Excluded
Flights and airport taxes, travel insurance, visa fees, pre and post tour accommodation, all drinks, tips, health requirements, telephone calls, curios & items of a personal nature, expenses for taking photos, watching dances or attending special ceremonies where applicable. Domestic flight quoted separately.

 

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