Tour Destination: Ethiopia
Many of us first discovered the rich culture and haunting landscapes of Ethiopia decades ago, flipping through the pages of National Geographic magazine. Back then it was a uniquely mysterious corner of the modern world. And even today, this vast land in northeast Africa – the only nation on the continent never colonized by Europeans – remains largely unexplored by travelers.
In May 2021, TravelQuest will change all that – with a one-of-a-kind trip venturing deep ...Show more
Following your early-morning arrival in Addis Ababa (airport code: ADD), your TravelQuest representative arranges the quick transfer to our central hotel, where breakfast awaits you. Enjoy a driving tour of the city, including a visit to the National Museum of Ethiopia and a stroll through the Merkato, East Africa’s largest open-air market. After lunch we return to the hotel to check in; then you can relax for the rest of the afternoon, enjoying dinner on your own or with others in our group.
After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our flight to Dire Dawa, where we arrive in time for a lunch of authentic regional fare. In the afternoon we visit the Ethio-Djibouti Railway station, which dates from the late 1800s. Next, we journey to the colorful spice market at Kefira, a traditional outdoor venue frequented by camels, donkeys and two-wheeled horse carts. Then it’s on to the old walled town of Harar, our home for the night, where you can stroll the bustling marketplace with the region’s Amhara, Oromo and Adere (Harari) peoples. In the evening we pay a visit to the Hyena Men, who collect offal and bones from around the city and then invite visitors to watch them feed wild hyenas – from their mouths. It’s an experience you won’t soon forget!
Today is devoted to exploring Harar, Ethiopia’s medieval capital, regarded by many as the fourth holy city of Islam next to Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Set on a plateau cut with deep gorges and surrounded by both desert and savannah, the city is protected by an encircling wall built in the 16th century by the Emir Nur ibn Mujahid. In addition to Harar’s fortifications and gates (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), we visit the former palace of Emperor Haile Selassie, as well as a traditional Harari village and the house of the renowned 19th-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud, who worked here as a coffee trader after giving up writing at age 21.
In the morning we drive from Harar back to Dire Dawa for our return flight to Addis. Then after lunch we head overland through Ethiopia’s famed Great Rift Valley – one segment in a line of deep fissures that extends 6,000 km (3,800 miles) from the Middle East through the heart of Africa to Mozambique. As a result of massive shifts in the Earth’s tectonic plates, the rift is punctuated by many lakes, each teeming with fish and supporting hundreds of species of birds. We stop to view two of the most beautiful, Lake Ziway and Lake Langano, and along our route have chances to spot a diverse array of wildlife, including hippos, monkeys, baboons and warthogs. Our final destination is the lakeside town of Awassa.
In the morning we visit Awassa’s famed fish market, the largest in Ethiopia, then head southwest along the shores of Lake Abaya to the community of Chencha. Here you meet the Dorze people, once feared as warriors and now renowned as weavers of fine cotton textiles – including their colorful robes, or shammas, which are popular throughout Ethiopia. The Dorze are also famed for their two-story “beehive” huts, which are constructed so skillfully from woven bamboo and enset (Ethiopian banana) that they last up to 80 years. Getting to know our Dorze hosts is a fascinating cultural experience, and the warmth of their welcome will stay with you as we carry on to our destination for tonight, the town of Arba Minch.
Our morning begins with a boat cruise on Lake Chamo, where you’re likely to spot hippos, great white pelicans and other species of water birds. Chamo also boasts one of the world’s most spectacular concentrations of giant crocodiles – to the point where locals call it “The Crocodile Market.” Driving southward, we stop at a remote village of the Konso people, set on a hillside among outcrops of basalt and protected by a network of stone-walled alleys. By the time we reach our final destination, an eco-lodge near the market town of Turmi, you can count on having plenty of vivid memories (with a camera full of images to match).
After breakfast we drive through the Omo River Valley to visit a village of the Karo people, who are known for elaborately decorating their faces and bodies before important ceremonies. Using white chalk and charcoal, as well as earth in hues of red, yellow and ochre, Karo men and women create striking paintings on their flesh, often imitating the plumage of guinea fowl. Many also scar their chests, making cuts and then rubbing them with ash to raise patterns in the skin. Our hosts show us their meeting grounds and ritual dancing place, along with the simple shelters, or shuppas, where they retreat from the midday heat – often to play a traditional board game called warre. In the afternoon we journey on to the market at Dimeka, a popular crossroads for members of the Hamer, Bena, Tsemay, Ari and other Omo Valley peoples.
After a morning flight to Bahir Dar, we head to Lake Tana, the largest in Ethiopia, whose many islands shelter churches of significant historical and cultural interest. Traveling by boat, we visit the monasteries of Ura-Kidane Mihret and Azwa-Mariam for a closer look at treasures of the Ethiopian Coptic Christians. And on the Zege Peninsula, you can stroll among coffee shrubs that were likely planted by early monks. The other highlight today is our visit to the Blue Nile Falls, one of the most spectacular in Africa, cascading 45 m (148 ft) across a 400 m (1,300 ft) span when the river is in full flood. The gravel road providing access to the falls can be a bit rough, but once we’re there it’s an easy half-hour walk to a vantage point that offers spectacular views and great bird watching.
Today we journey overland to Gondar, Ethiopia’s capital from the 16th to the 18th centuries, often called the “the Camelot of Africa” by admirers of its six castles. The oldest and most magnificent is Fasiledes, named for the king who founded Gondar in 1632. Also remarkable is the Church of Debre Birhan Selassie, an imposing structure with brightly colored ceilings covered in intricately painted angels.
This morning, we fly to the northern Ethiopian city of Axum. After an introduction to the region’s rich history at the archeological museum, we visit the famed Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion. Built from 1665 on foundations that likely date back a thousand years earlier, this is the oldest Christian site in Africa, with a guarded chapel that’s said to house the Ark of the Covenant. The modern cathedral, built in the 1960s by Emperor Haile Selassie, presents a striking contrast to its ancient setting. The other focal point of our visit is Axum’s renowned array of stelae – more than 120 stone monuments dating from the 4th century and now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can also walk among the ruins of various palaces and tombs, including the residence of the legendary Queen of Sheba, who may have lived here some 3,000 years ago.
Our morning flight takes us to Lalibela, situated high in the Lasta Mountains at more than 2,500 m (8,500 ft) above sea level. This is arguably one of the most important religious sites in all of Africa, and indeed the entire Christian world. While there are at least 200 churches across the region, some of them hidden in enormous caves, Lalibela boasts 11 structures whose engineering and craftsmanship have rightly earned renown as architectural wonders. Perhaps the most impressive is Medhane Alem, the largest monolithic rock-hewn church in the world, with 72 carved pillars. Everywhere you explore among these magnificent buildings, you find a wealth of cultural treasures, from faded frescoes gracing the stone walls to elaborately carved details on the piers, capitals and arches.
Today begins with an excursion to Yimerhane Kirstos, named for the 12th-century ruler who built this beautiful monastery with its olivewood panels and exterior of whitewashed marble. Next we discover a cluster of churches built to represent the heavenly Jerusalem, making our way to the centerpiece of the compound: cross-shaped Bete Giorgis, which boasts a spectacular interior dominated by depictions of its namesake, Saint George, slaying the dragon.
After a late checkout, enjoy an expert-guided tour of Addis Ababa, including a visit to Holy Trinity Cathedral, a baroque-style Orthodox church that is the burial site of Emperor Haile Selassie, as well as many Ethiopians who resisted the Italian occupation during the 1930s. Join us this evening for a farewell dinner at one of the best traditional restaurants in Addis, where we sample cuisine from around the country while enjoying folkloric dances and the music of various Ethiopian peoples. After dinner, it’s time to part ways following an amazing adventure together as we transfer you to the airport for your evening flight onward.
