Wild Earth

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Day 01:   Arrive Addis Ababa
Meet with our representative and transfer to our hotel with its large, attractive garden home to a wide variety of birdlife and an excellent place to relax. Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia, and the third highest capital city in the world, literally on the roof of Africa. With eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites it is also one of the most historically and culturally significant cities. Over dinner meet with your fellow travelers and enjoy an introduction to Ethiopia’s many diverse cultures, and take the opportunity to sample Tej, a traditional wine made from Honey.

Day 02:        Addis Ababa
Today we explore the vibrant city of Addis Ababa, visit the Ethiopian National Museum with its invaluable collection on Sub-Sahara Africa. View the skeleton of Selam, found in 2000 in Northern Ethiopia and just like the famous Lucy is an Australopithecus aphaerensis but who lived over 150,000 years earlier. There will also be the opportunity to witness coffee production at the Robera plant and wander through Mercato, the largest market in East Africa where you will find everything from spices to artifacts and jewelry. We also plan a visit to the Fistula Hospital, established in 1974 by the Hamlins, gynecologists from New Zealand and Australia who pioneered the development of fistula surgery and have established a training hospital.

Day 03:    Gondar – Simien Mountain National Park
This morning we fly to Royal city of Gondar. Emperor Fasilidas founded Gonder as his imperial seat in 1636 and the city was both the capital and a great commercial center from 17th till the 19th century. We visit the Fasil Gibbi or Royal Enclosure and explore the royal compound with its many castles. Travel northwards through arguably some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world to Simien Mountain National Park, recognized by UNESCO for its unique natural features. Home to the endemic Walia Ibex, Ethiopian Wolf and Gelada Baboon over 30 species of mammal and 180 species of birds have been recorded. Our accommodation within the park not only allows us to enjoy all that the park has to offer but is also the highest hotel in Africa at an altitude of 3260 metres.

Day 04:    Simien Mountain National Park
We spend the full day exploring the Simien Mountains with opportunities to see the regions spectacular plants and animals that have evolved in isolation atop these high mountains. Walk through alpine meadows with plants in full flower after the rains and watch the troops of Gelada Baboons feeding before retreating enmass down the cliffs at the first sign of danger.

Day 05:    Gondar
Returning to Gondar visit the Debre Berhane Selassie church, the only church that was saved from Mahdist invasion in the 1880s, according to legend, a swarm of bees routed the invaders and saved the church. The walls and ceiling are completely covered with murals - the angels’ faces on the ceiling have become a common motif in Ethiopian design.  Spend the evening at Azmari Bets, with it is traditional praise singing, where young couples perform, the man playing Masinko while the woman sings.

Day 06:   Lalibela                                                                                                                                     Lalibela is rightly acknowledged as being one of the wonders of the world.  At the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries King Lalibela of the Zaghwe dynasty built a series of rock hewn churches in this spot, calling it New Jerusalem. Today there are 11 churches in the town that is named after the king. In addition, other rock hewn churches exist in the surrounding country side, all still in use to this day.
The first group of six churches lies in rock cradles, one behind the other: Bet Golgotha, Bet Mikael, Bet Mariam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danaghel and Bet Medhane Alem. Bet Medhane Alem, the largest, is built like a Greek temple. In a corner are three empty graves symbolically dug for biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Bet Giyorgis, possibly the most elegant of all the Lalibela churches, lies somewhat isolated in the southwest part of the village on a sloping rock terrace and can only be reached via a tunnel.

Day 07:     Lalibela
This morning we drive to the cave church of Yemrehane Christos, built by the king of the same name before the reign of King Lalibela.  The church is constructed inside a cave, with alternating levels of wood and stone, this beautiful church is the finest example of its kind in Ethiopia.
Late afternoon enjoy a stroll through the ancient and still very traditional town. Here we have the opportunity to experience the Ethiopia coffee ceremony, which originated about a thousand years ago.

Day 08:   Kombolcha
The day starts with an optional dawn visit to Bet Giyoris, a special opportunity to observe ancient Christian devotion unchanged for millennia. Throughout the day as we journey to Kombolcha the environment changes from high dry plateau to the green rolling hills around Hayk. Continuing into the Wollo province the house construction and farming styles change and we have the opportunity to visit some of these traditional farm homes, before we arrive in the bustling mountain town of Dessie. Enjoy the evening in Kombolcha a small rural town with a cooler spring like climate.

Day 09:    Bati & Bilen 
We visit the famous Bati Market, where the highlands and lowlands meet and trade. A variety of ethnic groups from the highlands – Amharas, Tigrayans, Oromos, Argoba and Gurage – meet with the Afar who inhabit a large stretch of land from Messawa in Eritrea, down the Red Sea Coast and inland to the Danakil Depression.
The Afar Region of Ethiopia, has consistently turned up evidence of the earliest hominids, including Lucy (3.4millions years old) discovered in 1973. Today we travel through very very dry lands on the edge of the Danakil desert until we join the main road between Djibuti and Addis Ababa taking a welcome stop  for a local style lunch. We continue to our  accomodation  on the shores of Elalaytu, the wetlands created by nearby hot springs  Your accommodation has been built to resemble an Afar style home on the outside with the western trimmings inside  From your veranda and the dining room you can view the  wildlife emerging from the thick reeds to drink and graze with the Abyssinian Highlands in the distance.

Day 10:      Bilen
Early this morning we visit the vast hot springs of Bilen, over 440 species of bird have been recorded in the Bilen area including rare species such as Yellow-Throated Serin, and Arabian Bustard. Wart hog, Dik dik, Mongoose, Vervet monkeys, Porcupines Olive baboons and turtles are common, you may also catch site of Lesser Kudu and Oryx. The option of joining camel trekking this morning will increase chances of seeing the wildlife, not only can you get closer to the wildlife but there are also some great views from the top of a camel. This evening as the sun goes down we are invited to visit a nearby semi-nomadic village as they conduct their evening rituals of settling the animals, preparing food, and securing themselves from the roaming packs of hyenas. See how these amazing nomadic lifestyles persist and thrive to this day.

Day 11:       Shalla & Abiata National Park
Today we begin the journey south to Lake Langano passing through a dry landscape before entering the busy town of Nazret situated in a warm valley and a major cattle collection point. Here the surrounding landscape is greener with productive farmlands producing citrus, papaya, and sugar. We reach Shalla & Abiata National Park, recognized for the profuse birdlife especially in the acacia woodland which clothes the shoulder between the two lakes   Shalla Lake, has a very alkaline taste and is the deepest in the Ethiopia Rift, with a recorded depth of 266m.  We overnight on the southern shores of Lake Langano a brownish lake noted for the giant pelicans that fish here but return to nesting sites over the mountains often dropping most of their catch along the way.

Day 12:    Bale Mountain National Park
Driving deep into Bale Mountain National Park we soak in the wild alpine scenery and watch for its many and varied inhabitants many evolved especially for survival in this alpine environment. Over 60 species of mammal and 260 bird species have been recorded in the park but we will be keeping a close watch for the elusive and endangered Ethiopian Wolf and Mountain Nyala.


Day 13:     Bale Mountain National Park
This morning after an early breakfast we drive to the Sanetti Plateau. The Sanetti Plateau is the single largest expanse of Afro-Alpine Moorland, a mountain habitat confined between 3500m and 4500m above sealevel in East Africa’s highest peaks. Today provides a last opportunity for the journey to observe Ethiopian Wolf, another wildlife highlight of the day promises to be the Giant Molerat. Later in the day visit the Harenna Escarpment, witness geological process at work and marvel in the amazing scenery.

Day 14:     Awassa
Tonight we stay on the shores of Lake Awassa, a beautiful freshwater lake, set amongst hills with luxuriant vegetation, quite unlike the alkaline lakes to the north. We drive past traditional farming scenes and note the differing house styles and traditional regional hairstyles! During a morning lakeside walk we will visit the Sidamo fisherman as they land their catches of Tilapia and catfish, gutting and filleting them by the lake. Here the air is alive with birds, their relationship with these fishermen being entirely harmonious.

Day 15:       Arba Minch
Arriving in Arba Minch (Forty Springs), it is impossible to not be impressed by the setting for this the largest town in Southern Ethiopia. The town sits high in the foothills of the Rift valley, above a cliff overlooking the mountainous sliver that separate the lakes of Chamo and Abaya While mountains rise to almost 4000m high in the west. In Arba Minch, whenever we walk and at whatever time of day, there are stunning views in all direction.
Here we will visit the Dorze people at Chencha, famous for their huge beehive huts, that must be among the most distinctive traditional structures to been seen anywhere in Africa. Every Dorze compound is surrounded by enset (false banana) and other crops. In addition to their distinctives homes the Dorze people are also renowned for producing the finest traditional cotton cloth in Ethiopia.

Day 16:       Turmi
Continuing further south into some of the most remote and seldom visited parts of Ethiopia we head towards South Omo, with a well deserved reputation as a cultural garden of Eden. Along the way we visit Konso, these people are known fo rtheir  intricately terraced hillsides, fine woven fabrics and the carved totems with which they decorate their graves. The landscape is now lush in stark contrast to the barren north of Ethiopia, watch for Guereza Monkeys and Baboons feeding through the Fig Woodland.

Day 17:        Turmi
Learn about the traditional life of the Hamer people, both men and women of this tribe take great pride in their appearance, shaving and coloring their hair, oiling their bodies and decorating themselves with beads and bracelets that are worn around both arms and legs. Walking through traditional Hamer villages amazingly still completely free from western or even non-organic materials one is struck by how incredibly neat and tidy everything is with construction entirely of local materials, mud, wood and thatch. Each village consists of a single extended family unit of approximately 10-15 huts in close proximity around which daily life rotates.

Day 18:        Turmi & Murulle
Today we delve even deeper into traditional culture and village life visiting the Karo people in their villages of Dus and Kolcho. The Karo are considered masters of body painting, an art they engage in for dances, feasts and family celebrations. This area is dry with subsistence farming practices the main occupation in the region. Many of the ancient local cultural values and customs are somewhat similar to the Maasai people south of the Kenyan border only 80 kilometers distant.

Day 19:       Jinka
After breakfast drive to Jinka, the administrative capital of south Omo zone via Dimeka and Key Afer. The scenery becomes drier with only scrubby vegetation surviving in the barren landscape. We have the opportunity to meet the local farmers throughout the day and see some of the colourful arm and leg bracelets that this district is famous for.

Day 20:     Jinka
We visit the local Ari & Bena tribal people in their homes enroute to Mago National Park where we enter a world where the wildlife dominates. Here the ecosystem has more similarities to the East African Parks further to the south in the Rift Valley, open grasslands dominate and there are excellent opportunities to see Buffalo, Grant’s Gazelle, Topi and Burchill’s Zebra. During the afternoon we visit the most renowned of the Omotic speaking tribes, the Mursi Tribe. Large clay plates are inserted in the lower lips of women from the Mursi tribe, ever larger plates are used eventually reaching the impressive dimensions of a bread and butter plate.

Day 21:     Arba Minch
Today we return to Arba Minch and see it through new eyes having seen and experienced the vibrant traditions and cultures which still thrive in Ethiopia’s south. Late afternoon venture out on the waters of Lake Chamo with opportunities for viewing Hippos and crocodiles from a close but safe range.

Day 22:       Addis Ababa
We complete our Ethiopian discovery, returning to the capital city where we enjoy a final evening together to relive the experiences of the last 3 weeks.

Day 23:      Departure
Transfer to the airport to connect with your international flight home.