Arrival in Addis Ababa. Meeting with the Red Jackal representative and transfer to the hotel. After a short break, start your visit to Addis Ababa, the third highest capital in the world.

The visit includes the Entoto Hills, the place from which King Menelik, the founder of Addis Ababa, descended to the plains. In Entoto, from where there is a wonderful panoramic view of the city, there are two churches built by Menelik, who was crowned in one of them. Near this site is the ancient Menelik Palace, still intact and open to visitors. Inside it is possible to see some royal clothing, war artifacts, furniture and old books.

The city tour also includes the National Museum, one of the most important museums in sub-Saharan Africa. Here is the skeleton of Selam, found in December 2000 in Dikika, Afar region, in northern Ethiopia. Like Lucy, Selam is an Australopithecus Aphaeresis. However, there is an important difference between the two, since Selam lived more than 150,000 years before Lucy!

Finally, in the afternoon a visit to the Mercato, the largest open market in East Africa, is scheduled. In it it is possible to find items as diverse as spices and jewelry. There is nothing that cannot be found in this huge and vibrant market.

Accommodation at the chosen hotel

Breakfast at the hotel. Later transfer to the airport to take the flight to Arba Minch. Arrival at Arba Minch airport, meeting with the cars and transfer to the lodge.

Lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, departure to the town of Chencha, home of the Dorze tribe. In this mountain area there are at least twenty villages in which it is possible to visit, in addition to walking along the paths that connect one village to another, and visiting some of the cooperatives in which men spin and weave garments of cotton, which are reputed to be the best in all of Ethiopia.

Very striking are also its curious “elephant houses”, made of wood and leaves from “enset”, the false banana plant. These houses are very tall and offer a lot of interior space, and are one of the most distinctive traditional structures in Africa. Although the Dorze dress in a “western” way, their culture remains alive and well, and visiting their townspeople is very interesting and enriching. After the visit, return to Arba Minch.

Dinner and accommodation at the lodge.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure to the south. A first stop will be made for a boat excursion on Lake Chamo, where it is possible to observe hippos, many birds and, above all, crocodiles from a very short distance.

After this first activity, continuation of the trip to the small town of Karat-Konso, which serves as an administrative center for the 27 “Konso” villages that are distributed around it. The Konso are known for their intricate cultivation terraces sculpted on the hills of the surrounding mountains, for their fine fabrics and the carved wooden totems with which they decorate their tombs.

In 2011 UNESCO declared 11 of these villages as Cultural Heritage of the Humanity, including in this denomination everything related to its culture; villages, cultivation terraces, rituals, language, etc. An unprecedented merit as it was the first ethnic group in the world to achieve such honors.

Arrival and lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, visit one of the nearby Konso villages. Traditionally these consist of hilltop settlements surrounded by stone walls measuring up to 2 meters in height, which can only be accessed via a limited number of rugged trails.

Dinner and accommodation at the lodge.

Breakfast at the lodge and departure to the west, bound for Jinka, through an asphalt road. Today the altitude of the northern and central Ethiopian plateau is definitely left behind, falling into a semi-desert plain, a savannah, dominated by the presence of acacia trees.

If it’s a Thursday, stop by to visit the weekly Key Afer market. In this market mainly the Hamer, Bena and Tsemay tribes converge, and it turns out to be a very colorful and authentic market. In addition to the various grains and hair dyes, decorated gourds, traditional musical instruments competing for space with different types of skins and jewelry, as well as many plastic objects such as buckets and brooms are on offer.

Picnic type food. Continuation to Jinka, where you visit a village of the Aari tribe, in the vicinity of the city. The Aari are attributed many artistic qualities, since apart from the ceramics they produce, the paintings with which they decorate the walls of their adobe huts are famous, a mainly feminine task. In addition to drawing different motifs, the paints used also vary, made with materials as diverse as ground coal, battery acid, earth mixed with ashes, red clay, cow dung and water.

Once in Jinka, visit their daily market in the center of town, which is very colorful, and mainly visited by the Aari, the predominant tribe in this area.

Dinner and accommodation at the lodge.

Breakfast at the lodge and departure to Mago National Park, where it is possible to observe an important diversity of animals such as the push-back, dik dik, baboons and colobus monkeys.

Inside the park you visit the town of the Mursi tribe. The Mursi of are one of the most eccentric and original branches of the original peoples of Ethiopia, known as Nara Surma. They are transhumant herders of the Nilotic-speaking group, and they raise cattle on the high plateaus of the Omo River. The Mursi are known worldwide for the scarification on their body and the use of earthen plates embedded on the lips of their adult women.

The lip plate is inserted in the lip of the woman between 15-20 years. The process begins 6 months before the wedding with the piercing of the lower lip. Successive stretching is achieved by placing larger and larger plates on the pierced lip. After 6 months of stretching, the lip is so elastic that a plate can go in and out without difficulty. The plates should always be worn in front of men and can only be removed at private meals, when sleeping or in the presence of other women. After the visit, return to Jinka. Lunch at the lodge.

In the afternoon, transfer to Turmi. On the way, you visit a village of the Hamer tribe. The Hamer are a people of strong, attractive complexions, where women and men alike take pride in and take care of their appearance. They usually dye their hair colors, moisturize their skins with oils, and decorate their bodies with necklaces and bracelets on their arms and legs. 

Dinner and accommodation at the lodge.

Breakfast at the lodge and departure to Omorate, some 70 kilometers away, and located on the banks of the Omo River.

In Omorate you need to register at the immigration office, as you are very close to the Kenyan border, and then you cross the Omo River by canoe to visit the Dasanech tribe village. The Dasanech live in the Omo River Delta, north of Lake Turkana, very close to the Kenyan border. They are believed to have arrived around 200 years ago from Sudan, probably fleeing famine and drought.

They have the reputation of being the poorest ethnic group on the African continent. Traditionally they were dedicated to grazing, and it is still their main activity, but due to climatic conditions they have changed their ancestral way of life and today they cultivate corn, sorghum and tobacco, and some are dedicated to fishing. Return to Turmi and departure towards the town of Arbore, about 70 kilometers from Turmi.

If it is a Saturday, you can visit its weekly market on Saturdays. Picnic type food. Arbore women adorn themselves with rich metal ornaments and necklaces and bracelets made from plastic beads, which they also use to adorn their leather skirts. In fact, the beads are one of the main distinguishing features of Arbore and it is easy to distinguish them from other tribes.

In addition, single girls shave their heads completely, which are covered with a black cloth to protect it from the sun. Arbore’s married women grow their hair out, which they braid into tight, short braids. Finally, I return to Turmi.

Dinner and accommodation at the lodge

Breakfast at the lodge and departure towards the town of Muruelle, 67 kilometers to the northwest. Today’s morning will be dedicated to visiting two tribal groups that live on the banks of the Omo River.

The first of these is the Karo tribe, who are visited in the village of Duss, on the banks of the Omo River. The Karos are known for their elaborate body painting art, traditionally used only on special occasions. The Karos paint their torsos and faces using white chalk and drawing various elaborate fantasy motifs in an attempt to imitate the plumage of the guinea fowl, which is very abundant in the area.

The Karo have great affinity with the Hamer, with whom they share a very similar appearance, traditions and language, such as the celebration of the ritual of the jumping of the bull to mark the passage to adulthood. Next, you will cross the bridge over the Omo River and visit the Kangatan village of the Nyangatom tribe, a semi-nomadic tribe of shepherds who live on the west side of the Omo River. Much less visited, the Nyangatom are famous for the scarification they procure on their bodies.

In their case, this tribe is much closer to the Turkana, a tribe in northern Kenya, and in fact the Nyangatom often have conflicts with their neighbors Hamer, Karo and Surma. Picnic type food. Continuation heading west, to enter the territory of the Omo National Park. Located in the Southern Peoples, Nationalities and Nations Region, on the west bank of the Omo River, the park covers approximately 4,068 square kilometers, and is about 870 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa.

Despite having a recently built airstrip near the park headquarters on the Mui River, this park is not easily accessible, sometimes being described as the “most remote National Park in Ethiopia.”

Dinner and accommodation at a campsite in the vicinity of the park administration.

Breakfast at the campsite. Today it is planned to cross the national park, to the town of Kibish, which is not far but, due to the lack of roads and the difficult conditions of the terrain, including the crossing of several streams, the trip can last a good part of the day.

The journey through the park offers the possibility of observing different types of animals, such as the oryx, giraffes, zebras, antelopes and gazelles. Elephants are rarely seen around Kibish. Picnic type food.

Arrival at the town of Kibish, inhabited by the Surma tribe, which shares the same Nilotic culture with the better known Mursi tribe, located on the east bank of the Omo River. Due to its isolation and lack of tourist infrastructure, which prevents the massive arrival of visitors, this ethnic group remains very little contaminated from the outside, offering the visitor a highly authentic and interesting experience.

Upon arriving in the vicinity of Kibish, a first contact will be sought by visiting a village of the Surma tribe. 

Dinner and camping in the town of Kibish

Breakfast at the camp. Full day to visit the Surma settlements in the area. Geographically isolated from the rest of the country, the Surma are rarely visited, and their customs have changed little in recent centuries.

Surma men are well known for Donga fighting, in which they engage in fierce battle armed with sticks and spears, while women are recognizable for wearing eye-catching “lip plates” made of wood and earth. Although the combats are usually more common between the months of January and March, just after the harvests, these are organized arbitrarily and unexpectedly, so it is perfectly possible to coincide with any of these celebrations.

The guide will be attentive to this possibility during the days in Surma territory and, in case of learning of any combat, he will do everything possible to integrate it into the program.

Dinner and camping in the town of Kibish.

Breakfast at the camp. In the morning it is possible to make a last visit to the Surma, and then start the transfer to the city of Jimma.

In its first part, the trip will cross the semi-arid and low-altitude area around the Omo River to gradually gain altitude and enter the spectacular landscapes of the Kaffa region, the main coffee growing area in Ethiopia. This region is often considered the home of the authentic Arabian Coffee strain, thanks to popular legend that explains how, on an uncertain date, between the 3rd and 10th centuries, a young shepherd first observed the stimulating properties of coffee wild.

The coffee plantation area near Jimma is surrounded by forests, which is also of great interest to bird watchers. Picnic lunch or at a local restaurant. If time permits visit one of the coffee plantation and it’s people at work and hav a fresh coffee and cermony at the palnation

Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel, and early departure (7:30 is recommended) to the Chebera-Churchura National Park. Although the distance is not long, the expected poor road conditions suggest that the journey may last up to 6 hours.

Chebera Churchura is located on the western side of the central Omo Gibe basin, about 460 km southwest ofAddis Ababa. It covers an area of ​​1,215 km2 that varies in altitude from 700 to 2450 meters above sea level. This park is fortunate to have numerous rivers and streams and four small lakes (Keriballa, Shasho, Koka) that are the reason for the presence of the rich wildlife resources in the area.

The Zigina River rises from the northeast highlands of the area and crosses the central part of the park (from north to south) and feeds the Omo River (there are also different perennial rivers that feed the Omo River that crosses the park). On the other hand, the Shoshuma River rises from the northwestern highlands of the Upper Konta area, crosses the northeast part of the park and mixes with the Zigina River within the park, which descend together to the Omo River.

The prominent topographic features are unique and highly attractive and are characterized by unique and highly heterogeneous and mountainous terrain, few flat and highly undulating lands to undulating plains with incised rivers and perennial streams, valleys and gorges.

Upon arrival at the park, if time and conditions allow, a first activity will be offered, according to the interests and wishes of the clients.

Dinner and camping in the vicinity of the park administration.

Breakfast at the camp, and a full day to explore the interior of the park, according to the interests and wishes of the clients.

It is advisable to plan today in advance, in order to optimize the time and the possibilities for observing fauna. So far, 37 mammals and 237 bird species have been recorded in the different habitats (highlands and river forests and savannas and scrub lands) of the park.

Common mammals in the park include the African elephant, hippopotamus, Cape buffalo, lion, and leopard. Currently, this park appears to be the least disturbed and reliable ecosystem for the African elephant and buffalo in the country. As an area that is relatively intact, this park is undoubtedly the best place to see African elephants and buffaloes in Ethiopia.

Our recommendation is drive and walk towards Lake Bulo for the African elephant, hippopotamus, Cape buffalo, lion, and leopard.

Dinner and camping in the vicinity of the park administration.

Breakfast at the camp. In the morning, depending on the time it takes to return to Jimma, it will be possible to make a last excursion inside the park. Later, transfer by land to Jimma. Picnic type food.

Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Free time until the time of transfer to the airport to catch the flight to Addis Ababa.

Arrival in Addis Ababa, check-in at the hotel for day use of the room. Free afternoon to rest (the car and the guide will be available to make a purchase or last visit).

Starting at 7:30 p.m., farewell dinner in a traditional restaurant. Finally, transfer to the airport to take the flight back.

Notes:- Driving hours are for reference, and will largely depend on the number and duration of stops requested by passengers during the route.

– This tour is not recommended between the months of March and June due to the rains that the region suffers. Due to the remoteness of the area visited on the west bank of the Omo River, this tour includes nights of camping and accommodation in basic hotels, especially in the towns located on the west bank of the Omo River (Jimma, Mizan Teferi).