12 days in Ethiopia: discovering the peoples of the Omo Valley

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival and visit of the capital

  

  Upon your arrival at the airport, you will be greeted by your driver and your guide, who will take you to the hotel. You will begin a tour of the capital, Addis Ababa, with a discovery of the Menelik 2 Palace, located on Mount Entoto, which was the former imperial palace of the emperors. You will also have the chance to observe the city from Mount Entoto, with a splendid panoramic view. Before lunch, you will visit the National Museum of Ethiopia, where Lucy, the most famous fossil representative in the world, rests. In the afternoon, you will continue the visits to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Addis Ababa, as well as the largest market in Africa.

• day 2

  Addis - Awassa

  Today, you will head towards Awassa, crossing the lakes of the Rift Valley, including Lake Koka and Lake Zeway. You will be able to admire Ethiopian wildlife, such as birds, flamingos, pelicans, ibises, fish eagles, kingfishers, and many others, on the shores of Lake Zeway. In the afternoon, you will continue your visit of the city of Awassa at your own pace, in complete tranquility.

• day 3

  Awassa - Arbaminch

  This morning, you will visit the fish market on the shore of Lake Awassa. You will then head towards Arbaminch, but before that, you will make a short stop in the town of Sodo for lunch and to visit the village of the Dorze people. These people mainly live in the plains bordering the lakes, but the vast majority of the inhabitants are found at altitude, on the slopes of Mount Gughe, around the village of Chencha, located 26 km west of the shores of Lake Abaya. You will arrive in Arbaminch in the afternoon.

• day 4

  Arbaminch - Turmi

  

  You will have the opportunity to take an excursion in small private boats on Lake Chammo, with an unforgettable experience of spotting hippos, crocodiles, pelicans, fish eagles, and pink flamingos. You will have lunch at a hotel in Konso before continuing on the road to Turmi, where you will visit the local market of Dimeka and meet the Hamer people, semi-nomadic herders living in one of the most arid regions of the southern savannah of southwestern Ethiopia, between the fertile lands of the east and the banks of the Omo. On the way, you will see the territories of different tribes such as the Derasher, the Konso, the Tsemay, and the Bena. You will spend the night in a lodge in Turmi.

• day 5

  Turmi - Omorater - Turmi

  After a good breakfast, you will set out to discover the Dassanetch people, numbering 25,000, settled on both banks of the Omo. To do this, you will board a wooden boat to cross the Omo River. The Dassanetch people are spread out in a region fertilized by the floods of the Omo delta and the influence of Lake Turkana. They live mainly from agriculture. You will return to Turmi for lunch and end the day by discovering the traditional village of the Hamer people.

• day 6

  Karo-Turmi

  On this new day, you will have the privilege of meeting the Karo, the only sedentary people in the region, located in the village of Douss on the eastern bank of the Omo. During the rainy season, they mainly take care of their livestock and, during the sowing and harvesting seasons, they spread out in the surrounding fields to cultivate cereals, cotton, and sugar cane. You will have lunch in Turmi and discover the local market of the Hammer and Turmi peoples. You will have the afternoon free to fully explore the city center of Turmi.

• day 7

  Visit of Jinka

  We will take you today to the city of Jinka, not far from Mago National Park. We recommend visiting the Jinka Ethnographic Museum, which traces the history of the peoples of southern Ethiopia. You will be able to freely explore the city center of Jinka, where you will also spend the night.

• day 8

  Jinka - Mursi

  

  This morning, you will meet the Mursi people, agro-pastoralists located in Mago National Park. They are one of the last remaining peoples in Africa, easily recognizable thanks to the women wearing lip and ear ornaments in the shape of flat discs. In the afternoon, you will visit the traditional village of the Ari people, who number 120,000 inhabitants.

• day 9

  Arbaminch - Konso

  

  Today, you will take the road to Arbaminch with a stop at the weekly market of Key Afer. It is the meeting place of the four different peoples of the Omo Valley, namely the Hamer, Tsemay, Benna, and Ari peoples. In the afternoon, we will meet the Konso people during the visit of a traditional village. The Konso are sedentary farmers, the only ones in southwestern Ethiopia to practice terrace farming. Their main activities are the production of cotton and different varieties of millet, used to make the flatbreads that are the staple food of the Konso. The Konso people are divided into nine clans, each with its own totem. You will arrive in Arbaminch in the evening.

• day 10

  Discovery of Lake Langano

  In the early morning, you will set out to discover Lake Langano, a favorite holiday spot for the citizens of the capital. Before that, you will make a stop at Lake Abayta and Lake Shalla, the deepest in the Ethiopian Rift. You will arrive at Langano in the early afternoon, where you can relax on the beautiful fine white sand beaches and enjoy the small secluded coves of Lake Langano.

• day 11

  Free time at Sabana Lodge.

  If you wish, you can continue exploring Lake Langano or spend time at the Sabana Beach Resort, where you can enjoy Ethiopian cuisine, take part in various activities, or simply relax on the terrace.

• day 12

  Visit of Addis Ababa and return flight

  

  On the last day, you will visit the city of Butajira with a stop at the Tiya stelae, an archaeological site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will head towards the capital Addis Ababa and can visit the rock-hewn church of Adadi Mariam there. According to tradition, it was built by King Lalibela in the 12th century and is now very famous among the Orthodox Christian population. After a pleasant picnic, you can enjoy some rest in a hotel before the traditional evening in the city. You will have dinner in a traditional restaurant with a folk dance show from different regions. After the various experiences lived over 12 days in Ethiopia discovering the peoples of the Omo Valley, your driver will take you to the airport for your return flight. The price includes: • International flights: round trip • Personal expenses. • Expenses for porters and servers in hotels. • Fees for your visa for Ethiopia. • Fees for taking photos as well as for the camera at tourist sites. • Travel insurance for all travelers. • The cost to make the deposit and balance transfer. The price does not include: • Accommodation • Vehicles • Full meals with soft drinks for lunch and dinner per person per day. • 1 liter of water per person per day during the day, from the day of arrival in Addis until the day of departure to Paris. • All excursions and entrance fees, fees for English-speaking local guides for all visits mentioned in the program. • Professional English-speaking drivers for the visit of Addis Ababa and for all stays outside Addis Ababa. • A professional French-speaking guide/escort.