Grand tour of Éthiopie: From tribal territories of the Omo Valley to ancient kingdoms of the Abyssinian highlands

Route en suivant the Great Rift Valley, grande faille tectonique qui coupe l'Afrique de l'Est de part en part.

Stunning panoramas sur la vallée parsemée de nombreux lakes.

Visit to Abijatta National Park: Hiking around the crater lakes frequented by colonies of pink flamingos.

Arrival in awassa, capital of the Sidamo region, famous for its coffee.

Walk along the lakeside frequented by marabous and in Amor Gedel park and its many monkeys

We continue down the Rift Valley.

Road to the Guge Mountains, at 2700 m altitude to reach the villages of the Dorze. Formerly fearsome warriors, they have converted to weaving and the cultivation of enset (or false banana) of which they make multiple uses, from food to housing.

Discovery and visit of a village with its surprising traditional hive-shaped huts standing about ten meters high.

Panorama of two of the largest lakes in Éthiopie's Rift Valley: the Chamo and Abaya lakes which are separated by a strip of land called the "Bridge of God".

Arrival at Arba Minch, bordered by lush mountains, meaning the forty springs

Road to the hills of the Konso country.

Discovery of the Konso ethnic group, sedentary farmers who have carved numerous terraces into the hillsides for their crops (millet, sorghum, cotton, maize, papaya…) with an ingenious irrigation system optimizing rainwater (landscape listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site).

The Konso are divided into nine clans, each possessing their wagas (or sculpted wooden funeral totems).

Visit to Konso villages, structured into quarters, with genuine basalt enclosure walls protecting them from wild animals and mud flows.

Route through the scrubland savanna towards the small town of Jinka.

Visit to the weekly market of Key Afer, a meeting point for many ethnic groups, including the Banna, Ari, Tsemay and Hamer, who often walk for several days to reach the market to exchange food, spices, butter, goats,…

Encounters with the Mursi ethnic group mursi.

Agro-pastoralists with shaved heads, pierced ears, scarified arms and torso, the men are warriors renowned for being very impressive. The women, meanwhile, wear a clay plate inserted in the lower lip, as well as ear plates (the size of the lip plate being proportional to the dowry required by the family).

Route towards the small town of Turmi.

Stronghold of the Hamer, semi-nomadic pastoralists, living from livestock breeding and the cultivation of sorghum, millet, tobacco and cotton.

Route through the savanna (hiking opportunity) where you will have the chance to observe giant termite mounds, many birds including African guinea fowl as well as mini baobabs.

Discovery of the Karo ethnic group on the banks of the Omo River.

The Karo are famous for their body paintings in colored ochre, in white chalk, in yellow mineral rock or any other natural resource. The hairstyle of Karo men is very elaborate and each element has a meaning.

Route through the brushy savanna towards the small town of Jinka.

The Ari take advantage here of a green and fertile region that allows them to grow cereals, coffee and fruits.

Route to Omorate and crossing of the Omo River by canoe to reach the Dassanetch country.

Close to the Kenyan border, this tribe far from the world takes advantage of the fertile and silty lands of the Omo River delta to grow sorghum.

This lower valley of the Omo is a major prehistoric site (listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO), where numerous hominid fossils of essential importance for the study of human evolution have been discovered.

Walk along the East bank of the Omo, discovery of a traditional village composed of small huts made of branches, sheet metal and animal hides. The hairstyle of the Dassenech is very sophisticated.

Return to Turmi.

Visit to the great market of Turmi, where Hamer women sell vegetables, spices, butter, milk as well as traditional items such as carved gourds, stools, bracelets and goat skins, decorated with beads and shells.

Road to Arba Minch

Boat excursion on the Lake Chamo to observe an incredible variety of birds as well as Africa's largest crocodiles (reaching up to 6 m in length) that coexist with hippopotamuses, pelicans and fish eagles.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Bahir Dar via Addis Abeba.

Arrival at bahirdar airport: pickup and transfer to your hotel

Bahir Dar is considered the riviera of Éthiopie. With its palm-lined avenues and its immense lake, it is also the capital of the Amhara region.

Visit of the Bahir Dar market towards which all the peasants of the region converge.

Boat excursion on Lake Tana, home to around thirty islands and as many churches and monasteries. Observation of numerous birds, hippopotamuses, and fishermen on their tankwas (traditional papyrus boats).

Visit to the Ura Kidane Meret monastery, a remarkable example of Éthiopie religious architecture and painting and its museum housing a collection of crosses dating back to the 14th century.

Stroll among the coffee plantations and mango trees to the Azoua Mariam church

Return by boat to Bahir Dar.

Road to Tiss Abay village.

After crossing the Blue Nile via an old sixteenth-century Portuguese bridge, walk along a path to a superb viewpoint overlooking the Blue Nile Falls(400 m long and 45 m high) then reach the base of the waterfall after crossing a lovely suspension bridge.

Climb back up via another path and return to the other bank by boat.

Visit the village and coffee ceremony in a village house.

In the evening, head to an azmari bet, a local music and dance club where the azmari, like the medieval minstrel, improvises verses about local life.

Departure for Gondar by a scenic road along the eastern shore of Lake Tana.

Arrival at Gondar, capital of Éthiopie from the 17th to 19th century which holds a rich architectural heritage.

Visit of the imperial city which groups within an enclosure of 900 m, palaces, churches, monasteries, public and private buildings of a very particular style. The decoration is marked by Indian and Arab influences, and transformed by the Baroque aesthetics transmitted by Jesuit missionaries.

Visit of the Debre Birhan Selassie Church, an ancient and very famous church whose ceiling and walls are entirely painted with magnificent hundreds of faces of angels.

Route vers Debark et Enregistrement auprès des autorités du Simien National Parket transfert jusque Sankaber

Observation of Gelada baboon colony, large primates of the Ethiopian highlands.

These baboons are vegetarian and live in groups of 200-300 with a dominant male. They spend their time grazing on grass and grooming each other. Females have a red chest.

HIKING : Sankaber (3250m) – Jinbar ; hiking time : approx. 1h 30

Walk on the ridge line trail among afro-alpine vegetation with magnificent viewpoints over the vertiginous canyons and surrounding peaks until the great Jinbar waterfall.

Subject to advance notice, possibility of a longer hike (approximately 4h)

Camp setup and evening around the campfire.

Upgrade option : Accommodation at Simien lodge

Massive erosion over the years has formed on the Éthiopie plateau one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world with peaks, valleys and cliffs reaching up to 1500m in depth.

Transfer to Ambaras

Trek: Ambaras (3700m) – Inatye (4020m) – Ambaras (3700m) Walking time: approx. 4h

Gradual ascent over the vast plateau through afro-alpine grassland and giant lobelias to the summit of Inatye, a splendid viewpoint offering an exceptional view over plunging cliffs, deep valleys and small plateaus below.

Wildlife observation: walia ibex, colonies of gelada baboons, Lammergeyer vultures, or the Abyssinian wolf.

Vehicle pickup at Ambaras.

Vehicle pickup at Ambaras and return to Gondar.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Lalibela

Arrival at the airport: pickup and transfer to your hotel

Arrival in Lalibela, the holy city of Éthiopie's Christians, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Standing at 2500 m altitude, the small town of Lalibela is the most important pilgrimage site in the country.

Discovery of the first part of the archaeological site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. By creating the city towards the end of the 12th century, King Lalibela had the ambition to make it a faithful replica of Jerusalem, hence its name of "Black Jerusalem".

It is an extraordinary gathering of buildings and underground galleries. The churches are built around a rigorous urban plan, separated by a stream that recalls the Jordan. The interiors are decorated with paintings illustrating scenes from the Old and New Testament.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Addis Abeba.

Airport arrival: pickup

Shopping and/or visit to craftsmen's workshops and/or market

Transfer to the airport for your return flight.