Mythical Ethiopia: Ancient Kingdoms of the Abyssinian Highlands - Danakil: On the Salt and Volcano Route

Transfer to the airport for the flight to bahirdar.

Boat excursion on the Zeghe Lac 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 of the monastery Ura Kidane Mehret Church, a remarkable example of architecture and Ethiopian religious painting and its museum housing a collection of crosses dating back to the 14th century.

Walk among the coffee plants and mango trees to the Azoua Mariam church.

Return by boat.

Road to the village of Tiss Abay.

After crossing the Blue Nile by an old Portuguese bridge from the 16th century, 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 to the village and coffee ceremony in a village house.

In the evening, meet up at an azmari bet, a local music and dance club where the azmari, like the medieval minstrel, improvises in verse about local life.

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

Arrival in Gondar, capital of Éthiopie from the 17th to the 19th century.

Gondar boasts a rich architectural heritage. Visit of the imperial city which groups together 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 Arabic 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 superb hundreds of angel faces.

Route to Debark

Registration with the authorities of the Simien National Park and transfer to Sankaber

Observation of a colony of Gelada baboons, 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 along the ridgeline trail among afro-alpine vegetation with magnificent views of the vertiginous canyons and surrounding peaks up to the great Jinbar waterfall.

Subject to advance notice, possibility of doing 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 one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world on the Éthiopie plateau with peaks, valleys and cliffs reaching depths of up to 1500m.

Transfer to Ambaras

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

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

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

Vehicle pickup in 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 Ethiopian Christians, listed as UNESCO World Heritage. At an altitude of 2500 m, 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 UNESCO's world heritage.

In creating the city towards the end of the 12th century, King Lalibela nurtured 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.

Flight to Semera.

Arrival at Semera airport: welcome by the team

Gradual descent from the Wollo high plateau towards the Awash River valley which gets lost in the Danakil Depression without ever reaching the sea.

Progressively, the landscapes become increasingly desert-like to give way to arid and volcanic land. This is the territory of the Afar people and the region where our ancestor Lucy was discovered.

Route towards the volcano Erta Ale between sand dunes and solidified lava.

At nightfall, ascent of the volcano slopes up to the edge of the caldera where lava eruptions glow and illuminate the night.

Depending on safety conditions at the time, descent into the caldera with approach and observation of the lava lake.

Bivouac at the foot of the volcano.

Sunrise over the caldera and small excursion into the crater. Observation of beautiful lava flow formations.

Descent to rejoin the vehicle and drive towards Afdera.

Discovery of the Assalé salt lake, artisanal salt extraction area. It was the starting point for long camel caravans that crossed the vastness of the desert for 6 days to reach the city of Mekele.

Possibility of swimming in the hot salty springs where you float as in the Black Sea.

Sunset over the salt ice shelf

Discovery of its colorful geological wonders: miniature geysers, deep green acid lakes, labyrinths of jagged and sharp rocks, stratified salt towers, brine flows, multicolored concretions, evaporites.

Arrival in Mekele, capital of Tigray, the arrival point for the great salt caravans of the Danakil and an essential place of exchange for Tigrayans and Afars.