Ethiopian Cultural Tours Duration: 5 Nights/6 Days
Transportation: Surface
On our short cultural tour to the tribes of the omo valley, you will meet and visit the Mursi and Hammer peoples and their villages.
Itinerary: |
DAY 1) Addis Ababa to Arba Minch to start Ethiopian cultural tours
Early morning we will ride south ward for our trip to Arba Minch. Check in. Our first destination is the nearby Nech Sar National Park, and wildlife is the main attraction, thus we have another early breakfast in order to be in the park for the best morning lights, when wildlife is most active. Nech Sar is known for its great scenery and rare species, which include Burchell’s Zebra, Swayne’s Hartebeest and Lesser Kudu, as well as more common ones like Plains Zebra, Greater Kudu, Grant’s Gazelle, bushbuck, warthog, Anubis Baboon and Black-backed Jackal to name a few. Over Night in Hotel
DAY 2) Arba Minch -Turmi
Extremely early (4 am) drive to Turmi, check in at our hotel early afternoon, very quick lunch, depart for Omorate. First we drive to the Omo River and cross it, in order to reach a village on the other side, called Omorate. This area is inhabited by the Daasanach people, known for their very basic house designs and body painting. Over Night in Hotel.
DAY 3) Turmi- Jinka
Today we are moving our base of exploration about 120 norths of Turmi, to a small township called Jinka. Once we depart after breakfast, we head west on the road we drove on from Arba Minch, but soon take off northbound, towards a village called Dimeka. The place itself isn’t very picturesque, but every Friday, the nearby Hamar settlements all gather in Dimeka for a colorful market and the bland landscape serves as a superb backdrop. We stop here for a couple of hours to visit a Banna village, followed by the market to watch the people, animals and all sorts of products pass by, before we keep traveling north. Our next port of call is a beautiful acacia tree, under which we take our packed lunches, before we continue on. We also stop for a short break and a drink in Key Afer, before we keep pushing forward, until we reach Jinka, our final destination today. We quickly check in at our safari camp, and if our timing is good, we will have enough time left to visit a village of the Ari people in the outskirts of Jinka. Overnight in Hotel.
DAY 4) Jinka-Mago N.P- Arba Minch
Today we arise to yet another great day of exploration in Southern Ethiopia. As early as 4 am, we shall board our vehicles and start a 40km drive southward, to Mago, one of the most remote national parks of the country. Although Mago NP has quite a few buffaloes, zebras and other antelopes to see, its main attraction is the scenery and its people. The park is divided into two sections by the Mago River, which supports acacia forests and the interesting Neri Swamp, before it joins the Omo River. We drive directly into the area of the famous Mursi people. The Mursi women are well known for their piercing of their lips and inserting a large wooden plate into it. They also employ other unique body piercing and build interesting houses, so it is very unique experience to be able to spend half a day in their village, exploring their lifestyle and getting to know a few families. After a few villages and a few hours of exploration, we drive back out from the park and drive all the way to Arba Minch for Overnight stay. Overnight In Hotel
DAY 5) Arba Minch- Addis Ababa to complete Ethiopian cultural tours
For one more time, we have a long day of driving ahead of us, all the way back to Addis Ababa. Today we are taking a route that is different from the one we came on, so there will be a lot of new things for us to see. We shall leave our hotel as early as 6 in the morning, and will have a lunch break in Shashemene, the town famous for its Rastafarian community. From here on, we are visibly traveling on the bottom of the Great Rift Valley, which is scattered with soda lakes, supporting a great variety of birdlife. Depending on our timing, we will attempt to visit at least one of the lakes – most probably Lake Ziway futher north. The forests around the lake contain many endemic or interesting bird species, such as Yellow-fronted Parrots, Black-headed Forest Orioles, Golden-backed Woodpeckers, Grosbeak Weavers and Mountain Wagtails, many of which we will attempt to see. From here we continue on northbound, until we reach Addis Ababa just around sunset. We take our well-deserved comfortable rooms in our familiar hotel and will gather for a fantastic dinner from our five star chefs. Early bedtime, in preparations for the second leg of our trip; this will take us to the historic northern part of the country. Overnight in Hotel.
DAY 6) Addis Ababa
After breakfast, you will have a half day city tour to the National Museum and to the African biggest open air market” Mercato”. And you will have a free shopping time.
Evening before departure you will be our guest in one of a traditional restaurant for a fare well dinner program. Finally transfer and drop off at Addis Ababa airport for your international air port.
Evening Departure.
————-End of Ethiopian Cultural Tours arrangements ———-
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