HISTORICAL ROUTE OF ETHIOPIA 7 Days

Day 01 ADDIS
Arrive in Addis Ababa transfer to hotel; Afternoon city tour of the capital including Entoto Mountains with very nice view over the capital and church of St Mary with adjacent museum of imperial objects. Then back to the city, for the National museum; Ethnological museum; St. George’s Cathedral where Haile Selassie was crowned with Statue in Addis Ababa of Abun Petros, an Ethiopia bishop martyred by the Italian fascists in 1936 and Meneilk the Statue and the Merkato, biggest open air market in Africa and on the way different historical monuments.

Day 02 ADDIS – AXUM
Fly to Axum; visit steles register by UNSCO, different archaeological sites, the bath and the palace of Queen of Sheba, tomb of Kings and churches, among which in the church of St. Mary of Zion (where legend says is deposited the Ark of Covenant, brought here from Israel by King Menelik I); overnight in Sabean Hotel.

Day 03 AXUM – LALIBELA
Fly to Lalibela; visit the first group of Lalibela rock hewn churches built in the 12th century and attributed to king Lalibela. (There are no less than 1000 churches in the Lasta region of Lalibela some hidden in enormous caves, but it is exceptional to find 11 churches of such master craftsmanship in one local; overnight in Panoramic View Hotel.
Day 04 LALIBELA
Morning visit one of the churches out of the town, we propose an excursion by mules to the Asheten Mariam church or by car to the cave church of Naktule’ab with very nice view through villages. Back to Lalibela for lunch, afternoon continue visiting the 2nd group of churches; overnight in Panoramic View Hotel.

Day 05 LALIBELA – GONDAR
Fly to Gondar, visit Gondar, Ethiopia’s THIRD capital in the 17th and 18th century, located at the foot of the Semien Mountains. The city’s unique imperial compound contains a number of castles built 1632 to 1885 by the various Emperors who reigned during this period. These dramatic castles, unlike any other in Africa, display richness in architecture that reveals the Axumite traditions as well as the influence of Arabia; the church of Debre-Berhan Sellassie (Light of the Trinity ), which located at the summit of a hill and surrounded by fortified walls. The interior is decorated with its unique murals. Other treasures of Gonder include the 18th century palace of Ras Beit, the Bath of Fasildas, the ruined palace of the Queen Mentiwab Kuskuam church and the swimming pool of King Fassik which is used to baptize Christians during Ethiopia n Epiphany on 19th of January every year; overnight in Taye Belaye Hotel.
Day 06 GONDAR – BAHIR DAR
Drive to Bahir Dar, and then check-in your Hotel. Bahir Dar is a decidedly attractive town with palm-lined avenues and pretty lakeside vistas; South eastern shore of Lake Tana Ethiopia’s largest lake. Nearby Lake Tana, 1,800 meters above sea level, is one of the long hidden sources of the Nile. Afternoon visit Lake Tana by boat trip Lake Tana’s 3600 sq. kms surface is dotted with more than 36 islands, many of which are the sites of monasteries and churches, some dating from the 14th century in the reign of Emperor Amde Tsion; about 3-4 hours on Lake Tana to admire the beautiful monasteries over the lake’s islands; overnight in Tana Hotel.

Day 07 BAHIR DAR – GONDAR

Drive to admire the Blue Nile falls. The Tissiat falls (meaning water that smokes) are 30 kms from where the Blue Nile leaves the lake heading towards Khartoum; then drive to Gondar for overnight in Taye Belaye Hotel.

Day 08 GONDAR – METEMA- Gallabat – Gedaref
After breakfast at 07:00 drive to Metema 180kms, 2:30hrs and meet and Greet with the guide at the Sudanese-Ethiopian boarder in Gallabat. We immediately enter in the history of Sudan. Indeed, this small dusty outpost was the place where, in March 1889, the Mahdist army fought and beat the Ethiopian forces of the king Yohannes IV.
From here we drive North-West to the agricultural town of Gedaref, capital of Al Qadarif State. The name of the town like the name of the region stands for the wide flat plains of the area that are watered by seasonal rains, making them ideal for cultivation. The main crops are sorghum and sesame and the area is dotted with clusters of villages of round, thatched mud-brick houses. Overnight in a basic hotel. (D.)