OMO VALLEY 10 days + extension BALE MOUNTAINS 13 days

01. THU. Arrival in Addis Ababa. Transfer to the chosen hotel. Have a free morning. Afternoon (1400 hrs from the hotel) tour of the capital: visit the Ethnographic museum, view from Entoto mountain and the Mercato, biggest open air market in Africa. Meals free. ON (overnight) hotel

02. FRI. Drive to the Rift Valley lake of Zway & Awasa for very nice nature and lot of birds.  If time permits make also a boat trip on lake Awasa. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel

03. SAT. Early morning around 06 visit the fish market in Awasa. After breakfast drive to the Arbaminch. Ones arrived, check-in and lunch at Emerald Resort Arbaminch. Emerald Resort is a beautiful Resort with a spectacular view over the Rift Valley lakes of Chamo and Abaya which are divided by a mountain called in Amharic “Yezghier dildi” which means “Bridge of Heaven” and the Netch Sar National park, in Amharic meaning “white grass”. www.emeraldresortandlodge.com Afternoon drive to Chencha mountain to visit the Dorze people, with their unique culture, houses and traditions. The Dorze are famous for their elephant truck shaped houses, their cultivation of the false banana (from which root they extract their traditional bread called Kotcho), the weaving works, cultivation of sorghum and more. If time permits visit also their Saturday’s market. Meals & ON Emerald Resort Arbaminch

04. Morning drive about 2 hrs from Arbaminch south to the Omo valley and visit a Konso people village, famous for being the first in Africa to start the terracing agriculture. Visit their culture, lifestyle, way of counting the age of the village, the community works and much more. Note well that this is a UNESCO heritage site! Have spectacular view over the hills too. Afternoon proceed to Turmi, the famous colorful Hamer people town. Have lunch in Konso; dinner & ON Emerald lodge Turmi www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

05. MON. Morning walk with the Hamer people to the colorful Turmi’s village weekly market.  This is the Monday’s market of Hamer, Dassanech, Karo and Tsemay people. Enjoy this vibrant market, meet different people and see how they merchandise. Afternoon visit a Hamer villages and understand their way of life and culture. With luck we’ll try to participate to ceremonies as the bull jumping and the Evangadi dances. The Hamer are known for their unique custom of “bull jumping” which initiates a boy into manhood. First, female relatives dance and invite whipping from men who have recently been initiated; this shows their support of the initiate, and their scars give them a right to demand his help in time of need. The boy must jump back and forth twice across the backs of a row of bulls or castrated steers, and is ridiculed if he fails. Have meals & ON Emerald lodge Turmi

06. Morning drive to Omorate, at bank of the Omo river, to visit the Dassanech people. Are very colorful villages and interesting culture. We are at border with Kenya. Afternoon relax and make walks around Turmi for the Hamer people and villages. Have meals & ON Emerald lodge Turmi

07. Very early morning drive to Jinka town (about 2 hrs driving); then enter into the Mago National park, cross it to proceed to visit the Mursi people and their villages. Here for beauty women use to put round plates into their lips and men different scarifications all over their body. Their villages and way of life is very unique.  Have a lunch box before or after the Mursi village visit; dinner & ON in a hotel in Jinka.

08. THU. Early morning drive to visit one Ari people village with very interesting traditions. Then proceed to KeyAfer village to visit the weekly market of the Tsemay & Erbore people. After the market’s visit, proceed to Arbaminch, to reach late afternoon. Have lunch on the way (KeyAfer or Konso); dinner & ON Emerald Resort Arbaminch.

09. Morning have a boat excursion on Chamo lake to admire the biggest crocodiles in Africa (reach 6 meters of length), hippos and many birds. Afternoon free enjoying the facilities at the Emerald Resort Arbaminch & relax. Lunch Emerald Resort; dinner & ON Emerald Resort Arbaminch

10. SAT. Drive or fly back to Addis Ababa. Late afternoon time for final visits or souvenir shops. Evening Green Land Tours will invite you a fare well dinner in one of the Ethiopian restaurant for cultural dances from the different ethnic groups. Then transfer to the airport for flight back home.

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Extension BALE MOUNTAINS 13 days:

10. SAT. Drive to the Bale Mountains. The Bale Mountains have a real particular flora and fauna, with afro-alpine vegetation and endemic mammals. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel Bale Goba

11. Morning visit to the Sanete plateau, for its unique Afro-alpine vegetation and to spot different animals, among which the endemic Semien Red Fox. Afternoon drive to the Tuludimtu forest and see animals as the endemic Mountain Nyala. Lunch box on the way; dinner & ON hotel

12. Drive to Sof Omar caves, longest caves in Africa (120 km; about 2 hrs). Visit the caves and have walks around there to see also villages of Oromo people. Lunch box on the way; dinner & ON hotel in Bale Goba

13. TUE. Drive back to Addis Ababa via to Asela & Nazareth towns and with a stop at the crater lakes of DebreZeith. For those which like to fly back to Addis, there is Bale Goba-Addis flight; so inform us and we can book the flight. Reach Addis Ababa in the afternoon. Lunch on the way. Evening Green Land Tours will invite you a fare well dinner in one of the Ethiopian restaurant for cultural dances from the different ethnic groups. Then transfer to the airport for flight back home.

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