Itinerary 04

Itinerary 04 Day 1: Arrive in Addis Ababa; city tour of Addis Ababa On arrival in Addis Ababa Ghion representative will meet you at Bole International Airport and transfers to Jupiter International Hotel. An overview of the program and itineraries will be given. The rest of the day visit historical sites in Addis Ababa including the National Archaeological Museum, where we will view the 3.2 million year old remains of “Lucy”, whose skeletal remains when discovered in 1974. You will also visit the Ethnological Museum at Addis Ababa University, Holy Trinity Cathedrals and Mount Entoto which rises up to an altitude of 3200 meters and offers the panoramic view of the metropolis. Overnight Jupiter International Hotel Day 2: Drive to Harar After breakfast drive from Addis Ababa to Harar through the scenic Haraghe Mountains looking at the coffee and chat plantations left and right of the road. Overnight Heritage Plaza Hotel Day 3: In Harar: After breakfast you will visit the Walled City, the Gates and the narrow streets lined with traditional Harari Gegar houses, the colorful Muslim and Christian markets (known for basketry). After lunch visit the Harari museum, Rimbaud House, a fine traditional house dating from the period when the French poet Rimbaud lived in Harar. Finally visit the traditional Hararie house within the famous walled city. Overnight Heritage Plaza hotel Day 4: Drive to Langano After breakfast leave Harar and drive to Langano. You will be driving through magnificent landscape of The Harar Mountains and Ethiopian Rift Valley. En route you will experience “Chat” plantations which are a typical farming experience in the region. Overnight sabana Day 5: Drive Arba Minch Drive to Arba Minch via Wolayta Sodo. This drive will take you along some of the Rift Valley Lakes andyou will stop shortly at Lake Langano and Abijata-shalla, best known for its birdlife.

You will also drive through the Wolayta farmlands, with views of the lush green hills and valleys. You arrive late in the afternoon at Arba Minch - meaning 'Forty Springs' in Amharic.

Arba Minch takes its name from the bubbling streams that cover the groundwater forest occupying the flats of the town. Overnight Swaynes hotel Day 6: Visit Dorze Village and Boat trip on Lake Chamo After breakfast visit the Dorze tribe and their village, famed for their bee hive shaped houses and their weaving skills. Weaving is a primary profession for many Dorze. They are also farmers, who prevent soil erosion by ingenious terracing of the mountainsides. Around their huts they have their own little garden with vegetables, spices, tobacco and enset (falsebanana or musa ensete). This afternoon take a refreshing boat trip on Lake Chamo, home toNile crocodiles, hippos and a variety of birdlife. Overnight in the same Hotel.

Day 7: Arba Minch – Jinka you continue your experience with tribal life with a visit to the Konso. A pagan society, the konso erect eerie wooden totems replete with phallic symbols over the graves of the dead and

have numerous cults based around the breeding and veneration of serpents. The cornerstone of Konso culture, however, is a highly specialized and successful agricultural economy that, through terracing buttressed with stone, enable these people to extract a productive living from the none-too-fertile hills and valleys that surround them. An excellent day to meet the people, take photographs with them and learn of a culture that has had very little outside influence. Later afternoon arrival in Jinka, set at the foot of Mago National Park Overnight in Jinka hotel Day 8: Jinka - Mursi – Jinka After breakfast leave Jinka and drive to Mursi village to visit and appreciate the very attractive culture of Mursi tribe. They are renowned for the strange custom followed by their women who, on reaching maturity, have their lower lips slit and circular clay discs inserted.

Proceed to Mago National Park. After a picnic lunch in the late afternoon drive back to Jinka.

Overnight Jinka Resort.

Day 9: Jinka – Turmi After breakfast drive to Turmi through Dimeka for the visit of Hamer people and their village.

Turmi is a small town, which is the base to visit the Hamer village. Hamers have remarkable hairstyles made from ochre, water, and binding resin. They rub the mixture into their hair then twist the strands repeatedly to create coppery-colored locks. This is a sign of wealth and welfare. Hamers are considered to be masters of body decoration. Overnight Buska lodge.

Day 10: Turmi – Murulle - Turmi Turmi is your base as you explore the different regions and to meet the different tribes who live a life of their own. This day you drive towards the Murulle area. Murile Murile (also spelled Muelle and Murli) lies on the banks of the Omo River, and is a popular base for exploring what is essentially a rugged area. There is a fair amount of wildlife in the area, and a good chance of seeing some form of antelope and possibly raptors overhead. The two main tribes who live in the area are the Karo and the Hamer, both of whom practice scarification and have elaborate hairstyles. The Karo ethnic groups are experts in body painting, using clays and locally available vegetable pigments to trace fantastic patterns on their faces, chests, arms and legs. These designs have no special symbolic significance but are created purely for fun and aesthetic effect, each artist vying to outdo his fellows. Karo men also sculpt and shave their hair into extravagant shapes, with special ochre "caps" of hair usually containing several ostrich feathers. Overnight the same lodge.

Day 11: Turmi - Omorate - Turmi Today you visit the Geleb tribes, crossing the Omo River by boat. The people of Geleb have their own distinctive dress and decoration and villages with interesting architecture. In the afternoon you drive back to Turmi. The Geleb Covering a large territory, the Geleb live along the western banks of the Omo River, having been forced out of the Turkana region by conflict in the 18th century. Originally nomadic pastoralists, the more fertile surroundings of the Omo River has caused them to put down more permanent roots based around fishing and agriculture. The Geleb live in small huts that befit their nomadic origins, as they could be easily and quickly dismantled. Overnight the same lodge in Turmi Day 12: Turmi – Yabello Drive to Yabello visiting the Airbore and the Tsemay people en route. After lunch stop at

Konso, continue to the region of Oromo Borena and visit their village. The drive this day will let you to experience the life of the Oromo Borena People who is well known in cattle rearing.

You also visit the Oromo Borena People villages and their 'singing well' from which they cater water to their own thousands of cattle by singing. Overnight Yabello Motel Day 13: Lake Awassa Today you drive to Awassa over a beautiful Sidamo mountains and coffee plantation.On the way, you stop at Wenago to visit the Tutu Fella stelae field – an unusual collection of carved stones. Then continue to Lake Awassa, which is surrounded by mountains and populated by countless species of birds. Overnight in Awassa at Pina Hotel Day 14: Addis Ababa After breakfast you visit the fish Market by the side of Lake Awassa where the local people buy fish from the fisher men. Then drive back to Addis Ababa through the Great Rift Valley lakes Via Shashemene. En route you will stop on the viewpoints for the Rift Valley Lakes of Shala, Abijata and Langano. In the Evening a fare well diner party in one of the Traditional Ethiopian restaurant with dances from the different ethnic Groups. Transfer out to the airport for departure back to home.