Lalibela, Axum, Danakil And Omo Valley 8 Days

Itinerary

Day 1: Addis to Lalibela

Stop At: Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Lalibela 1260 Ethiopia
In the morning, fly north to Lalibela and be transferred to your hotel. After lunch, visit the first group of Lalibela Churches which are located north of a small stream named Jordan River. These Churches were carved during the time of King Lalibela (1181 – 1221) and are registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In the city of Lalibela you will see about Eleven Rock Churches organized into groups of three
Duration: 4 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight Lalibela Lodge

Day 2: Lalibela to Axum

Stop At: Northern Stelae Field, Near St Mary of Zion Church, Axum Ethiopia
Catch a flight from Lalibela to Axum in the morning. Visit 1 hour in Axum and drive from Axum to Hawzien
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Gheralta Rock, Hawzen Mekele, Mek'ele Ethiopia
Drive from Axum to Hawzein via Adwa Finally drive to Hawzen for overnight via Gheralta plains. You can use the town as the base from which to visit the rock-hewn churches at Gheralta
Duration: 3 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hawzien (Gerealta Lodge or Wukro Lodge)

Day 3: Hawzien – Danakil

Stop At: Erta Ale, 6611 Ethiopia
We start our day by driving to Erta Ale via Mekele (which means smoky mountain in Afar language). Erta Ale ranks one of the most alluring and physically challenging natural attractions anywhere in Ethiopia. It is a shield volcano with a base diameter of 30 km and 1km square caldera at its summit. Erta Ale contains the world’s only permanent lava lake. It is 613 meters, with a lava lake, one of only five in the world, at the summit. It is notable for being the longest existing lava lake, present since the early years of the twentieth century.

We start early at 9:00 AM, drive to Dodom (at the base of Erta Ale). This is may be one of the roughest roads in the world. The 80 km distance may take about 6 hrs passing through changing the landscape of solidified lava, rock, sand and occasional palm-lined oasis. After passing several small hamlets scattered here and there in this deserted land, you will arrive to Dodom camping site, located about 17km from Erta Ale.

Dinner will be served around 17:00 o’clock. After a short break, trek up to Ertale at 20:00 hours. Camels will be transporting all the camping materials and some food (sleeping materials like light mattresses and mat and water) to the rim of the volcano, where we spend the night watching the dramatic action of the boiling lava. You will spend the night on top of the mountain, at the rim of the Volcano.
Duration: 6 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Camping overnight

Day 4: Salt Lake

Stop At: Danakil Depression, 0125 Ethiopia
Early Morning sunrise at the northern one corresponds to the main pit crater and walk 5 minutes for the southern and central pits could either corresponds to an ancient pit, or to a simple collapse structure. The main pit-crater, 200 m deep and 350 m across, is sub-circular and three-storied. The smaller southern pit is 65 m wide and about 100 m deep. Descend from Erta Ale around 9 am Dodom – Leave back to Dodom after an early breakfast, if possible at 07:00 o’clock.

You will reach the latest at 10:30 o’clock at the camp, where you will be relaxing. As soon as possible, drive to reach the mythical Lake Giulietti (or Lake Afrera)(optional may not be available during summer time), a saltwater lake located more than100 meters below sea level, in one of the deepest depressions of the planet. Because of the picturesque landscape, it is interesting to visit the salt flats where the Afar people obtain the salt by evaporating the water of the lake., continue to Erbiti and proceed Abaala/ Hamed Ela

Duration: 6 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight Camping

Day 5: Danakil/Dallol to Mekele

Stop At: Erta Ale, 6611 Ethiopia
Morning tour Drive to Ragad (Asebo), the place where the localities are mining salt. Look the activity of workers breaking salts from the ground, cutting into rectangular pieces and loading on camels. You drive ahead to Dallol and visit the difference landscape formed by volcanic activity, Dallol + Lake Assal + camel caravans. Excursion to Dallol (116 meters below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world) colorful salts mining, visit Lake Assal, follow up camel caravans (No camel caravan on July, August, and early September) and walk with the Afar people. Drive back to Hamedela and proceed to Mekele. End of Danakil tour. Catch a flight back to Addis at 7:50 pm, arriving in Addis at 9:10 pm
Duration: 6 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Addis Ababa

Day 6: Jinka

Stop At: Omo Valley Tribes gate, Jinka, Ethiopia
Ari Tribes Upon arrival at Jinka Airport, We will meet you then drive to the Ari villages the Ari people, the largest population in the lower Omo valley. The women wear skirts from the banana-like tree, called Enset are expert in pottery.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Jinka Museum, Jinka, Ethiopia
Visit Jinka Museum. The museum has a nice collection of musical instruments, weapons, household items and such.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight Jinka Resort or Similar

Day 7: Jinka-Turmi

Stop At: Mago National Park, Ethiopia
After breakfast Take a day excursion to Mago National Park to visit the Mursi village. The Mursi are one of the exotic ethnic groups in Ethiopia. They live in very low huts made of straw leaves. The women like to wear terra cotta on their enormously stretched lower lips and ear lobes.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Turmi, Turmi, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
Then proceeds to Turmi where the Hamer people live. The Hamar 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 say on who they marry.
The boy must run back and forth twice across the backs of a row of bulls or castrated steers and is ridiculed if he fails.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Turmi Lodge or Similar

Day 8: Turmi- Konso-Arbaminch

Pass By: Konso Cultural Landscape, Konso, Ethiopia
After having your early breakfast, Konso Cultural Landscape is an arid property of stone walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. It constitutes a spectacular example of a living cultural tradition stretching back 21 generations (more than 400 years) adapted to its dry hostile environment. The landscape demonstrates the shared values, social cohesion and engineering knowledge of its communities. The site also features anthropomorphic wooden statues - grouped to represent respected members of their communities and particularly heroic events - which are an exceptional living testimony to funerary traditions that are on the verge of disappearing. Stone steles in the towns express a complex system of marking the passing of generations of leaders. Drive back to Arbaminch for lunch. later you will be transferred to the Arbaminch Airport for your flight to Addis Ababa

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.