Best Tour
ETHIOPIA Dankalia

Duration: Whole trip days 21; part of it days10-12.
Best time: November-March, north + south. June-march south only.
Number of people: min. 4 - max. 10

Characteristic of tour:
It’s difficult to find the rights word to describe the natural beauty that this country offers. Everywhere you go you’ll be surprised about it’s landscape but as soon you enter the Danakil depression you’ll feel in a different planet. Whenever you’ll step into the south you’ll be touched by the animal and also human fauna....; for those who love photography it will e an infinite show.

PROGRAM
Day 1 - Arrive in Addis Abeba capital of Ethiopia and 3rd highest capital of the world (2450m.above sea level. Take place at the Taitu hotel; free day eventually visit at the market (the hugest in Africa) or visit the Menelik Palace located on top of the hill.
Day 2 - Early morning domestic flight Addis A. - Lalibela (2630m. asl).
Day 2-3-4 - Lalibela.
The holy city of Christian Ethiopia is also called the new Jerusalem. During these 3 days spent in this village of about seven thousand people we’ll have the possibility to see a lots of different and unusual things. We’ll visit the several orthodox churches carved from the rocks in the 10th and 11th century and possibly be present at a ceremony that is held often in the main church early in the morning. It will be quite unusual to be invited in one of the old and traditional houses to assist at a coffee-ceremony that every family do everyday. One of these day we’ll hike up to the Ashetan Maryam Monastery (3150m asl). Climbing up the trails spreading through the crops field will be such a pleasure especially when we touch the top of the hill behind the monastery at 3300m asl. The view is at 360°. The most original Church and the only built one (instead of be carved) is called Yemrehanna Kristos and it’s located at about 2,5 hours driving from Lalibela. During the trip we’ll admire the crops field existing all over. In this church they still are hundreds of visible skeleton and several ancient art works. We’ll be leaving Lalibela after visiting the local market.
Day 5 - Lalibela – Woldie.
Today we’ll drive east for about 300km on unpaved road stopping in Woldie just for the night; avoiding a tiring trip of almost 600km to Mekele. In Woldie, in the late afternoon we’ll hike up to the surrounding hill where we can meet friendly local people, very hospitable and living in traditional huts.
Day 6 - Woldie – Mekele.
During this transfer of about 300km to the north-east of the country we’ll cross a stunning landscape rich of crops fields, lakes and mountains. Mekele will be the starting point to drive toward the Danakil depression, the lowest in the world (120m under sea level).
Day 7-8-9 - Mekele - Hamd Ela - Dallol - Mekele.
Just a few kilometres off Mekele we’ll enter a long and narrow valley surrounded by mountains, where there are many cactus and acacia trees. On this rough road you can travel on 3 ways only: 4wd, camel, foot. We’ll see in fact thousand of camels travelling back and forth on the way, because they will pick up the salt from the depression we’re going to visit. Along the way we’ll see sporadic villages inhabited by the Afar, a muslim group quite sceptic to the cameras of western people. They live in huts built with roots and branches, their condition are quite primitive. We’ll spend the night at Hamd Ela village in spartan condition where temperatures are quite high so we do not need any sleeping-bag and it’s actually pleasant to sleep outside the hut built for us. The 8th day we’ll jump from Earth to planet Venus: it’s not easy to tell what mother nature offers us in this corner of the globe where the rain never show up. The Holy Lake and sulphurous area will show us colours and naturals sculpture will really impressed us; just a few kilometres away we’ll visit the salty area where we’ll see the thousands of camels met on the way ready to be loaded of salt. The salt collectors still work with the same system of centuries ago; this area is in fact active since the 6th centuries. Since than nothing has been changed. The salt will than be sold at Mekele’s market and also on the way to it. The 10th day we’ll return to Mekele to overnight.
Day 10 - Domestic flight from Mekele to Addis Abeba, same hotel, rest of the day is free.
From day 11th to day 19th we start the second part of the trip travelling through the further south of Ethiopia. We start visiting Shala Lake where myriads of flamingos, pelicans and several other birth gather daily. We’ll also climb up to the close volcano 200m deep. In the evening we’ll be in Awasa, a comfortable city poised on Lake Awasa. Overnight in hotel. The next morning we’ll approach the lake where and interesting and picturesque daily fish market take place. Pelicans and other birth will be around the fishers in a hope to be feed of fresh fish while the monkeys sitting on the surrounding majestic trees watch down. For the rest of the day we’ll be driving toward Arba Minch, the main town of the south of the country, placed on Chamo Lake. Fresh fish for dinner and overnight in hotel. Today we’ll drive up to the Dorza village: this group are particularly skilled on building their huts, shaped on a very different way comparing to any other one. They are considered the best weaver in the country and their market is so exciting. We’ll have a local guide who’ll explain us their tradition. We’ll go back to Arba Minch where we’ll have an excursion on Chamo Lake where we’ll see hippos and crocodile XL size. From here on we proceed toward Omo Valley which is our destination. Entering of some Nat. Parks like the Mago one, we’ll meet different ethnic groups that although they are used to tourist, keep their tradition and life-style. You’ll be really surprised of their look. You’ll be especially impressed when we meet the Mursi which still use the labial disc and live in small straw-den. The Hamer instead show-off the best of their costume with metal necklace and bracelet everywhere. They paint their whole body, hair included, with clay soaked in oil assuming a chocolate colour.. We also visit the Karo, Banna, Ari and others; their weekly markets are really unique and for those who like photography is a great subject. We’ll also visit their villages, where, if we’ll be lucky we can see some traditional ceremony like the “bull-jumping” one (pre-wedding ceremony). In a few words during these 9 days we’ll have the chance to see a lots of things that we never seen before. The 9th day will return to Addis Abeba. Same hotel.
Day 20 - Whole free day in the Ethiopian capital.
Day 21 - Fly back to your country.

Changes in the tour:
The first part part of the tour is suggested for those people who only have 12 days and the second part for those who have 10 days. Moreover, in Dnakil depression: if the group is compact can choose to travel to the active volcano Erta Ale but need to add 2 more days at the tour:
From Hamd Ela need 9 hours to reach the base of Erta Ale, 3 hours to climb up to the top of it, 2 hours to go back down, take a break and go back to Hamd Ela.

The cost includes
In the tour is not included: entrance to orthodox churches, monastery, and Nat. Parks. Half board everywhere but in the Danakil depression. All the rest is included from airport to airport. For prices and further information contact the author.

Remember :
You do not need to take so many pills with you especially against malaria because in the north there are no mosquitoes and in the south we always sleep under mosquitoes net. Dysentery’s pill could be useful. During day time is hot everywhere, north/south, but night time is chilly. Especially in the south we’ll be mostly travelling on unpaved road with Toyota Land Cruiser and the dust will be omnipresent.

The ambient:
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