7-Days North Ethiopia Historic Route

Overview

Tour : North Ethiopia Historic Route

Duration : 7 Days (01st – 07th Nov 2013)

Group Size : 1

Day One

Fri 1st Nov : Addis Ababa – Lalibela (Flight)

Checking in for your flight Lalibela at 5:45AM and arriving at 09:20AM, you will spend the day visiting the medieval monolithic cave churches of this 13th-century ‘New Jerusalem’. End of the day, you will spend overnight at Mountain View Hotel 

 

Day Two

Sat 2nd Nov : Lalibela

At 7:30AM (for good lighting), you will be proceeding to Yimrihana Kristos and Bilbala Giorgis Churches, located 35-40kms East of Lalibela. After your visits, you will be returning back to Lalibela where through the afternoon, you will be able to visit a local household in their usual grass-thatched-roof huts, thereby viewing their day to day lifestyle. End of the day, you will have dinner at the traditional Old Abyssinia Restaurant for the best and spicy Ethiopian cuisine while watching live music and dance performance of the Lastas – the natives of Lalibela and its surroundings. At 10:00PM, you will be transferred to the Mountain View Hotel for overnight stay.

Day Three

Sun 3rd Nov : Lalibela – Axum (Flight)

At 6:30AM, you will be proceeding to the airport for your flight to Axum. Arriving Axum at 10:05AM, you will spend the day visiting the various attractions in Axum – Queen of Sheba’s ruined palace ‘Dungur‘, St. Mary Zion’s Church, King Kaleb and King Bazen’s Thomb Sites and the renowned Axum Stelae site. End of the day, you will spend overnight at Yeha Hotel.

Day Four

Mon 4th Nov : Axum – Gondar (Flight)

At 8:30AM, you will be proceeding to the airport for your flight to Gondar. Arriving Gondar at 11:15AM, you will spend the afternoon visiting Emperor Fasiledes’ Castle Complex and spiritual Bathing Pool where Timkat and Epiphany festivals take place yearly. End of the day, you will be spending overnight at Goha Hotel 

 

Day Five

Tue 5th Nov : Gondar – Bahir Dar

At 7:00AM, you will be visiting 17th Century-built Debre Birhan Silassie Church (Light of the Trinity) with its colorfully decorated inner ceiling and. Early morning visit is recommended to allow you to possibly view a Church ceremony in procession. Mid-morning, you will also be able to visit Wolleka – the one-time Falashmura (Ethiopian Jews) village who were best known for their blacksmith and pottery skills. After lunch in Gondar, you will be proceeding to Bahir Dar, a 3 hours drive through the Amhara farmlands. Here, you will be able to visit a local village with adjacent farm fields, granary stores, cattle enclosures etc. Additionally with a short detour further at Woreta, you will be able to visit Awra Amba village an exemplary community where men and women share equally day-to-day community activities – farming, cotton weaving and cloth makings, caring for the community elders etc. Late afternoon, you will be proceeding to Bahir Dar, arrival and overnight at Kuriftu Resort.

Day Six

Wed 6th Nov : Bahir Dar

At 8:00AM, you will have a boat trip on Tana Lake where you will be able to visit two Monasteries, to be recommended are Ura Kidane Mihret and Azoa Mariam on the Island of Zeghe, best known for their collection of religious icons and paintings from the 16th to 18th centuries A.D. Returning back to Bahir Dar mid-afternoon, you will be visiting a Weito tribe village, initially and to this day as well the only locals that are engaged in papyrus boat making that is used on daily basis for fishing on Tana Lake. After having visited their village setting, you will proceed to Bahir Dar, spending overnight at Kuriftu Resort.

Day Seven

Thu 7th Nov : Bahir Dar – Addis Ababa (Flight)

At 8:00AM, you will be proceeding to the Blue Nile Falls. With a short trek of roughly 15 minutes each way, you will be able to have a frontal panoramic view of the Falls. Additionally, you will also be able to visit Bezawit Palace, the one time get-away for Emperor Haile Selassie with its high-ground panoramic view of the city of Bahir Dar and the Blue Nile River. At 6:30PM, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa, departing at 20:30 and arriving Addis Ababa at 21:30. With direct transfer to the international terminal, you will check in for your flight back home, thereby ending your 7 days tour of the Historic Route of North Ethiopia.

For the above itinerary, our rate is 1,970.-USD. Rate quoted is inclusive of the following :

  • Four domestic flights,
  • Hotel/Lodge accommodation as indicated in itinerary above on single-bed room basis,
  • Meals (BLD) with bottled water, hot and cold drinks,
  • Airport transfer ins/outs at all respective destinations,
  • All surface transportation as mentioned and required in itinerary,
  • Entrance fees to the various points of interest as indicated in itinerary,
  • Full time accompanying local guides to be assigned at respective destinations,
  • All operational expenses related and limited to the above proposed itinerary.
  • Rate quoted above is not inclusive of the following :
  • Alcoholic drinks of any nature throughout the tour,
  • Hotel accommodation for the night of 31st October in Addis Ababa (Please indicate where you would like to stay),
  • Expenses of personal nature – video camera fees, laundry, internet/telephone use,
  • All expenses not indicated in the ‘INCLUDED’ section above.

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