11-Days Upper and Lower Omo Valley, South-West Ethiopia
Starting from Addis Ababa through Bahir Dar–Gondar–Simien Mountains–Lalibela to Addis Ababa a trip that will give you the chance to experience the true nature and cultures of Northern Ethiopia
Overview
Group Size : One
Tour : Upper and Lower Omo Valley, South-West Ethiopia
Duration : 11 Days / September 2015 /
Day One
Wed : Addis Ababa – Gibe Gorge – Jimma
Starting off at 9:30AM to Jimma, you will en–route be visiting village settings and farm fields of local Oromo and Gurage tribes. Further through the scenic route around Gibe Gorge, you will be arriving Jimma late afternoon, spending overnight at Central Jimma Hotel.
Day Two
Thu : Jimma – Wushwush – Mizan Teferi
At 8:30AM, you will be visiting Abba Jiffar Museum. The Museum displays most of historical materials of King Abba Jiffar whose Kingdom was established in 1830. Here, you will be able to see traditional objects of the local Oromo people, the first set of collection of the King’s personal household furniture that includes beds of Abba Jiffar, armchairs, utensils, religious manuscripts and others. Mid-morning, you will be proceeding to Mizan Teferi, en-route visit the government-protected primary forests out of Jimma and tea growing plantation at Wushwush. Further on to Mizan Teferi and arriving late afternoon, you will spend overnight at Salayish Hotel.
Day Three
Fri : Mizan Teferi – Bebeka – Kibish
After processing Suri visit permits at 8:00AM, you will be driving to Kibish. En-route, you will be visiting the largest coffee and rubber tree plantations at Bebeka. Further ahead through Dima or alternatively through Wachamaj, you will be arriving Kibish late-afternoon, camping overnight.
*The Suri tribe are divided into three clans – Zilmamo clan settled around Tulgit, Chai clan settled around Kibish and Tirma clan settled around Jeba. The Tirma clan being more urbanized and having lost some of their tribal values plus Kibish being a convenient and good base for back-and-forth visits in the surrounding areas, we will be concentrating our Suri visit on the Chai clan around Kibish.
Day Four
Sat : Kibish
At 6:00AM, you will be proceeding to Reggea village, a village settlement of the Chai clan where you will likely be able to meet the photogenic village chief of the Chai clan. Through the day, you will be seeing their daily activities inclusive of cattle milking, limited farming and cattle herding, dressing patterns of the men and women and of the lip plates of the women that differ by shape from the Mursi tribe of the Lower Omo Valley. Late-afternoon, you will be returning back to Kibish where you will be camping overnight.
*Lunch boxes can be prepared for this day as you will likely be away from your campsite for much of the day.
Day Five
Sun : Kibish – Kakuta
Breaking camp early morning, at 6:30AM you will be driving to Kakuta, a hardly accessed and rarely visited tribal area and home to the Nyangatom tribe that are said to be descendants of the Toposa tribe in close by Sudan. Arriving Kakuta at noon and through the rest of the afternoon, you will visit a village from the scattered settlements of the Nyangatom tribe. Here, you will be able to see their dressing patterns, unique neck-bead decorations and general day-to-day life style in the middle of nowhere with literally no basic supplies available like water from nearby water streams/rivers, and all this mostly during daily high day temperatures. End of the day, you will be camping overnight in Kakuta.
*Lunch boxes can be prepared for this day as it may be inconvenient for the cook to prepare lunch at Kakuta during high day temperature. Plus it will also allow you to have more time for the village visit in the afternoon.
Day Six
Mon : Kakuta – Kangaten – Turmi
With additional village visit starting at 7:00AM for their cattle-milking etc., you will break camp and proceed to Kangaten, main administrative town of the Nyangatom tribe that are settled on the banks of the Omo River. Crossing the Omo River by the bridge, you will be proceeding and arriving Turmi early afternoon, where you will use the rest of the afternoon to visit a Hamer tribe village in the surroundings of Turmi. End of the day, you will be camping overnight at Keske Campsite.
Day Seven
Tue : Turmi – Omorate – Dimeka – Turmi
Early morning, you will be proceeding to Omorate, home to the Dassanach tribe and settled on the banks of the Omo River. Crossing the river with wooden canoe boats, you will be visiting one of their villages.
Shortly before noon, you will be proceeding to Turmi and further on to Dimeka where you will be able to visit the weekly Hamer tribe market. At this market, you will be able to see their traditional dressings and leather wrappings of the young Hamer girls, their hair decorations and body ornamentations with beads etc. You will also be able to see their authentic activities at this market. Late afternoon, you will be returning back to Turmi, spending overnight at Buska Lodge or optionally camping at Keske Campsite.
Day Eight
Wed : Turmi – Korcho/Dus Village – Turmi
At 8:00AM, you will be proceeding to Korcho/Dus village, home to the Kara tribe and conveniently settled on a high-ground overlooking the Omo River. At this village, you will be to see the Kara’s general dressing patterns and life style – the men’s attractive body decorations with white chalk, the women’s lower lip-piercing and hair decorations and multiple rounds of colorfully mixed neck-beads. Returning back to Turmi at noon, you will spend the afternoon visiting a Hamer tribal village in the surroundings of Turmi. End of the day, you will be spending overnight at Buska Lodge or optionally camping at Keske Campsite.
Day Nine
Thu : Turmi – Key Afer – Jinka
With additional Hamer tribe village visits starting at 6:30AM, you will be proceeding to Konso via Key Afer. Thursday being the weekly tribal market day of the Bena tribe, you will be able to visit this market that also attracts three other tribes from the surrounding areas – the Hamers from Alduba, Ari from Kako and Tsemais from Weito. Mid-afternoon, you will be proceeding to Jinka, arriving and overnight at Eco-Omo Lodge www.eco-omo.com / Orit Hotel / Eyob Hotel.
Day Ten
Fri : Jinka – Mago National Park – Jinka
At 7:30AM, you will be heading into Mago National Park. En route to Mursi tribal villages in the Park, you will be able to see the scenic Mago lowlands as well as a bit of wild life – Dik Diks, Greater and Lesser Kudus etc. Arriving at Mursi tribal villages, you will be able to see their farm fields, huts and general life style. Returning back to Jinka shortly after lunch time, you will be visiting Ari tribal villages in the surroundings of Jinka. End of the day, you will be spending overnight at Eco-Omo Lodge / Orit Hotel / Eyob Guest House.
Day Eleven
Sat : Jinka – Addis Ababa (Flight)
At 8:30AM, you will be visiting the South Omo Research Center which will give you a good insight into the various tribes of the Lower Omo Valley. Mid-morning, you will be visiting Omo Child Centeran NGO that cares for Mingi children of the Kara and Hamer tribes. At 11:30am, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa. Arriving Addis Ababa at 2:40pm, you will be spending overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel / Capital Hotel / Belle Vue Hotel / Monarch Hotel / Holiday Hotel, thereby ending your 11 days tour of the Upper and Lower Omo Valley of South West Ethiopia.