Lalibela Axum Tigray churches Danakil and Omo Valley 8 DAYS
8 days
About this activity
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, 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 - Mekele – Danakil Ertale
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 / Dallol, 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: 7 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight Jinka
Day 7: Jinka-Mago NP-Turmi
Pass By: Mago National Park, 782km south of Addis on East bank of the Omo River, 4200 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. Then proceeds to the Turmi where the Hamer people live.
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Turmi
Day 8: Turmi- Omorate-Jinka
Pass By: Dasenech Village, Omorate Dasenech, Turmi 1000 Ethiopia
After having your early breakfast, you will have an excursion to Omorate to visit the Dassanech people ‘people of the Delta’, who lives on the northern shore of Lake Turkana. Visit and drive back to Turmi for lunch then drive to Jinka. Drive back to Jinka for lunch. later you will be transferred to the Jinka Airport for your flight to Addis Ababa
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
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, 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 - Mekele – Danakil Ertale
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 / Dallol, 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: 7 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight Jinka
Day 7: Jinka-Mago NP-Turmi
Pass By: Mago National Park, 782km south of Addis on East bank of the Omo River, 4200 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. Then proceeds to the Turmi where the Hamer people live.
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Turmi
Day 8: Turmi- Omorate-Jinka
Pass By: Dasenech Village, Omorate Dasenech, Turmi 1000 Ethiopia
After having your early breakfast, you will have an excursion to Omorate to visit the Dassanech people ‘people of the Delta’, who lives on the northern shore of Lake Turkana. Visit and drive back to Turmi for lunch then drive to Jinka. Drive back to Jinka for lunch. later you will be transferred to the Jinka Airport for your flight to Addis Ababa
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Included
- Accommodation included: 7 nights
- Accommodation as per the program
- All transfer in and transfer out services
- Ground transportation by 4 WD Toyota Land Cruiser
- An experienced driver, driver allowance
- All fuel expenses and Lubricants Expense
- Professional guide
- Local guides and Scout where needed
- All entrance fees, Village and elders payments
- Bed and Breakfast
- Domestic Flight
- Entry/Admission - Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela
- Entry/Admission - Northern Stelae Field
- Entry/Admission - Gheralta Rock
- Entry/Admission - Erta Ale
- Entry/Admission - Danakil Depression
- Entry/Admission - Erta Ale / Dallol
- Entry/Admission - Omo Valley Tribes gate
Not included
- International flights
- Any alcoholic drinks
- Any videographer or camera fee needed
- Laundry service
- Any expense of Personal items like internet, fax, telephone
- Services which are not mentioned in the above section
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
Features
Tourism
65%
Original
65%
Adrenaline
40%
Nightlife
30%
Similar activities in Addis Ababa
Click to discover other experiences