Grand Ethiopia: The North & the Omo Valley

This morning you explore Addis Ababa, beginning at the National Museum to meet Lucy, the astonishing 3.2-million-year-old fossil ancestor whose discovery made Ethiopia a cradle of humankind. You visit the grand Holy Trinity Cathedral, take in the bustle of the vast Merkato market, one of Africa's largest, and perhaps enjoy sweeping views from the heights of Entoto, your guide bringing the capital's history and energy to life. After lunch you transfer to the airport for a short domestic flight north to Bahir Dar, the relaxed lakeside town on the shore of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. You settle into your hotel by the water as the sun sets over the lake. Enjoy dinner beside the lake this evening. Rest well in Bahir Dar, ready to explore its island monasteries and the Blue Nile Falls in the days ahead.

Today you take to the calm waters of Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest lake and the sacred source of the Blue Nile, on a boat excursion to its ancient island monasteries. Hidden among trees on peninsulas and islands, these centuries-old monastic churches are treasure houses of Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, their round interiors covered in vivid religious murals and their monks guarding illuminated manuscripts, ancient crosses and royal crowns. You might visit the monasteries of the Zege Peninsula, such as Ura Kidane Mehret with its glorious painted walls, walking through coffee-shaded forest alive with birdsong and monkeys. Out on the water you watch fishermen pole their slender papyrus tankwa boats, a scene little changed in centuries. Back in Bahir Dar you can relax at a lakeside cafe or stroll the palm-lined avenues. Rest well by the tranquil lake, ready for the Blue Nile Falls tomorrow.

This morning you journey out to the spectacular Blue Nile Falls, known in Amharic as Tis Issat, the Smoking Water, where the great river plunges over a broad basalt cliff in a thunder of spray that throws rainbows across the gorge, most dramatic after the rains. A scenic walk across countryside and over a centuries-old bridge brings you to fine viewpoints amid greenery and birdlife. Returning to Bahir Dar, you then travel north to Gondar, the road climbing through highland farmland and villages with grand mountain views. Arriving in Gondar, Ethiopia's romantic seventeenth-century imperial capital, ringed by mountains, you settle into your hotel. This historic city has a grand, atmospheric air. Enjoy dinner and perhaps a traditional coffee ceremony this evening. Rest well in the old imperial capital, ready to explore its fairy-tale castles tomorrow.

This morning you immerse yourself in the imperial splendour of Gondar, often called the Camelot of Africa. At the heart of the city, the walled Fasil Ghebbi encloses a remarkable cluster of stone castles, palaces and towers raised by Emperor Fasilides and his successors, and you wander the soaring battlements and banqueting halls, imagining the pageantry of the court. You visit the tree-fringed pool of Fasilides Bath and the famous angel-painted ceiling of Debre Berhan Selassie church. After your visit, you transfer to the airport for a flight to Axum, the ancient and sacred cradle of Ethiopian civilisation in the far north, arriving in this legend-steeped town in the afternoon and beginning to take in its haunting atmosphere as the light softens. You settle into your hotel. Enjoy dinner this evening. Rest well in ancient Axum, ready to explore its wonders tomorrow.

This morning you explore the wonders and legends of Axum, cradle of Ethiopian civilisation and once the heart of a great ancient trading empire. You wander the haunting main stelae field, where towering granite obelisks, carved some seventeen centuries ago to mark royal tombs, rise dramatically from the ground, the greatest still standing soaring over twenty-four metres. You visit the chapel said by tradition to hold the Ark of the Covenant, beside the churches of Saint Mary of Zion, and see underground royal tombs and the ruins and reservoir linked by legend to the Queen of Sheba. The layers of empire, faith and legend are profound. After your visit, you fly south to Lalibela, high in the Lasta mountains, settling into your hotel with its sweeping mountain views. Enjoy dinner this evening. Rest well in sacred Lalibela, ready for its rock-hewn churches tomorrow.

Today you devote a full day to the astonishing rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the crowning wonder of the north. You explore the northern and southern clusters of monolithic sanctuaries, carved downward out of solid red rock in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries to form a New Jerusalem, linked by tunnels and trenches and still alive with pilgrimage, chant and incense after eight centuries. You descend into the perfect cross of Bete Giyorgis, the Church of Saint George, widely regarded as the most beautiful of them all, as white-robed worshippers pass in the shadows. Your guide brings alive the extraordinary engineering, symbolism and living faith of these places at a contemplative pace. If timing allows, you may add an atmospheric outlying church. The scale, artistry and devotion are humbling and unforgettable. Rest well in Lalibela this evening, amid one of the wonders of the world.

After a final, unhurried morning in Lalibela, perhaps returning to a favourite church in the quiet early light, watching pilgrims gather, or visiting a nearby church or the local market, you transfer to the airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa, marking the transition from the ancient north to the tribal south. On arrival in the capital you have time to relax, perhaps visiting the Ethnological Museum for useful background on the peoples of the south you are about to meet, or shopping for crafts and coffee. This evening you might enjoy a dinner with traditional music and dance, reflecting on the extraordinary wonders of the north. You settle into your hotel. Rest well in Addis Ababa, ready to fly south tomorrow into the Great Rift Valley and the remote, culturally rich lowlands of the Omo Valley.

Today you fly south into the Great Rift Valley to Arba Minch, the pleasant southern town whose name means Forty Springs, set dramatically on a ridge between the twin lakes of Abaya and Chamo, at the edge of Nechisar National Park, gateway to the cultures of the south. On arrival you take a boat trip out onto Lake Chamo to the famous Crocodile Market, a stretch of shoreline where enormous Nile crocodiles bask in numbers, and watch for hippos wallowing in the shallows and a wealth of pelicans, storks and other waterbirds, all framed by forested hills and distant mountains. The change from the highland north to the warm, wildlife-rich Rift Valley is striking. You settle into your lodge with sweeping views over the lakes. Enjoy dinner this evening. Rest well in Arba Minch, at the threshold of the Omo Valley.

Today you climb into the cool, misty highlands above Arba Minch to visit the Dorze people, famous throughout Ethiopia for their weaving and their extraordinary architecture. In their mountain village you marvel at the towering beehive-shaped huts, woven from bamboo and false-banana leaves and rising several metres high, and learn how a whole hut can be moved when termites attack its base. You watch skilled weavers at their looms producing the fine cotton cloth the Dorze are renowned for, see how bread and other staples are made from the false-banana plant, and sample local honey wine and freshly roasted coffee amid warm hospitality and grand views over the Rift Valley lakes far below. This ingenious settled highland culture is a fascinating contrast to the pastoralists ahead. Returning to Arba Minch in the afternoon, enjoy dinner this evening. Rest well, ready to drive deeper into Omo country tomorrow.

Today you drive south and west deeper into the Omo region, bound for Turmi in the heart of Hamer country. En route you stop in the land of the Konso, whose dramatic terraced hillsides and fortified stone-walled villages form a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape; you explore a traditional village, learn how the Konso have farmed these steep slopes ingeniously for centuries, and see their intriguing carved wooden memorial statues that honour the dead. Continuing across increasingly remote, scrubby lowland savanna, the landscape and peoples grow ever more traditional, and you may pass Hamer people walking to wells and markets in their distinctive dress. Arriving in Turmi in the late afternoon, you settle into your lodge in the bush. This evening, over dinner under the stars, your guide explains the culture and customs of the Hamer. Rest well in Turmi, deep in the Omo Valley.

Today you immerse yourself in the cultures around Turmi, beginning with a visit to a Hamer village, where you meet the ochre-adorned women in their beaded finery and iron arm coils, see the domed thatched huts, and learn about the pastoral life, rituals and customs of these proud cattle-herders. If your timing is fortunate, you may be able to attend the extraordinary bull-jumping ceremony, a coming-of-age rite full of song, dance and drama. Later you drive to the bluffs above the Omo River to visit the Karo, the celebrated body painters of the valley, who decorate their faces and torsos with intricate white chalk patterns and elaborate clay hairstyles, set against sweeping river views. Your guide ensures every encounter is respectful and fairly arranged. Returning to your lodge, enjoy dinner this evening. Rest well in Turmi after a rich day among the peoples of the Omo.

Today you journey to meet the Mursi, among the most traditional and famous of all the Omo peoples, driving deep into the bush of Mago National Park along rough tracks that are an adventure in themselves, watching for wildlife along the way. In a Mursi village you encounter this proud cattle-herding people, the women known worldwide for the decorated clay lip plates that mark identity and beauty, the men as fierce ceremonial stick-fighters. The meeting is powerful and thought-provoking, and your guide ensures it is conducted with respect and fair arrangements. Emerging from the bush, you continue to Jinka, the lively regional highland town, market hub and home of a small museum devoted to the peoples of the south. You settle into your accommodation in town. Enjoy dinner this evening, reflecting on a remarkable day. Rest well in Jinka among the hills of the Omo, on your last night in the south.

This morning, timing permitting, you visit one of the region's vibrant rotating tribal markets, such as Key Afer, where Hamer, Banna, Ari and other peoples gather in their finery to trade cattle, grain, honey, beads and tools in a riot of colour, sound and social life, one of the most authentic and rewarding experiences of the whole journey. You then fly from the south back to Addis Ababa, where you connect with your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the full, astonishing sweep of Ethiopia over fourteen days: the sacred rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the imperial castles of Gondar, the ancient stelae of Axum, the serene monasteries of Lake Tana, and the extraordinary indigenous cultures of the Omo Valley, ancient and living, sacred and tribal, all wrapped in genuine warmth. These profound memories of one of the world's most remarkable countries stay with you long after you fly home. Depart already dreaming of a return to Ethiopia.