Itinerary

1. Day 1: Exciting Addis Ababa City Tour

   • Arrive at Addis Ababa, begin the day by exploring the oldest iconic hotel, enjoy typical Ethiopian and International flavours cuisine at Taitu Hotel. 

   • After refreshing, discover the greatest treasure of ancestor Lucy at the Ethiopian National Museum.

   • Head towards the Ta’eka Negest Ba’eta Lemariam Monastery.

   • Take a coffee break and wander around Mercato, a large open-air marketplace in Addis Ketema. 

   • Drive to Mount Entoto to enjoy the beautiful sunset over Addis Ababa.

2. Day 2: Travel to the exotic city Harar

   • Depart early at 08:00 am on a domestic flight from Addis Ababa to Dire Dawa, a one-hour flight. 

   • Proceed driving to the Muslim city of Harar, which is 50 kilometres that takes a one-hour drive, and you will be in northeastern Ethiopia, about 180 km from the Somali border. 

   • Reach Harar in the afternoon with the Ethiopian guide and travel to the old city of Saints. 

   • Visit the massive market of Awoday. It is a colourful market packed with the crowd watching exciting activities.  

   • Explore the Rimbaud Museum and stroll through the beautiful and colourful alleys of the old city, with a unique architectural design. 

   • Visit several houses and Sheikh graves. 

   • In the evening, see the Hyena Man as he feeds wild hyenas by hand, which takes place in an open area outside Harar.

3. Day 3: Flight back to Addis Ababa

   • In the morning, do some trekking.

   • Drive to Dire Dawa with your Moroccon tour guide.

   • Take a flight back to Addis Ababa.

4. Day 4: Fly to the Bahir Dar

   • Leave the hotel in Addis early at 07:20 am, took off on Etihad Airways from Bahir Dar. 

   • Drive with a guide to experience the panoramic view of Blue Nile Falls, which is 25 kilometres southeast of Bahir Dar. As you leave the trail, see a large and beautiful weekly market in the village of Tis Isat and explore the city's open market.

   • In the afternoon, sail on a peaceful boat at Lake Tana. Arrive with the boat to a peninsula called Zege, entering the lake.

   • Visit an interesting ancient church known as Ura Kidane Mehret Church which has an interesting mural. During the ride, see the Pelicans and Cormorants.

   • Arrive at your accommodation at Bahar Dar Kuriftu Resort & Spa in the evening.

5. Day 5: Drive to fortress city Gondar

   • Drive to the Gondar city, 185 kilometres away, pass through a mountain landscape, and occasionally make stops in the village along the way, experiencing the humans happening in the town. 

   • Arrive at Gondar in the afternoon. Visit several incredible sites, including the Imperial Enclosure, called Fasil Ghebbi, which includes the remains of Royal castles and Fortresses.

   • Pay a visit to the Mantewab Castle, also called Kuskuam. Locals usually come here and celebrate happy occasions such as weddings, and guests are dressed in fancy western holiday clothes. They dance and sing in the procession, creating a cheerful atmosphere, all against the background of the imperial complex and its large plaza. 

   • Explore a beautiful Debre Birhan Selassie Church, or the Church of the Light of Trinity, with beautiful frescoes depicting the Bible stories and the ceiling interior of hundreds of angels.

   • Witness Fasilides Bathing Pool, empty of water all year round, but for the Timkat holiday, it is filled with water, and crowds come here to celebrate.

   • In the evening, arrive at your accommodation at Gondar Florida Hotel, Gondar.

6. Day 6: Trekking in the Simien Mountains

   • Depart from Gondar early in the morning and drive to the town of Debark.

   • Visit the Simien Mountains National Park, 125 km north of Gondar, located in the Semien Mountains.

   • Arrive in Simien in the afternoon. Leave the car at a lodging point to start trekking. The trekking route will last up to three hours and maybe a little longer.

   • Trek through the hilly terrain, upside and down surrounding green mountains, forests, and trees and witness the unique wildlife and breathtaking landscape views.

   • Reach a place where are several dozen monkeys. The female has a kind of white apron on her chest. The interaction between the monkeys themselves and how they move in the field and look for plant food is fascinating. 

   • Return to your accommodation at Simien Park Lodge, Simien Reserve. It is very worthwhile to arrive despite the cold. 

7. Day 7: Drive back to Gondar

   • In the morning, go for another walk in reserve for about an hour and drive south on the way back toward Gondar (125 km, about three hours drive).

   • Arrive at Gondar in the afternoon and enjoy a tour of the city itself until evening.

   • Explore the local market and the streets nearby with your Ethiopian tour guide.

   • Walk through picturesque streets with exciting and colourful human and physical scenes. 

   • Reach your accommodation at Gondar Florida Hotel, Gondar.

8. Day 8: Fly to the Kingdom of Aksum

   • Depart from Gondar to the north of Aksum via domestic flight. The flight usually takes 45 minutes or two hours (depending on whether the plane arrives at Gondar Madis from the south or Malibliba from the east), and your flight will last for two hours because it is not direct. 

   • Visit the interesting sites of Aksum, such as the Church of St. Mary, considered the most important and most sacred in Ethiopia. When visiting Aksum, the guide will point to a building between the new church antiques, Tablets, and the original Ark of Covenant (No access to the building because of its holiness).

   • Explore the Stelae Field, where more than 120 monumental pillars (stelae), like obelisks, were erected. The most prominent and famous pillar is called the Obelisk of Aksum. There are tombs in the field of stalagmites.  

   • Experience the vicinity of the Stele Field, the Queen of Sheba Bath. The reservoir was built about a thousand years which served as a source of water for the kingdom of Aksum. 

   • Visit another archaeological site called the Dungur Palace or the Queen of Sheba Palace.

   • Arrive at your accommodation at Aksum Sabean International Hotel, Aksum.

9. Day 9: Travel to famous city Lalibela

   • In the morning, take a 45-minute flight from Aksum to Lalibela. Witness the celebrations and ceremonies of the Meskel holiday in Lalibela. The trip will be planned accordingly so that on the date of the Meskel, you will be in Lalibela.

   • In the afternoons, explore several large rock-cut churches in the ground. The structure of the churches is impressive in size and height. In various corners of the church, Christian clergymen read the book and pray. Also, witness the preparation where the main ceremony of the Maskal celebrations.

   • Travel the town's main street.

   • Reach your accommodation at Lalibela Mountain View Hotel, Lalibela.

10. Day 10: Experience Meskel celebrations at Lalibela

    • The Ethiopian Meskel celebrations will take place in the morning, with the participation of many religious figures, in the central square of the city of Lalibela. A procession of clergymen, dressed in white, decorated with red and coloured umbrellas. Surrounding the plaza in the procession, the crowd gathers in the center for speeches, greetings, and prayers, and in the middle of the square young people prepare a high pile of trees before burning them in the fire. 

    • In the afternoon, visit the neighbourhoods of Lalibela and several other churches.

11. Day 11: Final Departure

    • Around 10:00 am, fly from Lalibela to Addis Ababa. The flight will take an hour.