WILDLIFE AND TRIBAL CULTURE

Met at Addis Ababa Airport and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight : Jupiter International Hotel

In the morning drive to Awassa visiting the Tiya Stele and Melka Kunture Archeological site (approximately 275 km).
Overnight: Tadesse Enjori Hotel, or similar.
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, drive to the town of Arba Minch, meaning 40 springs, named after the several bubbling streams surrounding the town (approximately 280 km). On the way you will visit the Sinkile Hartebeest Sanctuary where you may see Swaynes hartebeest, Bohor reed buck, oribi and greater kudu.
Overnight : Paradise Lodge
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

In the morning enjoy an excursion to Chencha village to visit the Dorze people before driving to Jinka (approximately 270 km).
Overnight : Eco Omo Safari Lodge
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Early morning and late afternoon game drives in Mago National Park.
Overnight : Eco Omo Safari Lodge
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

In the morning, drive to the village of the Mursi tribe where you can appreciate their very authentic culture. They are renowned for the strange custom followed by their women, who, on reaching maturity, have their lower lips slit and circular clay discs inserted.
Overnight : Eco Omo Safari Lodge
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Drive to Turmi, the settlement of the Hamer people (approximately 125 km). The women of the Hamer are known particularly for their striking appearance, adorned with thick plaits of ochre-coloured hair hanging down in a heavy fringe, leather skirts decorated with shells and a dozen or more copper bracelets fixed tightly around their arms. On the way you will visit the most colourful traditional market in the Omo Valley, Key Afer, here you will see the Hamer, Tsemay, Bena and the Ari ethnic groups.
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

A morning trip to Murulle, the village of the Karo people, the tribe with the fewest members, and known for the way they paint their bodies before important ceremonies. We also visit Dus, a typical settlement with open public meeting grounds and a dancing place. The inhabitants have shelters called shuppa, where they pass the hottest hours of the day playing a karo board game called Ware. In the afternoon, visit the Hamer village where the tribes people have remarkable hairstyles decorated with ochre, water, and binding resin.
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Drive to Arba Minch (approximately 275 km) to visit the Arbore people, noted for their jewellery, and the Konso people, noted for their tradition of making traces for the protection of erosion. The Konso land was registered as one of the world heritage sites in the country in 2011. In the afternoon enjoy a boat ride on the southernmost Rift Valley Lake of Ethiopia, Lake Chamo. The Lake is home to many hippos and the world's most spectacular concentrations of giant crocodiles (locally known as 'Crocodile Market'). The birdlife and the scenery is amazing.
Overnight : Paradise Lodge
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, head to Awassa visiting the Alaba village with its painted houses.
Overnight: Taddesse Enjori, or similar.
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

In the morning, visit the fish market at Lake Awassa. Then drive to the world-famous Bale Mountains National Park. At the park headquarters in Dinsho we search the trails for the colourful chestnut-naped francolin, ground scraper thrush, the secretive Abyssinian ground-thrush, vocal Abyssinian catbird, and the endemic white-backed black-tit. We also hope to see a variety of mammals, including mountain nyala which are now entirely restricted to the Bale Mountain massif, Menelik's bushbuck and warthog. Drive to Goba (approximately 254 km).
Overnight : Goba Wabe Shebelle
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today will be a day of great contrasts with amazing scenery and birding. We will depart early, and ascend the Bale massif onto the Sanetti Plateau. Once we reach this unique plateau, we will be driving on Africa's highest road, passing close to the summit of Ethiopia's second highest mountain. This habitat is termed 'Afro-alpine moorland', and is characterized by jibrra or giant lobelias, which tower like monolithic giants over the rich tussock grasslands and extensive cushions of yellow everlasting flowers. This is an area of immense importance, supporting seven globally threatened bird species. The plateau's most celebrated resident is the Ethiopian Wolf.

Finally, we will reach the escarpment of this elevated plateau and stare down, through the clouds, at the vast Harenna Forest below. This remarkable forest is the largest intact forest block in Ethiopia and the largest protected Afro-alpine forest on the continent. It still supports populations of lions and the only surviving forest-dwelling African wild dogs. Although unlikely that we will see either of these species, the descent through this breathtakingly beautiful moss-draped forest is inspirational. In the afternoon return to Goba.
Overnight : Goba Wabe Shebelle
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, drive to Lake Langano. Here you can enjoy watching several water bird species in and around the lake, and the ever spectacular sunset. Lake Langano is suitable for swimming.
Overnight : Sabana Beach Resort
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, drive back to Addis (approximately 240 km), visiting the Rift Valley Lakes of Langano, Abiyatta, Shalla and Ziway. In the afternoon, take a city tour of Addis Ababa that includes: the National Museum; Merkato, the largest open-air market in Africa and Trinity Cathedral, a beautiful baroque style church. In the evening enjoy a farewell dinner at one of the best traditional restaurants, where you will taste a variety of Ethiopian food and be entertained by folk dancers. Then transfer to Addis Ababa Airport for your onward journey.
Meals : Breakfast and Dinner