


Ethiopia

Guided, Small Group

Mid Range
The Historic Route is one of the greatest treasures of Ethiopia. Nowhere else in the world can you see riches of the past such as those in the northern part of Ethiopia, many of them are registered by UNSECO as World Heritage Site, the most renowned being the Lalibela rock-hewn churches. Visit other monasteries and churches, hike in the wilderness where you might spot gelada monkeys and lammergeyer (bearded vulture), meet local communities, visit ancient cities and enjoy a lake boat cruise.
From USD 1,100 per person
After breakfast meet with Exploring Tourism Ethiopia staff (driver and guide) at your preferred departure point and time and start the drive northward, passing through the Entoto hills. After driving on a 100 km detour to visit the 13th century monastery of Debre Libanos established by Teklehaymanot and a visit to the 16th century bridge of Portuguese. Continue the drive and pass through the amazing Blue Nile gorge, with a lunch break at Debre Markos, continue to drive through the beautiful flat farming land late, afternoon arrival at Bahirdar.
In the morning after breakfast enjoy a boat cruise on this beautiful highland lake to see the monastery church of the beautifully decorated Ura Kidanmihret, and Azwa Mariam that allows both genders. Under the thatched roof of the monastery, there are some distinctive colorful frescoes of religious scenes an impressive display of illuminated bibles written in “Geez” the religious language from which Amharic is derived. In the afternoon you will take a scenic drive of 32 km to the little town of Tiss Abay and walk for about twenty minutes to visit the famous Blue Nile Falls. The falls is locally known as Tiss Isat meaning, “Water that smoke”. Those who may wish to descend to the base of the falls must be climb back to the other side and cross the Blue Nile in a boat in-order to back to the point of departure.
After breakfast, drive to Gondar 180 km to conduct tour of Gondar, known as the ‘Camelot of Africa’, nestled in the foothills of the breathtaking Semien Mountains National Park in the northwestern part of the country. Gondar was the 17th and 18th century capital city of Ethiopia, founded by Emperors Fasiladas (1632 – 1667) and home to a number of emperors & warlords, curtsies and kings who built several castles and palaces around the area. Visit the oldest and the most impressive Gondarian structure, the magnificent castle compound including the two storied palace of emperor Fasiladas, built of roughly hewn brown basalt stone held together with mortar, the fantastically decorated Debre-brehan Silassie Church (Light of Trinity), the bath (now baptismal place during Ethiopian epiphany, January 19) of King Fasiladas and the ruined palace of Queen Mintiwab at Qusquam, where the Scottish explorer James Bruce used to reside for sometimes.
Optional Activities: Awra Amba community is an Ethiopian community of about 400 people, located 73 kilometers east of Bahirdar in the Fogera woreda of Debub Gondar Zone. It was founded in 1980 with the goal of solving socio-economic problems through helping one another in an environment of egalitarianism – in marked contrast to the traditional norms of Amhara society. Founded by Zumra Nuru, who currently serves as co-chairman of the community, with 19 other people who shared his vision, as of 2007 Awra Amba has some 400 members, and is lauded as a model to alleviate poverty and promote gender equality in a country where women are generally subservient to men).
We have an early departure this morning as we drive to Debark in the Simien Mountains. This range lies north of Gondar and many of the peaks rise above 4000m, with the highest peak of Mt. Ras Dashen at 4543m being the fifth highest on the African continent. On the way, there may be the opportunity to visit a Falasha village. The Falasha Jews are thought to have arrived in Ethiopia 3,000 years ago at the time of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, but their history is shrouded in mystery. Translating to ‘exiled’ in Amharic, the Falasha claim to be descendants of Moses.
This afternoon we’ll take a short hike for a couple of hours to enjoy the wilderness of this mountain region, and here both gelada monkeys and lammergeyer (bearded vulture) can often be spotted. The mountains are marked with tracks worn out by the local people travelling from village to village or moving their animals to fresh pastures. The combination of these tracks and the spectacular scenery make for excellent walking
NB: based you your holiday we can add one more day to visit Simian Mountain National Park to explore and trek the Waliya Ibex.
In the morning, proceed with the drive to Lalibela via Woreta, passing through Amhara state. You will have stunning views of the Guna Mountains as you travel through this dramatic landscape. On the way you will drive to Awra Amba community through Hamusit city. Awra Amaba is an Ethiopian community of about 400 people, located 73 kilometers east of Bahirdar in the Fogera woreda of Debub Gondar Zone. It was founded in 1980 with the goal of solving socio-economic problems through helping one another in an environment of egalitarianism – in marked contrast to the traditional norms of Amhara society. Founded by Zumra Nuru, who currently serves as co-chairman of the community, with 19 other people who shared his vision, as of 2007 Awra Amba has some 400 members, and is lauded as a model to alleviate poverty and promote gender equality in a country where women are generally subservient to men). You will have a photo stop and coffee break through it.
We spend today exploring one of the world’s most remarkable historic sites and it’s 11 rock-carved churches. Although churches carved in rock are not found in other parts of the world, those found in Ethiopia are particularly interesting. Generally, they were excavated on all sides of a rectangle, leaving a large block of stone isolated in the center. This rock was then shaped and formed both inside and out and the carvings show extremely skillful workmanship.
Lalibela, the ‘New Jerusalem’, is thought to have been constructed some 800 years ago by King Lalibela. Once his capital city, this former bustling city is today a small village, virtually cut off from the outside world. You will start visiting of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the Northwestern Cluster of churches – Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danaghel, Bet Mikael & Bet Golgotha (entry not permitted for women). After lunch, continue with the Southeastern Cluster of churches – Bet Gabriel-Rufael, Bet Merkorios, Bet Amanual, and Bet Abba Libanos. Finally, you will visit the most famous of all the churches – Bet Giyorgis, constructed in honor of the patron saint of Ethiopia – Saint George. We’ll be joined by a guide both this morning and this afternoon to learn about the area’s fascinating history. The exploring will include a certain amount of scrambling between rocks and through tunnels. The churches stand in two main groups on either side of a stream, known locally as ‘The River Jordan’ and between them are considered to be one of the great wonders of the world. Most of the churches now have a permanent roof built over them to preserve them and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
After an early breakfast, leave Lalibela en-route visit the monastery of Nakutolab – a cave church. This is the easiest of all the outlying churches to reach in the monastery of Nakutolab which is named after its constructor, the nephew and successor of King Lalibela. The monastery accredited to Nakuotolab consists of a relatively simple church built around a shallow cave in which several holy pools are fed by natural springs. After visiting you will get a domestic flight back to Addis Ababa. We are then transferred to the hotel for day rooms and get settled before enjoying an optional final dinner at a well-known local Ethiopian restaurant with dances from the different ethnic groups. Transfer back to the airport in the late evening for your international flight back home.
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