Destinations: Addis Ababa- Debre Markos- Bahir Dar –Gondar- Simien Mountains National Park- Axum Mekelle- Lalibela- Dessie -Addis Ababa

Tour Code: TT-1029

Duration: 16 Days and 15 Nights

Tour Title: Historic Route with Christian Pilgrimage

Transportation: All surfaces

The festivals of Ethiopia are colorful, fascinating and are all year round. Both traditional and religious festivals are celebrated by its diverse ethnic groups with their picturesque native lives in their most rustic settings.

Day 1. Arrival at Addis Ababa, meet your guide and transfer to hotel.

Day 2. Full day in Addis Ababa visiting the National Archeological Museum of Addis Ababa- where the fossil remains of the oldest hominid (Lucy – 3.25 mil) is kept, the holy trinity cathedral, merkato – the largest open-air market in Africa, and driving to Mt. Entoto (3,200 meters) to have a panoramic view of Addis. Overnight hotel

Day 3. Drive from Addis Ababa to Debre Markos visiting the largest monastery in Ethiopia – Debre Libanos Monastery (13th Century AD) and the remarkable Blue Nile Gorge. Overnight hotel

Day 4. In the morning drive from Debre Markos to Bahir Dar, and in the afternoon make a city tour of Bahir Dar which includes visiting the popular cultural market of Bahir Dar, and driving to Bezawit Hill to have a panoramic view of the town of Bahir Dar, Lake Tana, and the outlet of the Blue Nile River. Overnight othel

Day 5. In the morning, drive 32 Km south of Bahir Dar to the famous Blue Nile Falls and in the afternoon have a boat trip on Ethiopia’s largest water body – Lake Tana (3,600 Km Sq) to visit the island monasteries of Ura Kidane Mihret (14th Century AD) and Azwa Mariam (14th Century AD). Overnight hotel

Day 6. In the morning drive 180 km to Gondar – the 17th century capital of Ethiopia. And in the afternoon, visit the Imperial Castle Compound of Gondar, the Bath of Emperor Fasiladas and the church of Debre Birhan Sillassie that is famous for its wall and ceiling paintings. Overnight hotel

Day 7. Drive from Gondar to the Simien Mountains National Park and visit the endemic mammal of Ethiopia – the Gelada Baboon, and the breathtaking scenery of the Simien Mountains. Then drive back to Debark for overnight stay.

Day 8. Drive to Axum – the earliest Capital of Ethiopia, crossing the Tekeze Gorge and visiting the Lima Limo spectacular and adventurous mountain ranges. Overnight hotel

Day 9. Visit of Axum which is known for its huge stele cut from granite stones. The visit includes, the Archaeological museum of Axum, the famous stele park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the church of St. Mary of Zion which is believed to be the last resting place of the original Ark of the Covenant, the palace and tomb of King Kaleb and Gebre Meskel (6th Century AD), and the ruin palace of the Queen of Sheba (9th Century BC). Overnight hotel

Day 10. Celebrate the colorful festival of the Annual memorial day of St. Mary. Overnight hotel

Day 11. Drive from Axum to Mekelle visiting the Yeha Temple (5th Century BC) and the rock-hewn churches of Abreha Atsebeha (4th Century AD) and Wukro Cherqos (10th century AD). Overnight hotel

Day12. Drive from Mekelle to Lalibela through the scenic Wollo Mountains visiting the Amhara people. Overnight Hotel

Day 13. Morning, visit the first groups of churches of King Lalibela, and in the afternoon make an excursion trip to the nearby Cave church of Ne’akuto Leab. Overnight hotel

Day 14. In the morning, mule ride to the hill top and visit semi-monolithic church of Asheten Mariam which rewards with very nice scenery around. In the afternoon, visit the second and third group of churches of Lalibela. Overnight hotel

Day 15. Drive from Lalibela to Dessie town enroute visiting the scenic Wollo Mountains. Overnight hotel

Day 16. Drive back to Addis and Evening Departure

Included

Accommodations/ Hotels/Lodge/hostels/Camping/

Not Included

A great place to unwind…

A great place to unwind… Thanks.

Enrico Lavrov

I had an amazing time

I had an amazing time with your tour guides. Thank you so much.

Adams J.

This is my second time

This is my second time visiting and it was wonderful. Thank you guys.

Mark Anderson

Great memory

testimonial one

Jhon Doe

Liability and Responsibility

Only the laws of Ethiopia govern Tsega Ethiopia Tours liability to its clients and all claims are subject to the jurisdiction of the court of Ethiopia in which the cause of action arises. Although every possible care is taken to safeguard you and your property, Tsega Ethiopia Tours accepts no liability for loss or damage of any personal effects. Tsega Ethiopia Tours will dispose its best efforts to assist visitors when dealing with third parties such as hotels, airlines and other transport companies and travel agents. However, Tsega Ethiopia Tours cannot be held responsible for any loss or harm such as sickness, injury, death or additional costs incurred due to denied boarding, overbooking, cancellation or delay caused by the third party.

Program Reservations

Contracts and agreements will be valid consequent to Tsega Ethiopia Tours confirmation of the booking signing a contractual agreement/form. At the time of confirmation, a deposit of 50% of the total cost is requested. The remaining amount of the total cost shall be paid upon arrival before the tour commences. Unless prior arrangements have been made, Tsega Ethiopia Tours cannot be forced to conduct the tour if complete payment has not been received.

Quotations

Tsega Ethiopia Tours provides tour prices (quotations) on request. After the contractual agreement is concluded the final quoted price is non-negotiable. Tsega Ethiopia Tours offers prices with validity date & has a full right in revising the offered prices which are not confirmed within the time frame/validity date.

Cancellation

Cancellation of confirmed booking must be made in writing via email Cancellation received 30 days prior to departure will be subject to a penalty of 30% of the total rate of the tour. Cancellations received less than 15 days prior to departure will result in relinquishment of the entire advance payment.

Visa and Immigration requirements

Visas may be obtained from Ethiopian diplomatic mission overseas ,in addition nationals of 33 countries listed below are allowed to receive their visa on arrival to Ethiopia, the detail includes:- Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, and US.

Health Requirements

Prior to entry, visitors should be in possession of a valid health certificate for yellow fever. Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days prior to arrival in Ethiopia.

Religion

The main religions are Christianity and Islam, but some other traditional beliefs are also practiced.

Accommodations

Addis Ababa offers variety of hotels ranging from luxurious 5 star hotels to the tourist standard. Tourist accommodation facilities are also improving at destinations outside Addis, the offer ranges from 2-4 star hotels to camping facilities.

Food

Enjera, the Ethiopian national dish is a flat, circular pancake of fermented made from an endemic grain seed called teff, served with different kinds of cooked meats, vegetables and different sauce. Though it is different from region to region, in generally Ethiopians used hot and spiced sauces that give Ethiopian food its characteristic taste. Vegetarians should try “Ethiopian fasting food”, a colorful spread of salads and vegetables devoid of all meat and animal products.

In Addis Ababa and major towns, it is possible to get traditional Ethiopian restaurants and others specialized in Italian, Far East and western dishes. In hotels found at tourist sites European style foods are always available. Those visitors who are travelling to the remote and adventure tourist sites such as deep in the Omo valley and Erta’le, Tankwa Tours & Travel Agency is provide professional cook and cooking materials. To read more about food in Ethiopia click here

Clothing

Visitors should take light, summer clothes for the day time and warm cotton made clothes for the evenings. The temperature drops quite rapidly towards sunset.  Mountains trekkers should bring warm clothes and water proofs for unexpected seasonal rains. Shoes must always be removed before entering churches and mosques.

Safety

Generally, Ethiopia is considered as safe destination, but one should still take normal precautions while visiting cities and tourist sites: avoiding unfamiliar areas at night and not carrying large sums of money in pockets.

Time and calendar

Ethiopia is found within GMT +3 hours’ time Zone, and follows the Julian calendar, which consists of twelve months of thirty days each thirteen months of five days (six days in a leap year). The calendar is seven years and eight months behind the Western Gregorian calendar

Currency

The Local currency is the Ethiopian Birr, made up of 100 Cents. Notes are used in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 birr. There is no limit to the amount foreign currency imported, but it must be declared to the customs authority upon arrival.

Custom

• Duty-free imports are permitted for up to:
• 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 1/2 lb of tobacco
• liters of alcoholic beverages
• Half-liter or two bottles of perfume.

Visitors may export souvenirs, although some Articles (such as animal skins and antiques) require an export permit.

Power

Ethiopia uses 220 volts and 50 HZ. It is good to bring your own round two prong adaptor and transformer if necessary.

Public holidays

The following are Ethiopian public holiday dates:-

• September 11, Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash)
• September 27, The finding of the True Cross (Meskal)
• January 7, Ethiopian Christmas (Genna)
• January 19, Ethiopian Epiphany (Timket)
• March 2 ,Victory of Adwa (commemorates the victory by Menelik II over Italy in 1896)
• Ethiopian Good Friday (variable)
• Ethiopian Easter (Fasika) (variable)
• May 1, International Labor Day
• Eid ul Fitr (Ramadhan) (variable)
• Eid ul Adha (variable)
• April 6, Ethiopian patriots victory day (celebrates end of Italian occupation in 1941)

Banking and Currency Exchange

Banking hours are usually from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday and from 8:00 am – 11:00 am on Saturdays. Closing times may be an hour longer in some private banks. Most banks work through lunchtime including foreign exchanges services

Courier and Money Transfer Services

Money transfers can be made through Western Union and Money Gram. Both have representative branches in Addis Ababa and in some other major towns and make their services available from private and national banks. For courier services, DHL, FedEx, UPS, TNT, and EMS have offices in Addis Ababa.

Language

Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia although English, Italian and Arabic are also spoken in cities and towns.

Communication

Internet, Telephone, Tele fax, and postal services are available in the country. Numerous internet cafes are available in Addis Ababa and in other cities. They all give Internet, Fax and telephone calling service. The country Dialing Code is +251

Tipping

Though tipping is a frequent custom, amounts vary depending on the service quality offered and the interests of the visitors. In most hotels and restaurants, a 10 per cent service charge is added to the bill.

Points of Entry

Bole International Airport, Bahir Dar, Mekele and Dire Dawa Airports are entry ports. Dawale and Galafe for those crossing from Djibouti border, Moyale for those driving from Kenya, Humera and Metema from Sudan are surface entry points .All arrivals undergo full customs and immigration checks. These are only entry points and no visa services available.

Driving

In Ethiopia driving is on the right. Drivers require a valid international driving license which can be obtained by exchanging yours with local license. Visitor can recover their license prior to their departure

Vaccinations

These are only indications, so please visit your doctor before you travel to be 100% sure.

TYPHOID

Recommended for Ethiopia. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.

HEPATITIS A 

Recommended for Ethiopia. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.

CHOLERA

Recommended for Ethiopia. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.

TUBERCULOSIS

Recommended for Ethiopia. Ideally 3 months before travel.

HEPATITISB

Recommended for Ethiopia. Ideally 2 months before travel.

RABIES

Recommended for Ethiopia. Ideally 1 month before travel.

MENINGOCOCCAL MENINGITI

Recommended for Ethiopia. Ideally 3 weeks before travel

YELLOW FEVER

Recommended for Ethiopia. Ideally 10 days before travel.