Month: April 2016

If you want to have a tour from Addis Ababa with a focus on wildlife a visit to Awash National Park might suit you. The park is situated at a convenient half day drive from Addis Ababa.

Day 1 Addis Ababa – Awash NP, 200 km/ ~4 hr
After breakfast we will pick you from your hotel for the half day journey to Awash National Park. At arrival we check-in in our hotel and enjoy lunch. In the afternoon we go out to explore the park.

Day 2 Awash NP
This is a day to explore Awash National Park. Game drives and walks are available to encounter the wildlife and enjoy the scenery. You are likely to see beisa oryx, kudu, defassa waterbuck, Soemmering’s gazelle, warthog and baboon. The park is also a great place for birdwatchers.

Day 3 Awash NP – Addis Ababa, 200 km/ ~4 hr
We still have this morning to see more of the park. After lunch we are heading back to Addis where we drop you at your hotel late afternoon.

When you leave Addis Ababa by the Asmara Road, it is about half a day drive to reach Ankober. An interesting place in a beautiful setting which has been the capital of the Kingdom of Shoa for centuries.

Day 01 Addis Ababa – Ankober, 170 km/ ~3, 5 hr.
After breakfast we pick you from your hotel for the half day drive to Ankober. On the way we visit Koremash where we enjoy extraordinary views over the Rift Valley below. Depending on our departing time we might take a picnic lunch from Addis Ababa or we enjoy a late lunch at the Ankober Palace Lodge. In the afternoon we make in easy walk to explore the surrounding area with its historical sites.

Day 02 Ankober.
There are many options to fill this day in Ankober, from easy going to strenuous hikes. When you are here on a market day it might be interesting to (walk or drive) down to Aliyo Amba, where Christian highlanders meet the Islamic lowlanders for centuries.

Day 3 Ankober – Addis Ababa, 170 km/ 3,5 hr
A morning at leisure. After lunch we start the journey back to Addis Ababa where we drop you at your hotel.

Day 1
Early morning departure to Lake Wenchi.  Here you can do some horseback riding or hiking around this stunning Crater Lake and/or a boat trip on the lake to visit the island monastery of Cherkos and the hot springs.  Overnight in Woliso (lodge).

Day 2
After breakfast drive to the Menagesha National Forest for some hiking.  Here you will enjoy the wildlife, such as the colobus monkeys and endemic Menelik’s bushbuck, as well as birds, including the endemic Ethiopian oriole and Abyssinian woodpecker.  After the visit, return to Addis Ababa in the afternoon.

When you are looking for a more active short trip out of Addis Ababa and you are reasonable fit you could consider making a round trip by following the Jimma Road out of Addis Ababa en returning by the Ambo Road. Overnight at the beautiful Negash Lodge and go for a nice walk at Wenchi.

Day 1 Addis Ababa – Weliso, 115 km/ ~2 hr
Somewhere in the morning we pick you from your hotel for the 2 hour drive to the beautiful Negash Lodge near Weliso. After check-in we enjoy a delicious lunch and make plans for the afternoon. You can walk or bike around or take a horse to explore the surrounding area. Another option is to have a afternoon at leisure. The lodge is situated in a beautiful area with lots of birds and monkeys roaming around. From Thursday till Sunday a swimming pool filled with water from the nearby hot springs is tempting.

Day 2 Weliso – Addis Ababa, via Wenchi, 185 km/ ~3, 5 hr.
It takes about an hour to reach the beautiful Wenchi area. Here we meet our local guide and get organized for the day. Different walks are available, from 1,5 to 5 hours. If you want a horse it can be arranged here too. To make to going easier or just for fun, no experience is needed. Once at the lakeside a small boat takes us to a monastery island. Somewhere in a beautiful setting we enjoy a picnic lunch we brought with us. Latest 16.00 hour we depart back to Addis Ababa to drop you at your hotel around sunset.
(Or you might want to add another day at the beautiful Negash Lodge)

A journey along Butajira Road will take you to 3 very interesting (pre) historical sites just south of Addis Ababa. A shortcut brings us to the beautiful Rift Valley Lakes and we returning to Addis by the Debre Zeit Road the next day.

Day 1 Addis Ababa – Langano, via Butajira, 222 km/ ~4 hr
We pick you from your hotel after breakfast and leave Addis Ababa to the south through the fertile rolling hills. After about an hour drive we arrive at the prehistoric site of Melka Kunture. Half an hour further south the rock-hewn church of Adadi Maryam is found, build in the same style as the famous contemporaries in Lalibela. Somewhere in the area we enjoy a picnic lunch we brought from Addis Ababa.
From Adadi Maryam it is about an hour drive to Tiya where mysterious stelae are found, most probably grave markers. From Tiya it is about 2,5 hour to Langano where we arrive late afternoon.

Day 02 Langano – Addis Ababa, 197 km/ ~3 hr
We enjoy a morning at leisure at Lake Langano. If you are interested it is possible to visit Lake Shalla-Abiata National Park nearby. After lunch we are heading back to Addis Ababa. We have a brief stop at Lake Ziway to watch the many water birds along its shore. Late afternoon we drop you at your hotel.

Day 1
Depart from Addis for a short drive to Debre Zeit, home to several crater lakes and a popular weekend getaway spot for Addis Ababa residents.  You can spend the day visiting the lakes or doing some light hiking (circling Lake Hora takes 1 ½ hours).  The area is very popular for birdwatching.  There are several lake-side establishments for lunch and even a spa. Overnight in Debre Zeit (hotel or lodge).

Day 2
After breakfast depart for a visit to Mt. Zuqualla, an extinct volcano that offers beautiful views of the surrounding areas. Here you can visit the monastery of Mt. Zuqualla Maryam, which may date back as far as the 4th century.  The nearby crater-lake is considered holy by the monks of the monastery.  Return to Addis Ababa in the afternoon

A visit to Debre Libanos is a popular day trip out of Addis. But why not doing it in a more relaxed way and stay overnight. You will have plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful landscape and meet the people. Don’t see everything through the window of the car.

Day 01 Addis Ababa – Debre Libanos, 110 km/ ~2 hr
We will pick you from your hotel after breakfast and leave Addis Ababa to the north. We are passing through the Entoto Hills, which offer stunning views at the capital. Somewhere along the road we stop to enjoy a delicious buna (espresso) or shai (tea). Ample time is available to stop to enjoy the beautiful landscape, meet the people busy with their daily work and make pictures. At the end of the morning we arrive near Debre Libanos where we first check-in in our hotel and have lunch, meanwhile enjoying breathtaking views at the Jemma River Gorge. After lunch we leave for Debre Libanos where we spent the afternoon. We visit the church and the recently opened museum. A short, steep, path leads us to the cave where Tekle Haimanot had been praying. Late afternoon we make a short walk from our hotel to Ras Darge’s bridge.

Day 2 Debre Libanos – Blue Nile Gorge _Addis Ababa, 214 km ~5 hr
After a relaxing breakfast we leave our hotel and continue the journey towards the Blue Nile Gorge, about 1,5 hour drive. From the top of the gorge a 20 kilometer descent brings us from an altitude of 2450 meter to the new bridge at 1080 meter above sea level. The scenery is spectacular. The bridge is our turning point and from here we are heading back to Addis where we arrive in the afternoon.

Day 1
Depart east from Addis Ababa to Awash National Park.  In the evening you will have a chance to do a short game drive to see the local wildlife, such as oryx, baboons, greater and lesser kudu, warthogs, gazelles, colubus monkeys.  Additionally, you’d be very lucky to see leopards, lions, and other cats.  The landscapes in the park are beautiful, looking over the Awash Gorge.  Overnight in Awash National Park (lodge or camping).

Day 2
Early morning, take a drive in the park to witness the park as it wakes up.  Afterwards, depart from Awash, returning to Addis Ababa.  On the way you can stop in Sodere to take a shower in the therapeutic hot springs waters.

Day 1
Depart south from Addis Ababa via Butajira.  On the way you will visit the archeological sites of Tiya (ancient stelae field and UNESCO World Heritage Site), Adadi Maryam (a rock-hewn church similar to those in Lalibela) and Melk Kunture (pre-historic tool-making site).  Final destination for the day is Lake Langano.  Overnight in Lake Langano (camping or lodge).

Day 2
Early morning, depart from Lake Langano for a short trip north to Lake Ziway.  After a brief morning hike, depart north to Lake Ziway.  .  Here you will take a boat trip on Lake Ziway to the island of Tullo Gudo.  The island hosts the church of Maryam Tsion which, according to tradition, once housed the Ark of the Covenant to hide it from invaders.  After the visit, return to shore, enjoying the bountiful birdlife on this lake and possibly some hippos.  Return to Addis Ababa late afternoon.

Day 1
Depart south from Addis Ababa via Butajira.  On the way you will visit the archeological sites of Tiya (ancient stelae field and UNESCO World Heritage Site), Adadi Maryam (a rock-hewn church similar to those in Lalibela) and Melka Kunture (pre-historic tool-making site).  Final destination for the day is Awassa.  Overnight in Awassa (hotel).

Day 2
After breakfast, visit the local fish market on the shores of Lake Awassa.  Afterwards, take a boat trip on the lake to visit the hippos.  Finally, return north to Addis Ababa.  Time permitting; you may visit the Abiatta-Shala National Park.  Lake Shala, with its deep blue waters is the deepest lake in Ethiopia at 236m.  Lake Abiatta is a soda lake at which thousands of flamingos can be seen at various times of the year.