Ethiopia in Depth

Early morning arrival in Addis. Please note that if you are being picked up

at the airport (either on the group transfer or private transfer) you will

have to exit the terminal to find our representative with the Exodus board.

You may see people with signs inside the terminal but they are generally

people with special permission such as the UN, Government or hotels with

desks inside the terminal. After a leisurely morning to relax we will spend

the afternoon on a site-seeing tour of Addis Ababa. We will visit the

National Museum which houses some of the country’s historic treasures. The

collection of fossils and bones of early hominids discovered in Ethiopia

include the 3.5 million year old remains of ‘Lucy’, the oldest hominid

every found. We will also visit the Holy Trinity Church, Ethiopia’s main

cathedral and home to the remains of the last emperor, Haile Selassie.

Finally we will visit Menelik’s Mausoleum.

Today we will take a spectacular flight to Bahar Dar. From the air we can

gaze across the extraordinary nature of the Ethiopian Plateau, repeatedly cut

by immensely deep gorges. Bahar Dar is a small but fast growing town on the

southern shore of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. It has long

attracted religious men and the area contains numerous churches and

monasteries, many of them on the thirty or so islands of Lake Tana. The

afternoon is free to enjoy the fantastic bird-watching around the lake or

head into Bahar Dar itself and explore its local market. There is also the

option of doing a half day excursion to the Blue Nile Falls (usually in the

morning).

We have a full day boat trip on Lake Tana to visit the monasteries of Narga

Selassie & URA Kidane Mehret. We’ll travel by boat to visit some of the

more remote monasteries and churches, most of which date back to the

thirteenth century. The monasteries are fascinating and unlike any others

outside Ethiopia, often decorated with bright mural painting. Because of

their isolation they were used to store art treasures and religious relics

from all over the country. Local history says the Ark of the Covenant was

kept on one of these islands when the city of Axum was under threat, and the

remains of five emperors are to be found at Daga Istafanos.

This morning we drive north to Gondar, the former capital of Ethiopia.

Arriving in Gondar we will stop by the Kindu Trust, a local organisation

which works with disadvantaged children, their families and communities.

After lunch we will explore Gondar and visit the castles, which were built in

the 17th and 18th century by several generations of Ethiopian kings. Nearby

is Debre Birhan Selassie church with its sensational angelic ceiling, and the

bathhouse of Fasilides where thousands of Ethiopians celebrate Timkat

festival every January. Our hotel is up on a cliff top with wonderful views

looking over the town.

After breakfast we drive to Debark on the edge of the Simien Mountains. The

road has considerably improved and the drive should take about 2hrs. In the

late morning we drive up into the mountains for some spectacular views of

this unique ecosystem. The highland plateau is capped by a dramatic skyline

of jagged volcanic plugs and split by deep gorges and gullies. On a good day,

the views are sensational and the striking towers and formations have been

described as the 'chess pieces of the Gods'. We take an optional 2hr walk,

mostly flat or downhill, and hope to see the endemic Gelada baboons and

Klipspringers before returning to Debark. The maximum altitude we reach is

3250m.

Continue on a full day's drive to the fabled city of Axum via the lowlands of

the Simien Mountains and Tekeze River gorge. Though this is a long journey,

the spectacular views make time slide away. Arrive in the late afternoon.

Axum is the seat of the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Axum, which was

once one of the most powerful in the ancient world. Located at the centre of

the trading routes between the Mediterranean and India, and the great port of

Adulis on the Red Sea, it was economically, politically and technically

advanced and at times had control over both sides of the Red Sea.

Axum is also the origin of Christianity in Ethiopia and believed to be the

resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. The old church of St Mary of Zion

was the first church to be built in Sub-Saharan Africa around 330AD. Its

ruins can be seen in the precinct of the church compound.

We visit the famous monolithic stelae of Axum, the tallest one still standing

reaches over 21 metres and the greatest one of them all, once 34 metres high

now lies toppled on the ground. It is still, however, the largest monolith

ever erected by man. The subterranean tombs, stone inscriptions of ancient

Axumite kings and the small archaeological museum are also living witness of

the ancient Axumite history. We will also visit the ruined palace of the

Queen of Sheba who is said to have given birth to Menelik the First, fathered

by King Solomon, the founder of Ethiopia's ruling family until the late

Emperor Haile Selassie.

We leave for Wukro visiting some of the rock hewn churches of Eastern Tigrai

on the way. We first pass through the Battle field of Adwa, where the

Ethiopians defeated the Italian colonial army in 1896, and then stop to visit

the 500 B.C. pre-Christian Temple of Yeha. We will have lunch at Adigrat and

proceed on to Wukro. En route we visit the beautiful rock-hewn church of

Medhane-Alem Adi Kesho in Tsaeda Imba. Overnight stay at Wukro.

This morning we start by driving about 20Kms North West of Wukro to visit the

famous rock-hewn church of Abreha Wo Atsebeha and Wukro Cherkos, on the

northern outskirts of the town, before proceeding on to Mekele in time to

explore this fast growing city.

*Planet Hotel or similar*

Today is a long day’s driving but the scenery, once again, is spectacular

as we pass through mountains and river gorges, seeing for ourselves why

Ethiopia’s landscape is completely different to anywhere else. We

eventually reach Lalibela, possibly Ethiopia’s most famous site.

We spend the day exploring Lalibela’s rock-hewn churches. Whilst they may

feel busy compared to the ones we’ve visited in Tigrai they are still

spectacular and well worth visiting. The churches are mostly cut from solid

rock, and therefore have the appearance of being underground. The most famous

church is Bete Giorgis (St George, patron saint of Ethiopia), carved in the

form of a Greek cross. It is exceptionally well preserved and visually almost

flawless.

The churches are quite dark inside, with little artificial light, and in some

cases limited natural light. In each one there is a resident priest, who is

usually happy to put on richly embroidered vestments and pose for a photo

with his crosses, ancient bibles and sunglasses (due to constant camera

flashes!). Although the churches are remote, they are not short of

worshippers: most Ethiopians, certainly of the older generation, are devout

Orthodox Christians, and the services in the churches on religious festivals

are of marathon length: sixteen hours is not unusual!

In the morning we enjoy an optional (no extra cost) adventurous mule journey

to visit Ashetan Maryam (St Mary), built on a ridge with excellent views over

the surrounding countryside. The trip takes approximately 6 hours (round

trip) and will start early to avoid the heat. We will ride the mules up the

mountain for approximately an hour, before hiking the rest of the way up the

mountain to the church. After visiting the church we will walk back down to

the village on slippery mountain paths. This is a tough walk and is optional.

If you choose not to do the walk there is plenty to do in Lalibela: There is

the opportunity to walk into the town and visit some of the many shops or

relax in a Tej bar to sample the local fermented honey drink or a local café

to socialise.

The rest of the day is spent absorbing the atmosphere of this extraordinary

town with its Tukul or round houses. Made as two storey buildings, they are

unusual in Africa.

An afternoon flight takes us 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. Transfer back to the

airport in the late evening for our international flight back home. Please

note that due to flight schedules, some departures may include an extra night

at the end of the trip for flight inclusive clients and a day-time

return-flight.

The extension to the Islamic city of Harar starts today with an overnight in

Addis Ababa.