Authentic South Omo Valley Tribes Culture and Harar UNESCO World Heritage Tour Package

Up on your arrival at Bole International Airport and you will clear immigration and proceed to baggage claim, after collecting your checked bags, clear customs and pass through the arrivals hall where you will be meet by FINOT TOUR ETHIOPIA representative, who will assist you with your transfer to your hotel.
After a break in the afternoon, you will enjoy a half day guided tour of the Ethnological Museum, with its artifacts and displays of the cultures and handicrafts of Ethiopia’s many ethnic groups. At the famous National Museum, with its cultural and archaeological relics, you will visit the famous “Lucy,” a 3.2 million-year-old female hominid who was discovered in Ethiopia’s Awash Valley in 1974. Time permitting; you may visit the biggest open-air market of Addis Ababa, the Mercato, is the largest on the continent, and you will take a drive through it. You may also visit Ba’ata Church, also known as Menelik’s Mausoleum, one of the oldest of the churches in Addis, built in 1911. It houses beautiful paintings and the royal tombs of past emperors, including Emperor Haile Selassie.

Morning after breakfast meet with FINOT TOUR ETHIOPIA staffs (driver and guide) at your hotel and 7:30 AM, then start drive down to south, drive to southward to the rift valley regions passing creator lakes and rift valley lakes on the way visit the Tiya steal field a UNESCO registered site in Ethiopia. Then drive will take you along the scenic farmlands of Gurage People. We will also drive through the Wolayta farmlands, with views of the lush green hills and valleys, on the way visit the Dorze tribe and their village, famed for their bee hive shaped houses and their weaving skills. Weaving is a primary profession for many Dorze. They are also farmers, who prevent soil erosion by ingenious terracing of the mountainsides. Around their huts, they have their own little garden with vegetables, spices; tobacco and Enset (false-banana or Ensete). You arrive late in the afternoon at Arbaminch - meaning 'Forty Springs' in Amharic. Arbminch takes its name from the bubbling streams that cover the groundwater forest occupying the flats of the town.

Early in the morning drive to the Lake shore to have a boat trip on Lake Chamo, Boat trip on Lake Chamo is along the best anywhere in Ethiopia. One can spot many Hippos and the world's most spectacular concentrations of Giant Nile Crocodiles, which measure about 6 meters with the water birds, are great the scenery is truly unforgettable. Continue your drive Konso. You will stop to visit the Konso tribe with their king- UNESCO registered site for their extensive terracing and practice of making a wooden grave mark for their hero and kings. This day you will have a brief opportunity to visit a local village and the cultural museum displaying many “Wagas” statues. This is the famous 'wagas' — a funerary tradition where magnificent carved wooden sculptures were created in honour of Konso warrior heroes who have killed an enemy or animal, and often grouped to represent the man, his wives and his adversaries. The Konso people, who are known for their totems erected in honor of the dead and their intricate agricultural terracing techniques. You will visit the Konso people who have an ancient, complex, and fascinating culture of their own. Here are found human fossils dating from between 1.3 and 1.9 million years. Witness the spectacle of ‘Konso's New York' an extraordinary landscape of sand pinnacles formed by wind and rain. Continue driving and late afternoon and arrive to Turmi.

This day early in the morning after breakfast drive 73 km west to visit the Dassench /Geleb/ people; who inhabited in the bank of Omo River, and we cross the Omo River by locally made boat to see the village these tribes are semi nomadic with very little agriculture on the bank of the Omo River. You will drive back to Turmi for lunch. After lunch, you will drive for excursion to Murulle to see the Karo tribe, famous for their body panting (they prepare the ink for the painting from locally available material like flower, soil and animal blood). We will also admire the scenery view of the Omo River from the edge of the village, and then drive to Dimeka Market to attend the weekly colourful market of the HAMER tribe then drive back to Turmi.

In the morning, you will drive in one of the nearest village of hammar tribes and visit. The Hamar is one of the most well-known tribes in Southern Ethiopia. They inhabit the territory east of the Omo River and have villages in both Turmi and Dimeka. They are especially well known for their unique rituals, including a cattle-leaping ceremony that the young men have to undergo in order to reach adulthood and to marry. They are a highly ‘superstitious’ people, and to this day they consider twins to be babies born outside of wedlock, while children whose upper milk teeth develop before their lower teeth are deemed to be ‘evil’ or ‘unclean’. As mentioned, the young Hamar men are famous for their “Evangadi dance” and “Bull jumping” ceremony (it is as part of this ceremony that the aforementioned whipping occurs). This ritual entails young men who wish to marry jumping over a line of bulls, thereby proving their worth to their intended bride’s family. It also signifies their advent into adulthood. This is a rarely seen event however, with luck, we may hear of one on our Omo valley tribe photography tour, and even be invited to attend this landmark event. After lunch, you will drive to Jinka for overnight.

After breakfast early in the morning leave Jinka and drive to Mursi village to visit and appreciate the very attractive culture of Mursi tribe. 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, then drive to KEY AFER- Tribal Market one of the best market in the OMO VALLEY since at list four different tribes are coming to attend this weekly market. Arrival in the small town and escort a local guide walking around the market and explore different section of the market including animal, vegetable, cereals and much more. Then continue drive back to Arba minch.

Morning After relaxed breakfast in the lodge drive from Arbaminch to Awash National Park via Lake Langano. You will pass through the fertile land of Wolayta with their fascinating culture and the false Banana preparation and coffee plantations and Alaba regions. You will pass through land, which produces the best banana, papaya, apple and mango in Ethiopia for the world market. The Alaba people are very famous for their beautiful home painting style. You will stop for lunch at Sabana Beach Resort enjoy your lunch by the lakeside views. You will continue drive to Awash National park and enjoying through the Great Rift Valley on the way coffee and tea stop at the town of Adama /Nazret/. You will make overnight stay at Awash National Park.

Early morning driven to the walled city of Harar. Today is a long drive – approximately 7 to 8 hours including stops. You will pass through many villages and some beautiful landscapes, unique and different to other areas of Ethiopia. The Awash River is the longest in Ethiopia; it does not run into the sea, but feeds into the Danakil Depression close to Asayta and terminates in a series of lakes. Awash-Harar across the rift valley floor and along the spine of the beautiful Ahmar Mountains to Harar. This is an early 16th century eastern Ethiopian city, was once an important trade center and is famous for its ancient Arabic structures, great city walls, and the French poet Rimbaud’s house. Harar is an Islamic center with at least 99 mosques and considered the fourth holiest Islamic city, after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Early in the evening, visit the Hyena man feeding outside the walls of the city.

Early in the morning after breakfast, you will start the walled town of Harar. Founded in the early 12th century, the great walls surrounding Harar were built in the 1600s to keep out powerful neighbouring hostile groups. Harar remained an important centre of Muslim learning and trade throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Once an important centre of Islamic scholarship, the city was for many years closed to Christians and early explorers were forced to enter in disguise and at their own peril.
We start our exploration with a guided tour of Harar to see the mosques and interesting old architecture of the town, including the old city wall and the house of the French poet Rimbaud. Harar is home to one of the stranger sights that you are likely to see in your journey through Ethiopia. Emperor Haile Selassie home (where he was born & raised) and Harari Cultural Museum. You will start exploring the 16th century UNESCO registered wall city of Harar. Including the colourful local market and the famous museums and holy shrine, you will enjoy visit of the colourful market in Harar. You will drive to Dire Dawa for overnight (50 Km from Harar). Upon arrival, you will check into a hotel.

This day, we drive back to Addis Ababa on the way we will see some creator lake of Debre Zaite. We will arrive in Addis Ababa in early afternoon and transfer to the Hotel and have a room as a day use for wash/change and get ready for the evening flight. You might be interested in the last minute souvenir shopping at the markets. In the evening, we will go out to one of the best cultural restaurant for the Farewell Dinner at traditional restaurant with live traditional dances program. Then, we will transfer to Bole International Airport for flight home. The trip ends here.