Tour Code: VET 033
Duration: 18 Days & 17 nights
Transport: surface
Day 01: Arrive Addis Ababa International airport and meet the staff of Spring Ethiopia tours then transfer to hotel after 30 munities rest and refreshment the trip orientation will given by assigned company tour guide and if time permit city tour including the National museum Mondays and Ethnology Museum at Addis Ababa University these give them general information about their tours, Entoto Mountains they will see the whole city of Addis Ababa from mountain view and tour of the capital, at night Ararat hotel.
Day 02: Drive morning to Bale Goba on the route visit the crater lakes of Debrezeith with admiring the landscape of the central Rift and its lakes in distance the objective of this route is to visit the Bale Mountain National Park which is located about 400 km from Addis Ababa, it is stretched over an area of 2000 km2 with altitude ranges of 1500m- 4377m above sea level. This national park it the largest Afro Alpine habitat park in Africa. On the route you will view the controlled hunting Areas of Arsi Mountains and the museums in Assala which have details information about eco-tourism for Aris-Bale massive. Lunch at the town of Asella the capital of Arsi Zone 175 km from Addis Ababa. This place where distinguished World athlets like Haile Gebresellaisee, Darartu Tulu, Kenenisa Bekele Tirunesh Dibaba and others are emerged. Continue your trip with spectacle attractions of the Chains Mountains known as Arbagugu kalka, Galama-Boroluku, munessa kuke and Aluto. These chain mountains are reserved for the major game animals of mountain Nyala, Klipspringer and Menelik’s Bushbuck, Overnight at Dinsho guest house. It is also the head quarter of Bale Mountain National parks/BMN/.
Day 03: This place is the perfect site of viewing Mountain Nyala and Menlik Bush buck etc and the Museum and you collect relevant information about the park. Drive to Senete Plateau and Harrena Escarpment: Views, vegetation and animals; the Bale Mountain National park which is the home of 46 mammal and more than 206 bird species and vegetation of unspoiled wonder land. The majors are various tree species and precious endemic mammals namely Red wolves, mountain nyala and Menelik’s Bushbuck.
In BMN there are three main divisions the northern area is called Dinsho and Gassay Plain, the central alpine part- Senate and the southern part forest area is Haranna.
Sanate, nick-named as ‘The Island in the air’ is a high plateau souring up over 4000m on the top. The second highest peak in the country next to Ras Dashen is tullu Dimtu (4377m above seal level)is among many peaks on the plateau found here in Sanate. You visit here the seasonal tiny alpinr lakes some rare birds and above all the endemic red wolves and gaint Mol rat the top tourist attractions.
Then continue your trip the southern Haranna area in an area of lower altitude covered with dense moist tropical forest. The road penetrating Sannate and Haranna forest connects goba with Dallo Manana towns. Here the main attraction dense msit forest, African hunting dog, giant forest hog, spotted hyena, lion, leopards, colobus monkey , etc abound in Haranna forest. Overnight at Goba wabe Shebele hotel or in Robe Bekele Molla hotel
Day 04: By admiring the view of Gassay Valley, Sannate which is looks like in distance the island in the air, the summit of Tullu Dimtu, Harana escarpment, harana forest – Kacha Site and weib valley drive to visi the SOF Omer cave. It one of the world’s biggest and Africa’s largest cave with 42 interbal entrances and its total passages distance of 15.6km its 1.2 km tourist route which crosses the river seven times and takes visitors about 2 hours walking. It is located 110km from the town of Robe. The cave’s has flat topography and deep gorge cut by River Web. The entrance is the right spot where visitors start cave expedition. The beauty of the cave comes from the untouched and savages aspects of the huge main passages, the very special shape of the section of the galleries, the white color of the lime stone and basalt that form the walls. Over night return to Goba or Dodola Wabe Shebele Hotel.
Day 05: Drive from Goba to Wondogenet on route of Dodola which the first sight of bale Mountain chain comes to view this Adaba and dodola chain mountain is best for trekking to visit the bale Mountains. Transfer to Wabe Shebele hotel after enough rest you can make refreshment by experiencing with the therapeutic hot spring bath and swimming over night hotel.
Day 06: Morning visit the fesh market at Awassa crossing Guji people drive to Yabelo awith admiring very nice landscapes and continue for the Borena people at night Yabelo hotel
Day 07: Drive to Elsod crater, from where Borena men extract salt. Visit some of their villages at night Yabelo hotel.
Day 08: Drive to Turmi, crossing the Konso with particular culture, traditions way of life and more. They are famous on terracing style agriculture. Continue crossing Tsemay and Erbore people and villages. They have colorful hairstyles, way of dressing and lows of the Evangadi living quite peculiar. Continue to the village of Turmi, of the Hammer people. Dinner and at night, camping at Turmi or at extra cost at the tented bungalows of the Evangadi lodge and campsite
Day 09: Visit Hamer people, their villages, possible some dance, the unique marriage ceremonies, with women slashing, at Turmi or Dimeka villages. These tribes are famous for their hairstyles, ornaments, scarification, and culture, at night Turmi camping.
Day 10: Drive to Omorate, at bank of Omo River, to admire the Dassanech villages. Excursion to the Turkana Lake at border of Kenya can be added. Back dinner and at night Turmi
Day 11: Drive to the Karo people and villages, visit Kortcho village with very pleasant views over Omo River, like Duss Village. Drive to jinka town at night Resort hotel
Day 12: proceed to Mago National Parktto visit he Mursi people and villages, Admire these tribes, where for beauty women use to put clay plates in to their lips, men have different scarification and more particularities, visit their way of life in the villages, etc and back to Jinka village for dinner and at night local hotel.
Day 13: Continue for the Mago Park and game driving to admire various animals, among which different antelopes and birds, at night camping.
Day 14: Drive to Arba-minch, meaning 40 springs on route visit the Ari, Benna and Tsemay people, visit the Konso famous tracing villages and traditions, and the Derashe people at night Arbaminch Tourist hotel.
Day 15: Morning visit the Nitch Sar Park with remarkable views over the lakes and different mammals, as the endemic Swaynes Hartebeest, Zebras, lesser Kudu, and others. Back lunch Arba-minch, afternoon make boat trip on chamo, admire crocodiles and hippos here crocodiles are some of the longest in Africa, with length of 6m and also above, dinner and at night Tourist hotel.
Day 16: Morning excursion to Chencha, to visit the Dorze people, their particular weaving works for which they are famous, strange houses, cultivation of sorghum and the false banana and more then continue to Langano with few stoppage at Wolaita people, their villages, culture, the cultivation of the false banana tree ( from which roots they extract their traditional bread, known as Kotcho) and more overnight Langano Bekel Molla hotel
Day 17: Moring visit the three Rift Valley lakes of Shala, Abyata and Langano (you can swim, boat trip horse riding at lake of Langagon) and visit the lakes of shala and Abyata Visit these lakes rich in birds, such as Pelicans flamingoes, Storks and more and the National Parks with 31 species of mammals and 367 species of birds the major are animals like grant’s gazelles, warthog, spotted Hyena, golden and black backed jackals different kinds of Ape and olive baboon s and the ostrich farms. After lunch drive to Addis Ababa it is 218Km
Day 18: After late breakfast tour of the Merkato (not on Sunday), biggest open-air market in Africa, and different souvenir shops. Dinner we propose a traditional restaurant with folkloristic dances of the different Ethiopia regions at night transfer to Addis Ababa International Air port for the departures.