Ethiopia Discovery Safari

This is an adventurer hotel-accommodated Safari that takes you through the mysteries of Ethiopia.   Ethiopia Discovery is a hotel accommodated safari starting and ending in Addis Ababa. A journey through the astonishing land of discovery and oldest independent country of Africa. Highlights: Addis Ababa, The Blue Nile Gorge, Debre Markos Monastery, Bahir Dar - Lake Tana, Gondar - Blue Nile Falls, Simian Mountains National Park, Lalibela - eleven rock hewn churches, Dessie, Dinsho Bale Park, Saneti Plateau, Wendo Genet, Lake Awash, Lake Abiata, Lake Langano. Group Size: Maximum 10 people Type of Safari: Accommodated safari Accommodation: Mid range 3* hotel, lodges and chalets Price from £1295.00pp from $2495.00pp from €2125.00pp SRS from £175.00 from $345.00 from €295.00 Includes: Fully equipped safari vehicle, services of tour leader, all accommodation, all boat transfers, mule trekking and National Park entrance fees. Please note that due to limited facilities, chalet and lodge accommodation may be on a sharing basis. Excludes: International airfares, travel and medical insurance, visas, passports, vaccinations, personal taxes (incl. departure and border taxes) all optional activities, unscheduled or optional national/game parks and other activities, gratuities, restaurant meals and drinks, and all other items of a personal nature.. Tailor-Made Travel: This safari runs on scheduled dates throughout the year. We can tailor- make a private safari to meet your departure date, time period, group size and budget. Contact the office for further information. Departure Dates & Availability: Please click here regularly as availability is updated every 2 weeks.     or call 0800 043 7942    Day 1 After meeting up with the rest of the tour group we depart on an included city tour for an opportunity to explore the magnificent Menelek's Palace and the Merkato, the largest outdoor market in Africa. Addis Ababa is the third highest capital in the world and the altitude might therefore fatigue you easily - so take it easy on your first day whilst you are adjusting. Day 2 From Addis Ababa our drive climbs onto the plateau and we continue to Debre Markos where you will be able to view the Blue Nile Gorge, an incredible one and a half kilometres deep. [BL] Day 3 Arriving in Bahir Dar, a guided boat trip on Lake Tana will take you to the great water system that gives the Blue Nile its tremendous power. This boat trip also provides the opportunity to view the magnificently preserved Island Monasteries of the thirteenth century. The lake has an amazing network of 37 islands scattered over the surface of 3000 square km. We should pass by some papyrus canoes that are still used by the locals as transportation. [B] Day 4 This morning we will visit the Tissisat falls. (Blue Nile Falls) These amazing waterfalls are 400 meters wide and more than 45 meters in height. The early morning light is the ideal time to gain the best panoramic views and sometimes rainbows appear over the horizon at this time of day. Our next stop is Gondar, the 17th Century capital of Ethiopia. Gondar has now become one of Ethiopia's largest and most impressive cities, with its walled royal enclosure. This enclosure contains several well-preserved castles and other old buildings, and we will take the afternoon becoming immersed in the fascinating history of this old capital. [BL] Day 5 We continue on to the Simian Mountains National Park. This fascinating and awe-inspiring wilderness consists of hundreds of canyons and gorges, with mountain peaks that soar to more than 4000m. The Simian's dramatic topography is a result of the erosion of basalt lavas, which have been calculated to be nearly 3000m thick. Here and there weaknesses and cracks developed, opening the way for points of erosion, the cracks in the hard resistant basalt were widened and deepened by floods creating deep trenches. The result is an incredible array of jagged carvings reminiscent of America's Grand Canyon. We will also search for 3 endangered species found nowhere else in the world, namely the Walia Ibex, the Simian Wolf and the Gelada (an extremely rare baboon). There will be a 3 hour guided walk after which we return to Gondar and our hotel. [BL] Day 6-8 We depart for Lalibela and your hotel. Declared a world Heritage site by Unesco, the stone hewn churches are again quite marvellous. You will spend the following two days stepping back in time and exploring the remarkable churches described as "the creations of angels" in and around Lalibela. We will be transported to a monastery in the mountains by mule on the morning of day 8. The afternoon can be spent at your leisure. [B B B] Day 9 Making our way back to Addis Ababa we head south through the incredible Rift Valley. These will be long travel days, but there will be lots to see en route to Addis Ababa. We will make stops at various villages to admire the scenery and interact with the local people and gain an insight into their culture. At Lake Haike we visit the ancient monastery. [BL] Day 10 Driving along the chain of Rift Valley lakes we'll see a vast parade of bird life, including Pelicans, Flamingos and Fish Eagles. Finally arriving in Addis Ababa. [BL] Day 11 We leave Addis Ababa and drive south through the incredible Rift Valley. We travel through rich forests and green meadows towards the eastern wall of the Rift Valley, formed by the Bale Mountains and finally onto the Bale Mountains National Park where we overnight. [BL] Day 12 We visit the Bale Mountains National Park. This park covers an area of 2400 sq km and is home to the shy and endangered Nyala, endemic to Ethiopia. We then drive to Goba and check into your hotel. We then visit the highland lakes at Sanetti Plateau and return to your hotel for the night. [BL] Day 13 Journeying on to Wendo Genet we take in lush tropical forest that hosts a vast array of birds as well as the Colobus monkey. [B] Day 14 The following day begins with an early morning drive to Lake Awash to see the bird life and the fishermen; we then proceed to Lake Abiata and onto Lake Langano where we stop for lunch. After lunch we travel back to Addis Ababa and our hotel. [B] Day 15 Our tour ends after breakfast and a transfer to the airport. A sad farewell to the many mysteries and fascinating discoveries that Ethiopia gives up so generously. [B]