8-Day Highlights of Ethiopia Tour

Tour Style: Culture & Adventure
Start/End: Addis Ababa
Best Season: October – March (dry season)

🗓️ Day 1: Arrival in Addis Ababa – City Tour

Highlights: Museums, Cathedrals, Panoramic Views

• Arrive at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport

• Meet your guide and begin a short city tour:

  • National Museum (home of Lucy, the 3.2 million-year-old fossil)

  • Holy Trinity Cathedral

  • Drive up to Mount Entoto for sweeping views of the capital

• Enjoy a welcome Ethiopian dinner with cultural music and dance

Overnight: Hotel in Addis Ababa
Meals: Dinner

🗓️ Day 2: Fly to Bahir Dar – Lake Tana Monasteries & Blue Nile Falls

Highlights: Island Monasteries, Waterfalls, Boat Trip

• Morning flight to Bahir Dar (northwestern Ethiopia)

• Take a boat trip on Lake Tana to visit medieval island monasteries

• Afternoon visit to the Blue Nile Falls (Tis Issat), one of Ethiopia’s most scenic sights

• Optional sunset over the lake from a lakeside lodge

Overnight: Hotel in Bahir Dar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

🗓️ Day 3: Bahir Dar – Gondar – Castles & Churches

Highlights: Royal Enclosure, Debre Berhan Selassie Church

• Drive (~3 hrs) to Gondar, former capital of the Ethiopian Empire

• Explore the Royal Enclosure – castles, palaces, and bath of Emperor Fasilides

• Visit the beautifully painted Debre Berhan Selassie Church

• Optional walk through town or relax at your lodge

Overnight: Hotel in Gondar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

🗓️ Day 4: Fly to Lalibela – Explore Rock-Hewn Churches

Highlights: UNESCO Rock Churches, Pilgrimage Sites

• Fly to Lalibela, Ethiopia’s most iconic historic site

• Afternoon guided tour of the northern cluster of Lalibela’s 12th-century rock-hewn churches:

  • Including Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam, and Bet Golgotha

• Learn about King Lalibela’s vision of a “New Jerusalem” carved from stone

Overnight: Hotel in Lalibela
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

🗓️ Day 5: Lalibela – Explore More Churches & Local Life

Highlights: Bet Giyorgis, Village Visit, Coffee Ceremony

• Morning hike or mule ride to the hilltop Asheten Mariam Monastery or Na’akuto La’ab Church

• Visit the iconic Bet Giyorgis (St. George), carved in the shape of a cross

• Optional: Visit a local Tej (honey wine) house or attend a traditional coffee ceremony

Overnight: Hotel in Lalibela
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

🗓️ Day 6: Fly to Addis Ababa – Drive to the Omo Valley (via Arba Minch)

Highlights: Scenic Flight, Drive into Tribal South

• Morning flight to Arba Minch (via Addis Ababa or direct, depending on schedule)

• Drive to Konso, a UNESCO cultural landscape known for:

  • Terraced agriculture and waka totems

• Continue to Jinka, gateway to the Omo Valley tribes

Overnight: Eco-lodge in Jinka
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

🗓️ Day 7: Mursi Tribe Visit – Turmi (Hamar Tribe)

Highlights: Mursi Lip Plates, Hamar Culture, Bull-Jumping (seasonal)

• Visit the Mursi people in Mago National Park – known for lip plates and body art

• Return to Jinka, then continue to Turmi, home of the Hamar tribe

  • Optional: Attend a bull-jumping ceremony (if available)

  • Evening cultural interaction with the Hamar people

Overnight: Lodge in Turmi
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

🗓️ Day 8: Turmi – Arba Minch – Fly to Addis Ababa – Departure

Highlights: Scenic Drive, Farewell Dinner

• Drive back to Arba Minch

• Flight to Addis Ababa in the afternoon

• Optional: Last-minute shopping or coffee tasting

• Farewell dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant

• Transfer to airport for evening or night departure

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

✅ Tour Inclusions:

• Domestic flights (Addis–Bahir Dar, Gondar–Lalibela, Lalibela–Arba Minch/Addis)

• All ground transport in 4×4 or mini-bus

• Professional English-speaking guide

• All entrance fees and local guides

• Accommodation in mid-range or luxury lodges/hotels

• All meals as specified

• Bottled water throughout

⚠️ Notes:

• Can be customized to include Danakil Depression, Simien Mountains, or Harar

• Flight schedules may affect internal routing

• Some tribal visits may require flexibility due to cultural sensitivity