Ancient Ethiopia Tour

Day 1 - Arrive Addis Ababa
Upon your early morning arrival in Addis, our representative will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Then after breakfast, start your trip by driving to the National Museum of Ethiopia to discover the history of Ethiopia and our oldest human ancestor, Lucy. Set within Haile Selassie’s former palace and surrounded by the beautiful gardens and fountains of Addis Ababa University’s main campus is the enthralling Ethnological Museum. Even if you’re not normally a museum fan, this one is worth a bit of your time – it’s easily one of the finest museums in Africa. Before lunch, drive to Holy Trinity Cathedral Church which has a unique architectural style. Immediately after a relaxed lunch, drive up to the Entoto Mountains, the best location to observe the panoramic view of the capital. It is also a historical place where Menelik II resided and built his palace and is notable as the location of a number of celebrated churches, including Saint Raguel and Saint Mary (Maryam Church). The return drive will be via Piazza and en-route, visit St. George Church and Menelik II Square towards the largest open-air market, Merkato.
Overnight at Golden Tulip Hotel or similar

Day 2 - Gondar and the Simien Mountains.
Today, you will take a domestic flight to Gondar and on arrival drive towards Sankaber, the gateway to the Simien Mountains. We pay the park’s entrance fee and meet with the obligatory staff. You will be dropped off at Buyit Ras and enjoy a 3-4 hours hike to Sankaber, passing close to the escarpment edge. Nearing Sankaber, you will have beautiful views on both sides of the escarpment ridge and you will likely see the endemic Gelada baboons.
Overnight at Simien Lodge or similar

Day 3 - Simien Mountains National Park
It is 24km from your lodge takes you to the Chennek campsite, passing through the Kurbet Metaya viewpoint (500m before the campsite). Once you pass Kurbet Metaya keep your eyes peeled for the Walia ibex. We continue another 2km to one of the highest peaks in the Simien Massif: Mount Bwahit at 4,200m. We explore along the foothills through a valley crossed by wild streams. The road descends from the plateau passing through spectacular scenery, and now is the time to keep a look out for the Walia ibex and even the elusive Ethiopian wolf.
Overnight at Simien Lodge or similar

Day 4 – Drive to Gondar
After lunch we will visit Gondar, the first capital city during the reign of Fasilides. In Gonder, there are a dozen castles built by various emperors over the course of 236 years and the city seems more European than African in origin. In the afternoon, we visit Fasilades Palace, probably the most impressive of all the castles found in the area and the oldest one. We then continue to the Church of Debre Berhan Selassie (Light of the Trinity). The interior is decorated with beautiful frescos, cherubs and paintings. Debre Berhan Selassie is rumored to once have been the proposed final resting-place of the Ark of the Covenant.
Overnight stay at Gondar Hills Resort or similar

Day 5 - Lalibela and the Rock-hewn churches
We take a flight that departs at 10:00 and takes approximately 30 minutes to get to Lalibela. This small town in the Lasta Mountains is world-famous for its unique rock churches chiseled into the red, soft rock. The city is named after King Lalibela, who built numerous religious buildings here. The Rock-Hewn Ethiopian orthodox Christian churches of Lalibela, are one of the wonders of the world. It’s a collection of churches, some connected by fascinating internal channels, with hermit holes where people lived and died. The connecting walls are full of religious symbols. The city contains 11 monolithic churches that were built in the 12th century, some of which are beautifully painted inside. Visit the 1st and 2nd groups of the rock-hewn churches today.
Overnight stay at Mezena Lodge or similar

Day 6 - Yemrehanna Kristos Church
Today, you leave Lalibela and head for another ancient rock-hewn church known as Yimrhane Kristos. The drive to Yemrehanna will also give you the opportunity to view the rural countryside and villages of the Ethiopian highlands. Yemrehanna Kristos is one of Ethiopia’s best-preserved late-Aksumite buildings, where few people reward themselves with a visit and a reward it is. The church is different because it’s built rather than excavated. Seeing the stepped exterior facade, created from alternating wood and stone layers, you’ll understand why so many of Lalibela rock-hewn churches look like they do. Knowing that Yemrehanna Kristos may predate Lalibela’s churches by up to 80 years, you have before you, a virtual blueprint of greatness. In the afternoon, drive back to Lalibela for lunch where you will then proceed to visit the remaining groups of the church. Finally, you will visit the most famous of all the churches – Bet Giyorgis, constructed in honor of the patron saint of Ethiopia – Saint George.
Overnight stay at Mezena Lodge or similar

Day 7 - Langano
This morning, transfer to Lalibela Airport for your return flight to Addis Ababa. On arrival you will then drive to Lake Langano, where we will spend the night. There is time to chill out and relax by the lake. Swimming and kayaking on the lake are some of the possible activities that you can partake in.
Overnight stay at Hara Langano Eco Lodge or similar

Day 8 - Bale Mountain National Park
After breakfast, we start driving to Dinsho, which is the gateway to the fabled Bale Mountains, which reach an altitude of around 4 500 meters (more than 14 000 feet). Here we spend two days exploring. For birders there are varied habitats for such sought-after species as Abyssinian Owl, Cape (Mackinder’s) Eagle-Owl (the most massive of three subspecies), African Wood Owl, Wattled Ibis, Chestnut-naped Francolin, Moorland Francolin, Wattled Crane, Red-billed Chough, White-backed Black Tit, Abyssinian Catbird, African Emerald Cuckoo, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, and, with luck, Golden Eagle, as well as a long list of other birds. Interesting mammals here are mountain nyala, klipspringer, Menelik’s bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, and others. The days in this area are also a botanical treat, with vegetation ranging from Hagenia-dominated forest to giant Erica woods to high-altitude moorlands, sometimes with fabulous giant lobelias. In the adjacent Harenna Forest, it might be possible to spot some star birds like Ayers’s Hawk-Eagle or even a flock of migrating European Bee-eaters.
Overnight stay at Bale mountains Lodge or similar

Day 9 - Sanetti Plateau and Harenna Forest
In the morning, you will have breakfast and then drive to the Sanetti Plateau (altitude of 4000 meters) with Afro-alpine Moorland and beautiful wild alpine scenery. Our tour continues to the south of the park where lies a 1200m (3700 ft) escarpment, below which is one of the largest and most extensive forests remaining in Ethiopia, the Harenna Forest. The slope of the southern escarpment falls rapidly from the tree line at 3200m to around 2000m within a distance of only 8 km, producing a rapid and spectacular change in landscape, habitat, and species composition. The Bale Mountain Lodge is located beside a clear mountain stream, within a natural forest clearing beneath the escarpment, and enjoys breathtaking views of the mountains and the surrounding forest. Here rare Bale Monkeys inhabit the trees and the birdlife is spectacular. Wild coffee is harvested to the south of the lodge and delicious Bale honey is obtained by the local people from hives placed high within the canopy. Here is also found 3% of Africa’s remaining bamboo forest. Harenna is truly a magical place in which to relax or to explore.
Overnight stay at Bale Mountains Lodge or similar

Day 10 - Return to Addis Ababa
Drive back to Addis Ababa via Lake Koka and Lake Ziway. There is a chance to go shopping in Addis Ababa. Then you will go to the Yod Abyssinia Traditional restaurant for a farewell dinner party. From the restaurant, you will go to the airport and the Ancient Ethiopia tour ends.