Overnight International Flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Upon arrival to Addis Ababa, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Serving as the capital and largest city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa is the cultural and historic center of the country. The city's National Museum exhibits numerous prehistoric fossils, including replicas of the famous early hominid, "Lucy." Aside from its fascinating history, visitors will also appreciate Addis Ababa's rich food scene as well as Ethiopia's famed export, Arabica coffee.

At the appropriate time you will be met at your hotel to transfer to the airport for your flight to Lalibela.

Upon arrival to Lalibela, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel to freshen up before your Lalibela Sightseeing Tour.

Lalibela, also known as "Africa's Petra", is Ethiopia's crown jewel. It is home to the most famous churches and the scene of many major religious ceremonies.

We will visit the magnificent rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, which are called the "Eighth Wonders of the World". These churches were hewn out of solid rock between 800 - 1200 AD and are still active houses of worship. The churches are carved below ground level, ringed by trenches and courtyards and are arguably Ethiopia's top attraction. They are connected to each other by a tangled maze of tunnels and passages.

You will visit the first group of six churches that lie in rock cradles, one behind the other: Bet Golgotha, Bet Mikael, Bet Mariam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danaghel and Bet Medhane Alem. Bet Medhane Alem, the largest one is built like a Greek Temple.

Next, you will visit the second group of churches. Bet Giyorgis, possibly the most elegant of all the Lalibela churches, lies somewhat isolated in the southwest part of the village on a sloping rock terrace. It can only be reached through a tunnel. The group of four, south of the Jordan River, comprise of Bet Emanuel, Bet Mercuiros, Bet Abba Libanos and Bet Gabriel - Rufa'el. Bet Emanuel's elaborate exterior is much praised by art historians. In the afternoon, take an excursion to Yemrehana Kristos, located in a mountain ridge, in the peak of Abuna Yosef. This exquisite church, a masterpiece of Axumit wood and stone construction and renewed for its interior decoration. The walls are subdivided vertically with recessions and projections.
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At the appropriate time you will be met at your hotel to transfer to the airport for your flight to Axum.

Upon arrival to Axum, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel before your Axum City Sightseeing Tour.

Dating from the second century B.C., Axum City reached its height of power between the fourth and seventh centuries A.D., when it controlled most of present-day Ethiopia and, at times, both sides of the Red Sea. Axum was once the center of a great empire, and the seat of learning for the ancient Ge'ez language and literature. Take a city tour that includes the Stelae Park. These famed granite obelisks are relics of this time and have gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The tallest, the Great Stele, has fallen and broken into six massive pieces, but when standing, it was 33 meters (108 feet) tall and weighed about five hundred tons. The tallest obelisk still standing at Axum today is about 23 meters (75 feet) tall, still an impressive sight! We continue the city tour, visiting St. Mary's Church and the Sanctuary Chapel which is the repository of the Ark of the Covenant; the Coronation Yard; King Ezana's Park; and the "Queen of Sheba" ruins, once a massive palace with finely mortared stonewalls, deep foundations, and its own impressive drainage system, believed to be the oldest building in Axum.
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At the appropriate time, you will be met at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight to Gondar.

Upon Arrival to Gondar, you will be transferred to this evening's hotel.

Today, you will drive to Chenek. You will have beautiful views on both sides of the escarpment ridge. This is a great place to spot the Walia ibex, if you are lucky, and the Ethiopian Wolf. Tucked away behind a hillock on a mini plateau is a romantic spot with a bench, looking back to Imet Gogo and Inatye.

After having breakfast, you will sight the morning view of the Simien Mountains and do a light trek around there, to observe the Gelada Baboon and the breath-taking landscape. In the afternoon you will drive to Gondar, a town founded in 1636 by the great Emperor Fassiladas. Set in a landscape of incomparable beauty, it was the Royal Capital of Ethiopia. Visit the impressive castles and churches built by Emperor Fassiladas and his descendants.

Later proceed to the fascinating Debre Birhan Selassie Church, with its walls and ceilings decorated with scenes of Biblical lore and medieval history.
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This morning, you will drive to Bahir Dar. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will drive to the village of Tis Isat to see the Blue Nile falls.



(please be informed that due to the newly constructed electric dam in the vicinity the water level of the falls could be very minimal.)

This morning, you will take a boat cruise on Lake Tana to visit the 14th century Monastery of Ura Kidane Mihret, the most famous of the Zege peninsula monasteries with a very beautiful painted maqdas and a priceless collection of crosses and crowns. After the visit, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Addis Ababa.

Upon arrival to Addis Ababa, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Begin your city tour of Addis with a drive to Mount Entoto. This is a historical place where Emperor Menelik II resided and built his palace when he came from Ankober and founded Addis Ababa. It is considered a sacred mountain and has many monasteries. It is situated at an altitude between 2,600 and 3,100 meters. You will have a magnificent view of the city. Then, drive to the National Museum that houses the nation's artistic treasures as well as many of the most precious archaeological finds. This includes the fossilized remains of early hominids, the most famous of which is "Lucy," the partial skeleton of a specimen of Australopithecus afarensis. The well-known Lucy is said to be 3.2 million years old. After visiting the museum, you will drive to Trinity Cathedral Church. This church is the highest-ranking Orthodox cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.

This afternoon, you will visit the Ethnological museum set within Haile Selassie's former palace, surrounded by the beautiful gardens and fountains of Addis Ababa University's main campus. 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. Later, you drive to Mercato and visit the largest open market in Africa, where you will drive through the market. Mercato is located covering several square miles and employing an estimated 13,000 people in 7,100 business entities.
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This day, you will drive to the Bale Mountains National Park (460 km / 286 miles, approx. 10 hours). Arrive at the park headquarters, Dinsho in the afternoon, with the possibility of spotting two endemic mammals that frequent the area: Menelik Bushbuck and the Mountain Nyala. Birds in this area include the Blue-Winged Goose, the Spot-Breasted Lapwing, the Abyssinian Long Claw, the Wattled Ibis, the Black-Headed Siskin, Rouget's Rail, and numerous other species.

Take an excursion to the Bale Mountains National Park Sanetti plateau where you will be able to witness high mountain botany reaching over 4,377m above sea level. You will also have the chance to encounter various game and birds amongst which the endemics Ethiopian wolves and Mountain Nyala.

At the appropriate time, you will be met at your hotel and transferred to your hotel in Addis Ababa.

At the appropriate time, you will be met at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight home.