Cultural tour in Ethiopia John Graham Tours Cultural tour in Ethiopia

This tour program offers a unique entry into the culture, religion, and landscapes of Ethiopia. Our tour begins and ends in Addis, the thriving cultural and business capital city of Ethiopia and home to the Assembly of the African Union. We stay for two nights in each of the following cities: Lalibela, Simien, Gondar, Bahir Dar, Yirga Alem, and Arba Minch. Our tour features the great pilgrimage of Genna (Nativity) celebrated on January 7th at the holy churches in Lalibela, a UNESCO world heritage site. Next we travel to the "Roof of Africa" (the Simien National Park), and stay in one of the most exclusive lodges in Ethiopia with spectacular views from a height of 9,800 feet. In Gondar, we visit 16th-17th century castles, see dancers, and deliver a charitable donation to a children's social project. In Bahir Dar, we take a boat ride across Lake Tana - source of the Nile River - to visit monasteries on islands. In Yirga Alem, we learn about ethnic federalism within Ethiopian legal statehood, and visit coffee plantations to learn all about the coffee industry from local farmers. In Arba Minch, we see Nile crocodiles and hippos, then the great festive parades of Timkat (Epiphany).

For those that want even more diversity of cultural experience, we offer a 3-day post tour to the medieval Islamic city of Harar.

Arrive-Depart Addis (airport designation ADD)
This cultural tour in Ethiopia features a 15-day overland itinerary (14 nights), together with 5 domestic flights

Visas: obtained online (~$60 for US passport holders)

Group Size: maximum 16 guests (only a deposit secures a place in this small-group tour)

Tour Leaders: Kibru Aschalew + invited specialists and guest musicians

Brochure:

Registration:

Submit registration form
Send deposit of $1500 to secure your place (details in registration form)

Accommodation will be in the best available hotels and lodges (full details in the brochure). The locations include Addis, Lalibela, Simien, Gondar, Bahir-Dar, Yirga Alem, and Arba Minch.

Travel includes domestic flights (5x) between regional centers, and private bus in each location.

Fees:

See brochure for details about fees including domestic flights, single supplements, and extension tours.

Tamada Club:

If you have traveled with us before, you're entitled to a discount on this tour!

Pre-Tour Options

Add a day in Addis to acclimatize to the time zone and the altitude (Addis is located at 7700 feet)

Post-Tour Options

Add a 3-day extension trip to Harar, the medieval Islamic walled town which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Details in the brochure.

Included:

Accommodation (14 nights) in high quality best-available boutique hotels specially vetted for comfort and location
All ground transportation including airport transfers
All meals with wine/beer as noted in itinerary
All entrances
Tour Leader, and local guides
Entertainment (traditional singers, dancers)
Water on the bus, snacks (we pamper our guests!)
All local gratuities

Not Included:

Airfare
Tip for the tour leader
Personal services (laundry)

Personal insurance

Mobility-Fitness:

Standard: 6/10 on the mobility scale (10 being the most demanding).
General fitness required. There are stairs to the churches. Walks are on uneven rocky terrain. Must be able to manage one's own luggage in regional airports.

Special Notes:

Flagship itinerary, most popular destinations, UNESCO heritage sites, witness major pilgrimage events, special access events, traditional music!
Best available hotels
Lots of arts and music on this itinerary
Plenty of walking in natural environments

High altitude (Simien National Park is at 12,000+ feet). We sleep at 9,800 feet, which is the more important number to consult with personal physicians.

Weather:

January is dry season weather. Lots of sunshine! Prepare for pleasant temperatures between 65-85F in the north, 75-85F and humid in the African Rift Valley.

Travel Program...

This tour program offers a unique entry into the culture, religion, and landscapes of Ethiopia.

Our tour begins and ends in Addis, the thriving cultural and business capital city of Ethiopia and home to the Assembly of the African Union. During our brief time in Addis, we will tour two worthwhile museums and visit one of the sprawling marketplaces where the commerce of the city is conducted. The tour really begins after a short flight to Lalibela, the small city in the hills where a medieval king spent decades carving a ‘new Jerusalem’ into the surrounding sandstone rock. The product of this industrious and ambitious undertaking are the eleven churches carved in two open-air complexes deep into the ground (UNESCO world heritage site).

We are timing our visit with the holiest Christian holidays for locals - Genna (Nativity) and Timkat (Epiphany) - where we will immerse ourselves in the pilgrim experience. We may choose to don the traditional ‘netela’ - a white ritual garment worn by pilgrims - in order to observe the incredibly elaborate ritual dances of hundreds of deacons singing in unison with handheld cistrums. Local youth groups sing exuberant hymns accompanied by rhythm instruments such as cymbols and drums, creating a ritual of festivity and joy.

After two full days in Lalibela, we begin our voyage to the “Roof of Africa” - the Simien National Park. We’ll get there via short flight to Gondar and a 3-hour bus ride up into the highlands, where we’ll stay in one of Ethiopia’s premier exclusive lodges. From our perch at 9,800 feet, we see vast distances and space northwest towards the Red Sea. Our exploration of the region will include a walk through the unique flora of the Simien National Park, and to observe the herbivorous Gelada monkeys in their natural highland habitat.

Next we spend two days investigating the impressive architectural legacy of the Gondar kingdom (15th-17th centuries). The heart of the city is dotted with historic castles, bath houses, and churches constructed during the golden era of this kingdom, whose artists pioneered new fresco styles in all of the churches of the region. In Gondar, we will find a local performance of Ethiopian traditional dance by one of the University student groups, and visit one of children’s social organizations supported by this tour.

Continuing, we drive south three hours to the city Bahir Dar, located on the coast of serene Lake Tana where the Blue Nile begins its long voyoge north to the Meditterranean. Here we spend a day boating to one of the 40 islands in the lake to observe unique wildlife including pelicans, migrating raptors, hippos, and more. On one island, we’ll walk along forested trails frequented by pilgrims over many centuries to a series of inland monasteries, where local guides explain frescoes, music, and local beliefs and traditions.

On this travel day, we fly from Bahir Dar to the African Rift Valley for the final segment of our tour which includes two nights in the coffee region of Sidama and two nights in the lake town of Arba Minch. These days will be filled with walks in village environments in lush green landscapes, learning about traditional people and their agriculturally-based way of life. Likewise we will see plenty of wildlife especially birds and monkeys, but also crocodiles and hippos. We’ll learn about the coffee industry by visiting and talking with local farmers, and witness the unique weaving of the Dorze tribe that appears both on their looms, and also in the walls of their impressively-sized woven houses.

On our last day of the main tour, we’ll witness the joy of the Timkat parades in Arba Minch, then catch a short flight to Addis for our final group meal before transfers to the airport for late evening flights. For those joining the extension tour, or those wishing for extra time in Addis, we can arrange extra hotel nights.

Throughout the tour, our meals will be simple communal affairs with a variety of delicious Ethiopian traditional dishes soaked up by ‘injera’ - a pancake-like bread used to scoop up various savory stews from large common plates. We also enjoy Ethiopian-Italian fusion cuisine including pastas and fresh salads. Ethiopian wines include the sweet tej honey wine, as well as Italian-style reds, while beers are typically light lagers.

Our accommodation are in top-quality lodges with beautiful terraces and swimming pools. It is a wonderful experience to sleep in the traditional round houses called ‘tukul’, which are featured in several of the lodges that we have chosen. All rooms are ensuite, provided with all amenities (see details on the Accommodations page).

Guests may choose to extend their exploration of Ethiopia with a visit to the medieval Islamic city of Harar (see Trip Extension page), a UNESCO world heritage site.

Tour Destinations:

Addis

+ Addis, the capital city of Ethiopia, is a 20th century city situated in the center of the country at an altitude of 7,700 feet. In addition to being home to some four million Ethiopians, it is the headquarters for the African National Assembly and many international organizations working in the African continent. Our visit here will focus on two of the more important museums, as well as one of the large marketplaces.

Lalibela

+ One of the Christian kings declared Lalibela a "new Jerusalem" in the 10th century, and proceeded to sponsor increasingly ambitious construction projects building a series of magnificent churches that are now UNESCO heritage sights. Only, these churches are not built above ground, but dug straight down into the sandstone bedrock. Our visit will coincide with the largest celebration of the year, Nativity ("Genna"), which is celebrated on January 7th. There we will intermingle with thousands of white-clad pilgrims who have traveled from far and wide to witness the important dawn celebration at the iconic Church of St. George.

Simien National Park

+ We stay two nights at a prestigious lodge just outside the Simien National Park. This area, dubbed the "Roof of Africa" because of its peaks that rise to almost 15,000 feet, is home to the "red-hearted" Gelada monkeys, ibex, and the Ethiopian wolf which can sometimes be spotted with binoculars.

Gondar

+ Gondar is an ancient city with both a Jewish and Christian heritage. It became an important capital city in the early 1600s, when Christian kings forced out of their northeastern provinces by Ottoman-backed Muslim invaders established their residency in Gondar. To this day, the center of the city is dominated by an impressive array of medieval-looking fortresses.

Bahir Dar - Lake Tana

+ While in Bahir Dar, the main attraction will be a day spent boating on Lake Tana, the headwaters for the Blue Nile River. An abundance of wildlife lives here, especially raptors and water birds. We will hike through a coffee forest at one docking to visit a medieval round church with incredible frescoes, and later go to the marshlands where hippos live to see if we can spot them (from a distance).

Yirga Alem

+ This region of rolling hills is on the rim of the Great African Rift Valley. The predominant agricultural is coffee cultivation, which means lots of shade forests! There are many lakes and national parks in the region, with abundant wildlife.

Arba Minch

+ Further south, we enter the lush sub-tropical region of Arba Minch in order to visit the wildlife refuge at Lake Chamo. We will also spend an afternoon with the Dorze tribe interacting with their local guides, learning about their traditional architecture, cuisine, song, dance, and famous loom textile art.

We went with a group of seven friends on John Graham’s tour “The Cathedrals of Tao.” It was one of the best vacations we have ever had. The nature is unlike anything we have ever seen, the music was a revelation, and we really got to meet the singers. By the end of the tour we were also singing, and it was such fun. John was an outstanding tour guide, always providing the right kind of information, not too much, not too little. Food was excellent. And the churches, monasteries combined with the … Read more

Anna B. (UC Davis)