- 1km from Bole airport, Addis Ababa
- +251-930-034920
Trip Code
ZET 022
Duration
10 days / 9 nights
Any date departure
Group Size
1- 20 Participants
Transportation
Surface- 4WD
Discount
10% OFF
The Lower Omo Valey is arguably one of the most remote destinations in Africa. Spanning a great distance from the Kenyan border north along the Rift Valley, the Omo Valley is home to many of the most well-preserved tribal groups in Africa.
Culturally, the Omo Valley is quite rich with some 45 languages spoken by people of many different ethnic origins. These nations, from the many thousand-strong Borena to the just 1000-strong Karo, exhibit a fascinating range of cultural practices.
One notable cultural practice of these different groups of people is the way they build their houses. The Dorze, the Sidama and the Gurage in particular are known for their domed or beehive-like constructions that demonstrate the different uses of bamboo.
The Dorze Tribe :-Once warriors, they now earn their living by farming and weaving. The Dorze name is synonymous with the best in woven cotton cloth and the tall-up bee-hive shaped bamboo house. There is quite a big Dorze community living and weaving on the northern part of Addis, on the way to Entoto. These peoples rarely use the administrative and police force of the city. They settle all disputes in their usual cultural way, through their elders.
Konso :-About 960 miles south west of Addis Ababa lies the widely cultivated Konso land that is embraced by Precambrian serpentines and granites. The Konso peoples speak eastern Cushitic language and are agriculturalists and weavers. They idealize the figures and heroic lives of their deceased symbolized with wooden totem.
Hamar & Benna :-in the far southwest Omotic region, beyond Mount Buska live the Hamar and Benna people. The Hamar and Benna are two of the Omotic speakers of remote south west Ethiopia, with unique manifestations of traditional wisdom, the ‘jumping of bulls’. The purpose of this rite is twofold: while one is the passage from boyhood to adulthood, the other is the courting occasion when both men and women adorn themselves to win a mate. Traditional attire includes men putting ochre buns with ostrich feathers in their hair, while the women wear their hair in short tufts rolled in ochre mixed with fat.
Mursi & Surma :-In the remote wilderness of the southwest Ethiopia live the Mursi and Surma. These peoples were completely forgotten by Ethiopia and the outside world at large, and they on their part had no notion of the outside world including Ethiopia until the 1970s. While the women show their beauty and endurance by the ear lobes and the piercing of the lips, the men demonstrate their courage and stamina in the stick fighting ceremony.
The Karo tribe residing along the borders of the Lower Omo River incorporates rich, cultural symbolism into their rituals by using ornate body art, intricate headdresses, and significance within their community. The most important ceremony in the life of a Karo is the Pilla, or jumping over a group of oxen. This ritual marks the passage from adolescence to adulthood. The ceremony is similar to that of the Hamar, however the Karo only have four chances to jump over the oxen without falling.
Dassanetch :-Speak a completely different language and are actually the Cushitic speaking group of the Omo Valley. The most important ritual of the Dassanetch is the so-called dime. In theory, only a man who has had a daughter can be circumcised, although in practice, circumcision is carried out on the entire age-group. The daughter is most important in the dime ceremony. After the ceremony, which takes six weeks, the participants are upgraded to ‘great men’, or those that may engage in politics. The dime ritual is directly connected to the upcoming marriage of the daughter when large quantities of cattle are slaughtered for the occasion.
On your arrival you will be welcomed by our staff then transfer to your hotel.The name of the capital city of Ethiopia in Amharic (the national language of Ethiopia) means “New flower”. Addis, which was founded in 1886 by Menelik II is located at 2,500 meters above sea level in one of the highest parts of Entoto mountain chain (3,000 meters above sea level). It enjoys an excellent climate all year round, with an average temperature of 23ºC. Addis Ababa is a pleasant city with side avenues of jacaranda Trees, interesting museums and one of the largest open air markets in Africa, known as the “Merkato”
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel
Start your drive at 12:30 A.M. by through the crater lakes of Debrezeith and the three Rift Valley lakes of Shala, Abyata and Langano. Visit Sidamo people houses and culture. Lunch on the way, Continue driving to Arbaminch, in Amharic meaning 40 springs. Admire very interesting views and the Wolayta people, their villages, culture, the cultivation of the false banana tree (from which roots they extract their traditional bread, the Kotcho).
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel
Morning visit the Netch Sar Park with spectacular views over the lakes and different mammals, as the endemic Swaynes Hartebeest, Zebras, lesser Kudu, and others. Back lunch Arbaminch. Afternoon make a boat trip on Chamo. Admire crocodiles and hippos (here crocodiles are some of the longest in Africa, with length of 6 and also above meters).
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel
Drive to Jinka, Admiring on the way the interesting Konso, Derashe, Ari, Benna and Tsemay People, very famous for hairstyles, their unique culture and traditions, as the ornaments all over their body. Konso people famous for their terracing agricultural works ad villages’traditions.
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel
Mago National Park of is located on the east bank of the river Omo and ranges in altitude from 450 to 2,528 meters above sea level. After about 2 hours of rough road, we arrive to the camp where we spend the night in a tent. The campsite is in a beautiful clearing among towering trees, which provide shade, and near the river Neri. We visit the Mursi village, whose women have the custom of expanding their lower lips using disks that gradually get larger and larger. These are people who farm the land and breed livestock; they live in almost complete isolation from the rest of the world. We return to the camp; there are not many animals visible during the day in the park, but by night we are surrounded by thousands of sounds, among which is the trumpeting of elephants.
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight Camping
Visit the Hammer people, the Hammer is one of the most beautiful and dignified people of the Omo basin the women color their hair with red earth and butter, and wear elegant leather skirts festooned with tiny pearls, their villages, possibly some dances, and more, If possible we look for the unique marriage ceremonies, with women slashing, bull jumping and more, If the day you arrive is Monday or Saturday admire the very colorful markets of the Hammer, Karo and Dassanech tribes respectively at Turmi or Dimeka villages. These tribes are famous for their hairstyles, ornaments, scarification, culture and more.
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight Camping
We continue through the savannah along tracks that are barely visible, passing through a vast meadowland with shrubs and umbellifers (‘umbrella’acacia trees). We pass through the village of Omorate on the Omo River. We encounter the Galeb people in the street; in the river people bathe and wash their clothes. We arrive to Turmi and camp in a square under mango trees. The Hammer people gather water from a nearby well and carry it off to their villages.
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight Camping
drive to Konso via Woito, The road continues into the savannah, running alongside the mountains of Men, and then rises up the Karkerte Mountains — providing splendid panoramic views — until it reaches the soft, terraced hills of Konso. On the way we visit the interesting Derase, Ari, Benna and Tsemay people, very famous for hairstyles, their unique culture and traditions, as the ornaments all over their body and Konso people famous for their terracing agricultural works and villages’ traditions. Proceed driving to Arbaminch along the side of Lake Chamo, we visit Lake Chamo.
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel
In the morning we visit the Nech-Sar Park. Nech-Sar located between lakes Chamo and Abaya, where one can see gazelles and zebras. Then we proceed to returning northwards the rift valley lakes. The Rift Valley is a deep fission that extends for over 6,000 km from the Middle East to Mozambique — testimony to the (most recent) violent and massive shifting of the earth’s tectonic plates. The rift contains a marvelous series of lakes, which are teeming with fish and provide a habitat for hundreds of species of birds, Dinner and overnight in Hotel.
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel
After relaxing in the morning then drive back to Addis Ababa Admiring the crater lakes of Debrezeith, the Rift valley lakes of Shala and Abyata. There will be a chance to visit one of the many museums or the interesting Mercato”
(market). Throughout the city there are shops that sell typical artisan wares, materials and antiques, Dinner we propose a traditional restaurant with folkloristic dances of the different Ethiopian regions.
Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Transfer to the Airport for Departure.
Date and Availability = All the year This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirement and itinerary can be adjusted according to your time, budget and interest. Price: , if you want quotation or any other tour information about this trip we are very happy to help. Request a quote
suit your requirement and itinerary can be adjusted
Price Includes:
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Essential Trip Information
Plan your trip
Getting around Ethiopia:
If you have more time, or delight in the joys of overland travel, we can provide you vehicles (4WD, minibus and coaster bus)
An increasingly popular option with tourists is to travel overland as much of the roads are an asphalt and all —weather roads.
More remote parts of the country, such as the Danakil Depression and Erta Ale, or the tribal lands of South Omo, can only realistically be visited by 4WD expedition.
Although all-weather roads do run through Simien Mountains and Bale Mountains national parks, the most rewarding way to explore these biodiverse highland destinations is by 4WD.
Visas: – All nationalities require a visa for Ethiopia which can be obtained before departure or on arrival (at a cost of USD50).
Upon request we arrange visas for our travellers, or if an invitation letter is necessary then we will arrange this for you.
Vaccination: –There are no mandatory vaccination requirement for this trip.
Climate: The dry seasons occur from June through to September, and between November and March. There are two rainy seasons. The first of these – late March through to early June – is heavier, with the South Omo Valley and regions local to the Bale Mountains receiving between 200 and 250mm in April and the first weeks of May, the mid-south peaking at about 125mm, and Ogaden receiving 75mm at its very best. This pattern – the further south-east one travels, the drier it gets – is just as true later in the year, during the area’s second set of rains, when between September and November the likes of Hagere Marian (just north of South Omo) peak at around 180mm (October), while Gode in Ogaden barely gets above 50mm. Clearly, travel in the mid-south and south-east is hard going, with temperatures soaring into the late thirties, the heat dry, the habitats extremely arid. The South Omo Valley is also dry and hot, but, being in the Rift Valley, better watered and fairly comfortable during the dry seasons.
Being relatively close to the equator, Ethiopia has almost twelve hours of constant daylight no matter what time of year you visit. With the sun rising at 6:30am and setting at 6:45pm, most of our days start early so as to be at our hotel by sunset. The program for each day will vary, according to whether we are travelling, visiting local villages or both.
When to go —All year round
Transport: We will be using a Coaster buses , mini buses or 4WD Toyota land cruiser depending on the condition of the road and the size of the group. The distances covered are fairly large. vehicles :-During the course of your trip, we will use a variety of vehicles, all which are fit for purpose and the conditions encountered( for this trip We will be using 4WD Toyota land cruiser )
Whilst we do not include animal rides on most of our trips, there are occasions where it may be possible to undertake them.
We take every precaution to ensure smooth logistics, our vehicles and equipment are the best available on the market. Most importantly, our adventures have always sought to benefit the local peoples we interact with, safeguard the ecosystems we explore and contribute to the sustainability of travel in the regions we experience. You will be also accompanied by local guides whose knowledge and passion will add a unique dimension to your trip. Their experience and enthusiasm ensures that we maintain the leading edge in adventure travel and therefore providing excellent value for money. Given our local knowledge, experience and excellent leadership, we are quite sure that this tour will be a trip of a lifetime.
Foods :All meals
Hotel meals are generally good and full of variety. Local dishes tend to be very good if you like hot, spicy food although milder versions can be requested. Local food is traditionally eaten with the hands. The sour bread known as injera is used as a scoop for the casserole dishes known as wat.
Private groups: The adventures featured in our itinerary are just a starting point for many of our private group travellers. Working closely with our Groups Department we can organize custom designed itineraries for groups of friends, clubs, charity’s, schools or even work colleagues. Our team will assist you with all aspects of your private group adventure from itinerary design to group flights. For group traveller pledge considerable discount.
Accommodation: All accommodation throughout this tour is 3-4 star (comfortable hotels and Lodges with en-suite facilities)) All accommodation is based on twin sharing.
what you carry :-In your daypack you will need to carry extra warm clothing (depending on the altitude, location and weather), a rainjacket, water bottle, camera gear, valuables and personal items such as sunscreen, lip balm etc.
Private groups: The adventures featured in our itinerary are just a starting point for many of our private group travellers. Working closely with our Groups Department we can organize custom designed itineraries for groups of friends, clubs, charity’s, schools or even work colleagues. Our team will assist you with all aspects of your private group adventure from itinerary design to group flights. For group traveller pledge considerable discount.
Customized tours: On request, this tour can be customized for small groups.
Proceeding / additional days: It’s no problem to add days before or after the expedition and we’ll book these for you. If you bring more time, you could do day trips from Addis or take an extension tour
Group booking discount: If at least 5 people together book this trip, 6% discount is given.
Please remember that all Zagwe Ethiopia tour prices mean NO hidden extras, NO local payments.
Tipping – Local Crew : Although entirely voluntary, tipping is a recognized part of life in Ethiopia . Some local staff will look to members of the group for personal recognition of particular services provided. In order to make things easier for you, your Guide may organise a group’s tips kitty and if this is the case, they will account for it throughout the tour.–Accordingly, you should allow US$50 for tipping of local drivers, guides, boat crew and for any miscellaneous tipping of hotel staff.
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