Omo Valley Safari, Rift Valley and Bale Mountains - 10 days

We’ll be met at the international airport and privately transferred to Hotel where rooms will be ready for immediate occupancy.  Relax from the long flight then enjoy a first taste of authentic Ethiopian cuisine over lunch with our guides at a local restaurant. In the afternoon on a site-seeing tour of Addis Ababa. you will visit the National Museum which houses some of the country’s historic treasures. The collection of fossils and bones of early hominids discovered in Ethiopia include the 3.5 million year old remains of “Lucy”, the oldest hominid every found. We will also visit the Holy Trinity Church, Ethiopia’s main cathedral and home to the remains of the last emperor, Haile Selassie. Finally we will visit Menelik”s Mausoleum.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Capital hotel or similar hotel.

After breakfast, board local boats for a morning of wildlife viewing on Lake Chamo.  Get close to Nile crocodile, hippopotamus, fish and various bird species (greater and lesser flamingos, along with white-necked cormorants several species of herons, storks, spoonbills, African ducks, gulls and Sterns) and check out what is fondly referred to as “the crocodile market”, a daily gathering spot on the banks of Lake Chamo where crocodiles seem to go to see and be seen.  We return to Paradise Lodge to collect our picnic lunch then drive approximately 45 minutes into the Guge Mountains and the community of Dorze, well known for their conical thatched huts that are supposed to resemble the heads of elephants that once roamed these plains.  Talented weavers, we’ll spend part of the afternoon on a ‘cultural hike’ through the Dorze community, pausing at the homes of various locals to learn how they produce artful baskets, scarves and pottery. You can even try your own hand at weaving if you choose!  A late picnic lunch will be enjoyed at a scenic overlook in the Gamo Highlands before we finish our day at the Ch’ench”a Market — Campbell’s favorite local market from his time in the Peace Corps.  Some of Ethiopia’s best cotton and woven goods come from this region. Return to Paradise Lodge after a full day for a well-earned dinner and restful overnight.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Paradise Lodge

The rolling hills of Ethiopia’s Southern Rift Valley, dotted with bright green moringa trees and quaint thatched huts, are home to the Konso people — traditional farmers who cultivate cotton and rear cows and goats. With ties to the land dating back more than 400 years, the traditions of the Konso tribe, including their ancient walled settlements and stone waga sculptures, have been recognized as a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site.  We’ll enjoy a scenic picnic lunch and then learn about the tradition of carving and erecting stone waga statues to honor the deceased.

We’ll spend this evening at Kanta Lodge overlooking the Konso Village, a stunning location for photography in the evening light. This marks the southernmost point of our journey.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Kanta Lodge

Today we journey overland from Konso to Awassa, capital of the Southern Nations and arguably one of the most pleasant towns in Ethiopia. Our travels will take us through the Sidamo Region — a land of lush lowland forest where some of Ethiopia’s finest coffee is cultivated, alongside a cultural tradition of innate environmental conservation. We’ll stop for lunch and a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the coffee growing process — from bean to cup — then continue on to north to Awassa, arriving in the mid to late afternoon. Check-in at the Haile Resort for overnight then head out as a group to Dolce Vita, which specializes in delicious pizza with an Ethiopian twist. After dinner enjoy some free time to explore the vibrant nightlife of Awassa.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Haile Resort.

spectacularly diverse landscapes. The high altitude, afro-montane Sanetti Plateau rises to over 12,000′ and includes the highest peak in the southern Ethiopia highlands. This undulating plateau is marked by numerous glacial lakes and swamps and surrounded by higher volcanic ridges and peaks while the southern slopes are covered by the lush and largely unexplored Harenna Forest.  With such varied habitat, Bale Mountains National Park provides refuge to an array of species, including a number of threatened Ethiopian endemic species such as the Ethiopian wolf (rarest canine in the world), the mountain nyala, the wattled crane, the rock hyrax, the blue-winged goose and the Bale monkey. It is considered one of the top birding destinations in all of Africa, with residents and migrators accounting for nearly 500 individual species.

We enter the park in the early afternoon and meet with a representative of the Frankfurt Zoological Society to learn about the various ecosystems within the park, the species we may encounter and challenges to conservation.  Up on the Sanetti Plateau, we’ll join rangers on a guided hike through the highlands, spotting for game such as the giant molerat (endemic to the Bale Mountains), rock hyrax and Starck’s hare. The plateau is also home to Ethiopian wolves and a trip to the plateau all but guarantees a sighting of this charismatic carnivore! The plateau also hosts a large number of raptors that feed on the sizeable rodent population, including Verreaux’s, tawny and steppe eagles; lanner falcons; kestrels; and golden eagles.

After sun downers on the plateau, we proceed to our home for the next two nights, the beautiful Bale Mountain Lodge, located within the Harenna Forest, one of the largest and most extensive remaining in Ethiopia.  We’ll share dinner with our lodge hosts and eagerly anticipate the next two days on safari in the Bale National Park.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Bale Mountain Lodge .

full days of guided wildlife safari, exploring the various ecosystems of Bale Mountain National Park. Our explorations will focus on the Harenna Forest, which teems with wildlife of all types but of particular note are the endemic Bale Monkeys, which can routinely be seen in and around the lodge site, alongside the spectacular birdlife of the forest. Other primates, rare cats and unusual plants may be seen and every trip into the trees provides a different experience. Imperial Eagles and Wattled Cranes are also frequently seen here.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Bale Mountain Lodge.

As we make our way out of Bale Mountains National Park, we drive through the Sanetti Plateau and northern grasslands (Gaysay Grasslands), retracing our path of entrance.  This journey will provide one final chance to spot the Ethiopian wolf as well as grassland dwellers such as the Mountain nyala and Bohor reedbuck.   We’ll pause briefly in Shashamene, a town famous for the Rastafarian community which has settled there since the 1960s, considering the land to be sacred ground. In the afternoon we arrive at the pristine and secluded Lephis Forest, a haven for wildlife and also home to more than 5,000 individuals who depend on the forest for their livelihoods.   Local leaders in ecotourism and conservation developments will escort us on a horseback ride through the forest to a scenic waterfall; along the way we’ll spot for colobus monkeys and birds and learn about the various forest plants and their uses.  Late afternoon we depart for Lake Ziway, offering visitors an excellent blend of nature and culture.  Hippos and birdlife abound and the Lake is home to the culturally and linguistically unique Zay people, who are believed to have safeguarded the Ark of the Covenant on Tullo Guddo Island a millennium ago.  Dinner and overnight at the Haile Resort Ziway-Batu, situated near the water’s edge.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Haile Resort

Full day exploration of Lake Ziway. A boat ride to Tullu Guddo, Ziway’s “Big Island” is a step back in time; fisherman still ply the waters in papyrus boats and weavers still use wooden looms to create shawls, not to mention the Maryam Monastery’s collection of artifacts and relics dating back more than 1,000 years.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Haile Resort

After a leisurely morning at Lake Ziway, we make our way back to Addis, stopping for lunch en route.  Check back in at the Hotel for day use and spend the afternoon exploring the city of Addis’ best markets and shops for purchasing last minute gifts and souvenirs.  We’ll meet as a group for a final farewell dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate and toast our time in Southern Ethiopia.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

End of Tour

• Please note: This tour may precede or follow any other Ethiopian tours offered by Zagwe Ethiopia Tour.
• This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirement.