11-Days North Ethiopia with Simien M...

>> Upon arrival at Bole International Airport, you'll meet our representative and transfer to the hotel. After some rest, you will have an Addis Ababa city tour including a drive to Mount Entoto for a panoramic view of the city, the national museum which is the resting place of our ancestor Lucy, Trinity Cathedral, Merkato which is the biggest market, some monuments, etc Your overnight stay will be at Nexus hotel 4*.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinking water & spirits/liquor (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Swiss Inn Nexus Hotel Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

>> In the morning, you'll transfer to Bahir Dar and then you will start a boat trip over Lake Tana to the Zeghie peninsula to visit the beautifully painted churches that are found hidden in the small forest: Azwa Mariam Monastery. Your second stop will be at the Bete Maryam Monastery located on the Zege Penisula not far from Bahir Dar. You'll choose to stop at Bete Maryam which means “the House of Mary” first since it is one of the oldest and most spectacular monasteries on the peninsula and is also a short walk from the boat landing. The monastery is a round wooden structure with mud and straw walls. There is an outer room, a middle circular room, and a central room for priests only. The outer ring has little decoration but the inner ring has floor-to-ceiling paintings depicting the bible stories. In the afternoon, you'll enjoy Bahir Dar market and Bezawit palace for the panoramic view of the city, Lake Tana, and Blue Nile Falls. Your overnight stay will be at the hotel.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinking water & spirits/liquor (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Jacaranda Hotel Bahir Dar Mid-range hotel located in Bahir Dar (City)

>> You'll have morning drives at 70 km round trip to visit Tississat named after the waterfalls of the Blue Nile River (the lifeblood for the Sudanese and Egyptians). Be informed that clients will walk about 30 minutes to arrive near the waterfalls on the Blue Nile. You'll go back to the city to rest and have an overnight stay at the hotel.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinking water & spirits/liquor (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Jacaranda Hotel Bahir Dar Mid-range hotel located in Bahir Dar (City)

>> You'll have a morning drive to Gondar. On the way, you'll visit the Guzara castle and admire the wonderful landscape and view. You'll transfer to the hotel and have lunch. In the afternoon, you will be taken to visit the castle compound where you can see the medieval castle of King Fasilidas, King Yohannes, King Eyasu, King Dawit, King Bakafa, and Queen Mentewab. You will also visit the churches of Debre Birhan Selassie with awesome wall paintings and the bath of King Fasilidas. You'll stay overnight at the hotel.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Non-alcoholic drinks & spirits/liquor (Beer and wine not included)

•  Accommodation: Goha Hotel Mid-range hotel located in Gondar (City)

>> In the morning, you'll drive to Simien Mountain to visit the marvelous scenery of Simien Mountain, the endemic animals of Walya Ibex, Chilada Baboon, and birds. Five Km from Gondar, you will see the old village of the black Jewish. The full day you are in the Semien mountain around Sankaber campsite. You'll walk /trek to Jinbar waterfall and admire the wonderful view. In the late afternoon, you'll drive to the lodge and stay overnight at the lodge.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinking water & spirits/liquor (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Simien Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Simien Mountains NP

>> Simien Mountains National Park, listed as a World Heritage Site in 1918, is one of the more dramatic national parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Simien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region in northern Ethiopia, the park covers the Simien Mountains including Ras Dejen, the highest mountain in Ethiopia at 4,533m (14,850 feet). It is an exotic setting with unique and endemic wildlife and breathtaking views of a landscape shaped by nature and traditional agriculture. The natural beauty of this region has always filled photographers with awe. With its undulating plateau and deep valleys, it is frequently dubbed the Grand Canyon of Africa.

It is home to several endangered species, including the Ethiopian wolf (the rarest canid in the world, and Africa’s most threatened carnivore) and the walia ibex —a wild goat found nowhere else in the world. Massive erosion over millions of years on the plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Non-alcoholic drinks & spirits/liquor (Beer and wine not included)

•  Accommodation: Simien Lodge Mid-range lodge located inside Simien Mountains NP

>> You'll have a full day enjoying the Simien Mountains, admiring the wonderful view, and walking with Chilada Baboon. The gelada is an “Old World” monkey, not a baboon despite previous naming conventions. It is the only living member of the once-widespread genus Theropithecus and is only found in the highlands of Ethiopia. The present-day population of the gelada is limited to the steep escarpments and gorges that border the eastern side of the central highlands and the northwestern highlands. The gelada feeds predominantly on fresh shoots of grass, roots, and seeds. It is frequently called the “bleeding heart” monkey as a result of the distinctive, bright red, heart-shaped patch on its chest. The Gelada social system consists of a hierarchy of social groups generally made up of 1-4 breeding males, 2-10 females, and their dependent young.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: All meals included Non-alcoholic drinks & spirits/liquor (Beer and wine not included)

•  Accommodation: Goha Hotel Mid-range hotel located in Gondar (City)

>> Today, you'll fly to Lalibela and transfer to hotel. In the afternoon, you'll enjoy the local market, and meet the local people in the city. In a nearby village, you will see the countryside and the village people's way of life, their daily activities like how they prepare “Enjera”, bread, homemade drinks, and coffee ceremony (optional). Your overnight stay will be at Panoramic View/ similar.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: All meals included Non-alcoholic drinks & spirits/liquor (Beer and wine not included)

•  Accommodation: Panoramic View Hotel Mid-range hotel located in Lalibela (Town)

>> In the morning, you'll visit the 1st group of churches which includes Bieta Medhanialem (Chapel of Holy Savior) which is the biggest, and Bieta Mariam (Chapel of Mary): three-aisled with mural paintings and a covered pillar containing inscriptions about the end of the world according to the gadl (act)of the saintly king. You'll have further visits to Bieta Denagel (Chapel of the Virgins), Bieta Meskel (Chapel of the Cross), and finally, the “double – church” of Debre Sina and Bieta Golghotha (women are not allowed in the latter since it’s where the remains of King Lalibela are and also because it contains the tabernacle of the Holy Trinity). Your overnight stay will be at the Panoramic Hotel/similar.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Non-alcoholic drinks & spirits/liquor (Beer and wine not included)

•  Accommodation: Panoramic View Hotel Mid-range hotel located in Lalibela (Town)

>> In Lalibela, you will have an optional mule excursion/ drive by car to Asheton Mariam church situated at a very hilltop, to see the town of Lalibela and the surrounding attractions.

In the afternoon, you will visit the second group of rock-hewn churches that are namely: Bieta Gabriel and Raphael, Bieta Merquorios, Bieta Emmanuel with unprecedented Axumite style, and the Bieta Abaa Libanos (said to have been built by King Lalibela’s consort Meskal Kebra and visit the Bieta Ghiorghis which is the cruciform chapel of St. George.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinking water & spirits/liquor (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: Panoramic View Hotel Mid-range hotel located in Lalibela (Town)

>> In the afternoon, you'll be driven to the charming semi–cave church of Neakutoleab, a church of the early 13th century. You'll proceed to Lalibela Airport for the air transport back to Addis and visit of Ethnological museum that is found in the university and have lunch. You'll have souvenir shopping, evening fare well dinner at one of the city’s best traditional restaurants to enjoy a variety of Ethiopian cuisines and watch traditional dancing transfer. Then, you'll transfer to Bole International Airport.

• Time: 8-10Hrs
• Meals: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included) Drinking water & spirits/liquor (Other drinks not included)

•  Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)