| Ethiopia Travel & Tour Information
9
Days & 8 Nights Historic Tour
Brief Description:
The 9 day historical tour to North Ethiopia starts with an early
breakfast and flight to Bahir dar, a lake town in northern
Ethiopia
. A visit to Lake Tana monasteries and the
Blue Nile
falls are among the destinations in our Bahir dar tour.
Gondar
and the intriguing 16 century palaces with unique dome shaped
architecture, the standing steale of
Axum
and the famous rock hewn churches of Lalibella are the
destinations that are covered in the package.
Itinerary
Day
1: Upon arrival in
Addis Ababa
,
Ethiopia
, You will be greeted with the traditional Ethiopian hospitality
at the airport and transferred to the hotel. (Depending on your
arrival time we can arrange afternoon or after hour city tour)
Day 2: Early morning breakfast and transfer to the
Bole
International
Airport
and fly 50 minutes to Bahir Dar. Bahir Dar is the capital of the
Amhara
National
Regional
State
. Upon arrival transfer to Tana Hotel, lakeside hotels near the
market place of Bahir Dar. In the afternoon we will visit the city
of
Bahir Dar
.
Visitors
should expect to see
·
Colorful market with easy access to buy traditional baskets,
pottery, hand made woven clothes, capes, scarves and etc
·
The Woito village where the local people make the papyrus boat
·
The
Mount
Bezawit
where Emperor Haile Selassie’s palace of is gracefully situated.
It also provides a magnificent scenery
Dinner
and overnight in Tana with a pleasant garden and a
Lakeside
view of Tana.
Day 3: After an early breakfast drive to the
Water
Falls
of the
Blue Nile
which is 30kms from Bahir Dar. On arrival at the site we will walk
the uphill for about 20-30 minutes to reach the best view point of
the falls which has 45 meters deep and up to 400 meters wide
during the rainy season of June, July, August and September.
Depending on your interest we can descend to the base of the falls
and climb back up the other side and cross the
Nile
in a papyrus boat which will take us about an hour. Afternoon, a
boat trip will be arranged to Ethiopia's largest Lake called Tana
known for its middle age island monasteries. Lake Tana is the
source of the longest river in Africa, the
Blue Nile
and home for 37 islands. We will have the opportunity to visit the
Zege peninsula for its famous 14th century monasteries of Ura
Kidanemihret, Azewa Mariam and the island monastery of Kibran
Gebriel (where only men are allowed) for their wonderful 16th
century mural paintings, crowns, crosses and many old church
treasures. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day
4: Early morning start driving to
Gondar
which is 175Km/ 120 Miles from Bahir Dar. They say “you have
only to stroll through the banqueting halls and gaze down from the
balconies of the many castles and palaces here to imagine the
intrigue and pageantry that took place back in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, when
Gondar
, then the Ethiopian capital, was home to a number of emperors and
warlords, courtiers and kings. After settling in Ghoa Ghion Hotel
we will start our visit to these palaces, residences and baths of
Fasilidas.
Gondar
is also the site of numerous fine churches, a number of which have
survived to this day. Late in the afternoon, we will have the
opportunity to visit the church of Debre Berham Selassie,
translated to mean “Light of the Trinity”, which is located at
the summit of a hill and surrounded by fortified walls. Dinner and
overnight at your hotel.
Day 5: Early morning transfer to Gondar airport and fly to Axum
which will take 40 min. Ethiopian legends first recorded in the
fourteenth-century Kebre Nagast (Book of Kings) make
Axum
the capital of the Queen of Sheba in the tenth century BC. Rising
to importance around the time of the Christ, Axum was the capital
far-reaching Axumite kingdom, dominated the vital crossroads of
Africa and
Asia
for almost a thousand years. After settling ourselves in one of
the comfortable hotels in Axum, Yeha Hotel, we will start our
visit to the famous historical sites of Axum such as the
Archeological museum, the Zion Cathedral where the original Arc of
the covenant is said to be found, the stele park where the
magnificent single block of stones standing since the 3rd century.
Later the day we will have an opportunity to visit the ruin palace
and
Bath
of Queen
Sheba
. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day
6: Early morning we will fly to Lalibela located at an altitude of
2,600 meters above sea level. Lalibela is the 8th wonder of the
world. 13 rock-hewn churches cut out of a solid red volcanic rock,
some completely hidden in deep trenches, while others stand in
open quarried caves and a complex series of tunnels and narrow
passageways connecting the churches, Lalibela indeed offers a
great opportunity for any traveler. Upon arrival and transfer to
the Ghion Roha Hotel we will start our visit with the first group
of churches and the city itself. In the evening you may also
attend a show featuring traditional dance. Dinner and overnight at
your hotel.
Day 7: After an early breakfast trek (half way mule or horse
ride) to the 13thc rock hewn monastery of Asheten Mariam. Ashetan
Maryam is located in the mountain high above the town, with an
impressive view of the surrounding countryside. Inside the
monastery you find the 13thc hand and processional crosses of King
Na’akutola’ab who ruled
Ethiopia
for over 40 years. UNESCO registers this breathtaking site as one
of the Eighth Wonders of the World and world heritage. In the
afternoon, we will visit the second group of churches, dinner and
overnight stay at the same hotel as the previous night.
Day 8: Early morning transfer to the Lalibela airport and
fly back to
Addis Ababa
which takes around 55min. In the afternoon we will have the chance
to visit a museum and if time permits the largest open market in
Africa
“Mercato". A traditional coffee ceremony hosted to you by
the Fest Ethiopia group. In the evening we will dine in one of the
traditional restaurants.
Day
9:
Addis Ababa
is located at 2,500 meters above sea level at the footstep of the
highest parts of series of Mountain chain. Addis is also the seat
of African Union (AU) and many International offices and over 100
Embassies. It enjoys an excellent climate all year round; with an
average temperature of 16°C.
Addis Ababa
is a pleasant city with wide avenues of jacarandas, interesting
museums and one of the largest open-air markets in
Africa
, known as the Merkato. After early breakfast we will visit the
National
Museum
(a multi-collections representing
Ethiopia
's past and present image). Among the famous exhibits, the 3.5
million
year old skeleton of 'Lucy' is worth visiting. We will also visit
the Ethiopian Studies Institute Ethnological museum for it’s
extraordinarily collection of the priceless and varied ethnic
medley. Then we continue driving up to the mount (over 3000
meters) Entoto, the first seat of Emperor Menelik II before he
established
Addis Ababa
as the capital of
Ethiopia
in 1886. Visitors will also have the opportunity to visit Trinity
Cathedral and Merkato. Along our way we will have the chance to
see avenues, squares, obelisks and many places of interests and
shopping. Early evening, we will have a coffee ceremony to show
our appreciation for touring with us, Fest Ethiopia Travel &
Tour. Late at night transfer to the
Bole
International
Airport
and depart for home.
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