Historic Route Tour with Simien Mountains Trekking 14 Days

Day 1: On arrival Addis Ababa GLT representative will meet you at Bole international Airport and you will visit the diplomatic capital of Africa, headquarters of the Africa union starting from Holy Trinity Cathedral(The church is constructed in 1955 for the 25 years anniversary of Emperor Haileselassie and painted richly with remarkable biblical and other saint’s story), National museum (home of Lucy hominid skeleton dating back to 3.2 million years) .In the afternoon after lunch you will visit Ethnological museum, which was the former palace of Haile Selassie then proceed to Mountain Entoto for panoramic view of Addis Ababa. Overnight hotel

Day 2: Early the morning take flight to Bahir Dar upon arrival take a boat trip on Lake Tana to visit a selection of the monasteries hidden on the islands and shores of this sacred lake.  Visit the Zege Peninsula and the monasteries of Azuwa Maryam and Ura Kidane Mehret. In the afternoon drive out to the Blue Nill falls for a short hike in the area. Finish the day with the sunset over the lake. Overnight hotel  

Day 3: You will be driven to Gondar through country side .Then you will check into a hotel and after a brief break, you will have lunch. Then, you will visit to the Royal Castles & the Bath of Emperor Fasiledes (the bath is filled with water for the important Timkat (epiphany) ceremony once a year. You will continue your visit to Debre Birhan Selassie Church (Trinity at the Mount of Light), the Castle of Empress Mintewab, and Kuskwam Complex which is a royal compound built by the Empress Mentewab. Overnight hotel  

Day 4: Trek to Snkaber,Drive to Dabark (the gate of Semein Mountain Park) arrangement of mules for loading materials and scout start trekking from BuyitRas camp site and continue to Sankaber. This day trekking is a practice and type acclimatization with the high altitude. En route you walk on the edge of the escarpment which has good view of the surrounding and there is chance to see the endemic Gelada baboon.These baboons are grass eaters and will be seen in family units in many areas of the Semein. They are also known as the “the bleeding heart baboon” as there are red areas on the chest. In the afternoon reach Sankaber camp. Dinner and Overnight: Sankaber

Day 5: TrkeSankabar to Geech, in the morning of day 2, we will walk to Geech via the spectacular Jinbar waterfall. The trek will take approximately 5 – 7 hours. After descending down to the Jinbar Wenz (which feeds the waterfall) a short ascent remains to Geech village. A short distance beyond Geech village is the camp site. The camp site has great views of the mountains and is characterized by giant lobelia plants. The nearby Kedadit summit provides one of the best places to see the sun set. The camp site is situated at 3600m ASL. Overnight Camping

Day 6:  Trke Geech –Ambaras , We trek from Geech to the Imet Gogo promontory, for one of the most spectacular views in the whole mountain range. This is a great day for seeing the magnificent Lammergeier vultures. From Imet Gogo we trek back to the road near a village called Ambaras and meet the car for the drive back to Debark. The trek will last approximately 4-5 hours. Overnight hotel

Day 7: Take a scenic drive to Axum, capital of the ancient Axumite Empire, today modest town yet with great history and memory. On the road you would enjoy one of the most beautiful scenes in the country. Frequent stops to appreciate viewpoints of Limalimo ,Tekeze river Gorge. Arrive in Axum late in the afternoon. Overnight hotel

Day 8: Morning after breakfast  start visiting the sites of Axum, including the famous obelisks (one that was recently erected after being returned from Italy) and the archeological museum, the Queen of Sheba’s Bath (which supplies water to Axum year-round), Ezana’s enscription, King Kaleb’s tomb, King Bazen’s tomb, and the Queen of Sheba’s Palace.  You can also visit the St. Mary of Zion church, where the Ark of the Covenant is kept.  Men only are allowed to enter the old church.  Unfortunately, no one (except one specially chosen guardian monk) is allowed to enter the chapel where the Ark is kept. Afternoon drive to Wikro or Hawsen, On the way visit the Yeha pre-Christian temple and Debre Damo monastery (where to reach the monastery men have to climb 16 meters by ropes). Overnight hotel

Day 9: Morning after breakfast the car will drop you at Hawzin then start trek & climbing (4 hrs) Gheralta Mountain to visit Mariam Korkor church, is the most impressive architecturally. A huge, high ceiling is supported by 12 free standing pillars. Looking at it you could not help but wonder how the architect managed to carve so high from the ground. Daniel korkor after visit descending walk along the finger mountain to reach (4 hrs) Mariyam Papa camp site, Dinner & Overnight Camping

Day 10: On this day you will visit Abuna Yemata Guh and start trekking (6-8 hrs trekking)from campsite, walking for about an hour to commence a steep ascent up the side of the Gheralta massif. This steep ascent soon turn into a climb using foot holds and hand holds chipped into the sandstone rock by the passage of many hands and feet. The climb and the walk along very narrow ledges with sheer drops to the side is not one for the faint hearted. The church itself can be reached by walking out on a ledge one meter wide and with a 200m drop to the left hand side. At the entrance there is a small cave and a wooden door built into the rock. Camping at Mariyam korkor camp site, Dinner & Overnight Camping

Day 11: After breakfast start trekking from their camp site until ancient rock-hewn churches: Abraha Atsbeha, dating from the 10^th century, after that drive to the beautiful Wukro Chirkos late in the afternoon they will arrive Mekele.  Overnight hotel

Day 12:  Early morning, embark on a full day of driving to Lalibela. Here you will pass through several small villages, with typical sandstone homes of the Tigray people. En route discover the rock church of YemerhanaKristos, a sanctuary remarkable for its architecture and its interior decoration. This jewel of medieval Ethiopian art was built in the 11th-12th centuries in a cave. After the visit of this beautiful church, proceed through this rural area for the stunning approach to the home of Ethiopia’s most prized destination, Lalibela. Overnight hotel

Day 13: Full day to discover the treasures of Lalibela; Your first visit will be to the eleven Rock-hewn Monolithic (carved from a single rock) Churches of Lalibela, The first group of Lalibela Churches includes: Bete Medhanialem, Bete Mariam, Bete Meskel, Bete Denagl and Bete Golgotha Michal, the second group of Lalibela Churches that includes: Bete Gebral, Bete Merquros, Bete Emanule, Betelehiam, Bete Aba Libanos and the spectacular cross-shaped St. George Church. Overnight hotel

Day 14: Morning after breakfast transfer to the airport flight back Addis and Visit Mercato, one of Africa’s largest outdoor markets and enjoy shopping in Addis. Evening we will have fare well dinner in one of the Ethiopian restaurant for cultural dances from the different ethnic groups. Then transfer to the airport fly back home

Please note: The above program can be adjusted according to your time, Budget and interest. 

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