OMO VALLEY with Bale Mountains 14 days

Day01. Thursday. Arrival in Addis Ababa. Transfer to the chosen hotel. Have a free morning.
Afternoon (1400 hrs from the hotel) tour of the capital: visit the Ethnographic museum, view
from Entoto mountain and the Mercato, biggest open air market in Africa.
Meals free. ON (overnight) hotel.

Day02. Friday. Drive to Arbaminch.
On the way visit a Guraghe people village.
Ones arrived, check-in and lunch at Emerald Resort Arbaminch.
Emerald Resort is a beautiful Resort with a spectacular view over the Rift Valley lakes of Chamo
and Abaya which are divided by a mountain called in Amharic “Yezghier dildi” which means
“Bridge of Heaven” and the Netch Sar National park, in Amharic meaning “white grass”.
Meals & ON Emerald Resort Arbaminch www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

Day03. Arbaminch.
Morning drive to Chencha mountain to visit the Dorze people, with their unique culture, houses
and traditions. The Dorze are famous for their elephant truck shaped houses, their cultivation of
the false banana (from which root they extract their traditional bread called Kotcho), the weaving
works, cultivation of sorghum and more.
Afternoon visit Chamo lake, with the biggest crocodiles in Africa (reaching 6 meters length), lot
of hippos, birds and more.
Meals & ON Emerald Resort Arbaminch www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

Day04. Morning drive about 2 hrs from Arbaminch south to the Omo valley and visit a Konso
people village, famous for being the first in Africa to start the terracing agriculture. Visit their
culture, lifestyle, way of counting the age of the village, the community works and much more.
Note well that this is a UNESCO heritage site! Have spectacular view over the hills too.
Afternoon proceed to Turmi, the famous colorful Hamer people town.
Have lunch in Konso; dinner & ON Emerald lodge Turmi www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

Day05. Monday. Morning walk with the Hamer people to the colorful Turmi’s weekly market.
This is the Monday’s market of Hamer, Dassanech, Karo and Tsemay people.
Enjoy this vibrant market, meet different people and see how they merchandise.
Afternoon visit a Hamer villages and understand their way of life and culture.
With luck we’ll try to participate to ceremonies as the bull jumping and the Evangadi dances.
The Hamer are known for their unique custom of "bull jumping" which initiates a boy into
manhood. First, female relatives dance and invite whipping from men who have recently been
initiated; this shows their support of the initiate, and their scars give them a right to demand his
help in time of need. The boy must jump back and forth twice across the backs of a row of bulls
or castrated steers, and is ridiculed if he fails.
Have meals & ON Emerald lodge Turmi

Day06. Morning drive to visit the Karo people.
Enjoy also a spectacular view over Omo river from Kortcho village.
Afternoon relax and make walks around Turmi for the Hamer people and villages.                                                     Have meals & ON Emerald lodge Turmi

Day07. Very early morning drive to Jinka town (about 2 hrs driving); then enter into the Mago
National park, cross it to proceed to visit the Mursi people and their villages.
Here for beauty women use to put round plates into their lips and men different scarifications all
over their body. Their villages and way of life is very unique.                                                                                             Have a lunch box; dinner & ON in a hotel in Jinka.

Day08. Thursday. Drive to visit one Ari people village with very interesting traditions.
Then proceed to KeyAfer village to visit the weekly market of the Tsemay & Erbore people.
After the markets visit, proceed to Yabelo
Have lunch on the way; dinner & hotel in Yabelo

Day09. Early morning drive to ElSod crater. Here walk down to the crater where Borena men
extract salt from a marshy lake by hand & sticks. The salt is used for their cattle.
After Elsod visit, drive to visit the singing wells, where the Borena men pass to each other the
water and doing this hard work they sing.
ON hotel in Yabelo

Day10. Drive north, visiting the Guji people and villages; and admire very nice views with lot of
coffee and fruit plantations, to reach Yirgalem.
Lunch on the way; dinner and ON hotel in Awasa

Day11. Drive to the Bale mountains.
The Bale mountains have a real particular flora and fauna, with afro-alpine vegetation and
endemic mammals.
Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel Bale Goba

Day12. Morning visit to the Sanete plateau, for its unique Afro-alpine vegetation and to spot
different animals, among which the endemic Semien Red Fox.
Afternoon drive to the Tuludimtu forest and see animals as the endemic Mountain Nyala.
Lunch box on the way; dinner & ON hotel.

Day13. Visit the SofOmar caves, the longest caves in Africa.
Lunch box on the way; dinner & ON hotel.
Day14. Drive back to Addis Ababa via to Asela & Nazareth towns and with a stop at the crater
lakes of DebreZeith. Lunch on the way. We invite you in a traditional restaurant with folkloristic dances for dinner.

Then transfer to Bole International airport for your departure.