Tour to Omo Valley Tribes 12 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: Morning, depart from Addis Ababa  for a full day’s drive to Arba Minch on the way you may have time to visit one of the following archeological sites of interest , Tiya (Ancient stele field and UNESCO world heritage site), Adadi Mariyam (rock hewn church similar to those in Lalibela or Melka Kunture (pre historic tool making site. Overnight Emerald resort www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

Day 3: In the morning after breakfast, proceed driving to Dorze, set in the highlands above Arba Minch. The Dorze people are known for their tall beehive-like houses and their fine cotton weaving. You will visit the village and learn about the daily lives of these industrious people. If today is market day (in Dorze village on Monday and Thursday and in nearby Chencha on Tuesday and Saturday), that will be visited. In the afternoon, take a boat trip on Lake Chamo to visit the “crocodile market”, and the local hippos. Overnight Emerald resort www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

Day 4: After breakfast, depart from Arba Minch to Turmi. On the way you will pass through the village of Weyto (market day Saturday), which is home to the Tsemai tribe. Continue through the Weyto Valley to Erbore, where you will have a brief visit to a local Erbore village (market day is Saturday). Finally, proceed to Turmi, home of the Hamer tribe. At night, you can see the traditional night dancing of the Hamer tribe, known as evangadi. Overnight Emerald lodge www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

Day 5: In the morning, take a day trip to Omorate to visit the Dassenech tribe with a wooden boat crossing the Omo River and enter a Dassenech village.  Afterwards, return to Turmi (Monday is market day) for a visit to a local Hamer village.  If there is jumping of the Bulls traditional Hamer coming-of-age ceremony that will be visited. Overnight Emerald Lodge www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

Day 6: Early morning depart from Turmi to the village of Kangatan. Here you will cross the Omo River and take a short walk through the local fields to visit a village of the Nyangatom tribe. After the visit, return across the river and proceed to the Karo village of Korcho, with a stunning location looking over the Omo River. The Karo people, while the smallest tribes of the Omo valley in number are also known to be the most decorated .after the visit return to Turmi .Overnight Emerald lodge www.emeraldresortandlodge.com

Day 7: Depart for Jinka, via Dimeka and Key Afar. Tuesdays and Saturdays are market days in Dimeka, which is one of the most colorful markets in the area and is visited by many tribes, including Hamer, Benna and Karo. Afterwards, continue to Jinka. Overnight hotel

Day 8: In the morning, drive through the Mago National Park to a local village of the Mursi tribe.  The Mursi are known for their lower lip and earlobe plates.  In the afternoon, after returning to Jinka, you can visit the South Omo Museum & Research Center to learn more about the local tribes.  Alternatively, take a hike in the surrounding hills to visit a local Ari village. Overnight hotel

Day 9: After breakfast depart from Jinka to Konso via Key Afar.  Thursday is market day in Key Afar, where you will see the Benna and Tsemai tribes trading goods.  This is another very popular market in the region.  After the visit, proceed to Konso (market days are Mondays and Thursdays).  The Konso people are known for their wooden statues, known as wakas, which are erected in honor of dead heroes as well as their innovative agricultural terracing.  Today you will have a brief opportunity to visit a local village and the cultural museum displaying many waka statues. Overnight hotel

Day 10: For another adventure to discover the Borena people. We head to the town of Yabello, the capital of the Borena region; we cross the road passing through several herds of camels and enjoy beautiful mountain landscapes dotted with acacias and giant termite mounds. We head to the isolated village of El Soda, overlooking a beautiful deep crater 800M. The savannah and acacia filled area is the great zebra playground and various gazelles: Grant, Thomson, and Gazelle-Giraffe. Walk along on the crater rim, towards the lake that hosts a saline lake for the extraction of large quantities of salt. The salt diggers must delve into the dark waters of the lake saturated with iodine to resurface the precious commodity.  The salt is mostly feed to animals, but the refined one is intended for human consumption. By late afternoon, walking around this wooded crater with beautiful views from the ridges plunging. Overnight motel

Day 11: Morning drive to North, visiting Guji people and village; and admire very nice views with lot of coffee and fruit plantations. You will arrive Awassa late in the afternoon, if time permits take a boat trip on the lake to visit the hippos and also to see a variety of beautiful birds. Overnight hotel

Day 12: Early morning visit the local fish market on the shores of Lake Awassa, then back to the hotel for breakfast and proceed to Addis Ababa. Evening transfer to the airport flight back home

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

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