TRIP HIGHLIGHTS. Amazing Ethiopia Tours. AET 055 Historic Ethiopia and Danakil Depression 19 Days 2012/13

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1 AET 055 Historic Ethiopia and Danakil Depression 19 Days 2012/13 TRIP HIGHLIGHTS Spend Days/nights at Danakil, Fascinating rock and salt formations at Dallol, Spectacular and varied landscapes of highlands, volcanoes and deserts, Century-old salt mining at Lake Assale, Interaction with local people, Ertaale. We explore the monasteries of Lake Tana and visit the Blue Nile Falls. Then drive to Gondar winds through a dramatic volcanic landscape en route to the traditional heartland of the Amhara people, where imposing castles once welcomed ambassadors of the Moghul and Ottoman Empires. Visit Gondar's church to inspect the stunning painted angels that illustrate the ceiling. Lalibela for two nights; this city's rock-hewn churches are some of Christianity's most beautiful places of worship and visit the stunning Giant Stele of the Axumite Kingdom of the 1st Century Bole Med.road Redwan bldg 2floor #202 Tel: Mobile: info@amazingethiopia.com Book this trip Now We Will organise a customised private group or couples tour where we design the itinerary and activities especially for you, according to your requirements. Itinerary details may vary depending on departure date and alternative itineraries for this tour may exist. Please refer to the dates and activities page on our website to check which itinerary operates on each departure date.

2 Possible Routes Itinerary Day 1: Arrival Addis Ababa. Day 2: Drive to Awash Day 3: Drive to Semera Day 4: Drive to Afdera Day 5: Drive/walk to Erta Ale Day 6: Drive to Kursewat Day 7: Drive to Dallol Berhaale. Day 8: Drive to Mekele Day 9: Tigray Rock church Day 10 : Drive to Lalibela Day 11: Lalibela Day 12: Lalibela Day 13: Drive to Gondar Day 14: Semien Mountains Day 15 : Semien Mountains Day 16: Drive Bahir Dar Day 17: Bahir Dar Day 18: Drive to Addis Day 19: Departure 2

3 DETAILED ITINERARY Arrive in Addis Ababa Day 1: Transfer from the airport, and settle in to your hotel. ( city tour depends on your arrival time ) Relax this morning before visiting the National Archaeological Museum and meeting its famous guest, Lucy, whose 3.4 million-year-old bones may be viewed in replica. Continue to the Ethnographic Museum, which chronicles Ethiopia s rich ethnic diversity. Overnight hotel Awash National Park Day 2 - Drive to Awash National park. It is one of the best birding sites in Ethiopian Rift Valley. Not only birds can be see in Awash but also we can see different mammals like Beisa Oryx, Defarsa Water Buck, Semmering Gazelle, Salt s Dik- Dik, Greater and lesser Kudu, Warthog, Hamadrayas Baboon, the endemic Hartebeest and Visit the hot spring lakes. Overnight Hotel Semera Day 3 Drive through the Rift valley system and along the way visit the beautiful Afar people and their villages, Camel Caravan along the way to Semera. Semera is an overgrown Afar s people settlement, and also served as the administrative capital of the Afar region Overnight Local Hotel/Camping Afdera Day 4 Drive to Afdera, visit the salt lake and the salines and excursion to the working area at the salines. Lake Afdera, a highly saline body of water and lies at an altitude of 103 meters below sea level and listed as the lowest lying in the world. Here you will visit the salt extraction of the Afar people from the lake. Overnight Camping Erta'ale Day 5 - Drive to Erta ale Late evening start walking to Ertaale, you will climb up Ertale active volcanic mountain After visiting the volcanic eruption spend the night in camping around Erta ale. Overnight Camping 3

4 Kursewat Village Day 6 Early in the morning Trek back to our cars, in the village of Kursewat and the drive to Dallol visiting Lake Asale. Over night camping. Dallol Day 7 - After early breakfast visit the salty Lake and visit the salt workers and the merchant, then head to Dallol/Denakil Depression, which straddles the Eritrean border to the east of the Tigraian Highlands and is officially listed as the hottest and active place on the earth surface with an average temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. Most of this vast and unpopulated region lies below sea level at 116 Meters and drive to Hamedela later in the afternoon. Overnight Camping Mekele Day 8 - Morning you will continue to Agula ( 90KM ) Junction point to Mekelle ( 4 0KM ) and Continue driving to Mekele Overnight Hotel Tigray Rock Churches Day 9 - Drive to Adigrat to visit Micheal Melihuyezengi and Medhnealem rock churches and visit Wukro Cherkos and Abreh Atsebeha churches. This day also we will visit Negash Mosque of the Muslim shrine. Overnight Hotel Lalibela Day 10 - Drive to Lalibella to tour the famous eleven rock- hewn churches of 12th century. The city contains 11 monolithic churches that were built in the 12th century and are carved out of the pink granite rock. They have been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Each church ( Bet) has a unique architectural style; all are superbly carved and most of them are decorated with well-preserved paintings. The entire city may be described as a sculpture dedicated to the glory of God. Today we will visit Yimrahene Kirstos cave church. Overnight Hotel Lalibela Day 11- Full day in Lalibela and Visit eastern cluster of churches: Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danaghel, Bet Debre Sina, Bet Golgolta, Selassie Chapel. And in the afternoon western cluster of churches: Stairway to Heaven, Bet Gebriel-Rufael, Bet Mercurios, Bet Emanual, Bet Abba Libanos and St George church. Overnight Hotel 4 Ethio

5 Lalibela Day 12 - Early in the morning Walk to Asheton Marian a church which was built during the 12c, and after lunch drive to Genete Mariam Church a beautiful rock hewn church. Overnight Hotel Gondar Day 13 - Early Morning drive to Gondar - Gondar was the first capital city of the Ethiopian empire, which began in 1632 with the reign of King Fasilledes. In Gondar there are dozens of castles built by various emperors over the course of 236 years. Overnight Hotel. Semien Mountain Day 14 - Excursion to Semien Mountains National Park ( World Heritage Site by UNESCO) to visit its exceptional natural beauty which includes superb scenery, endemic fauna and flora. Among other endemics it is here that the Gelada Baboon ( bleeding heart Baboon ) is found. Overnight Semien Park hotel- Debark Debark Day 15 - After breakfast drive to Chenek 3600masl through bushes, falls, dawn streams and the pillars of mountains this will take 6-8hrs to the camping site. In the after noon walk around the camping area where we see the endemic Walia Ibex and Chilada baboon. Overnight hotel Bahir Dar Day 16 - Drive to Bahir Dar ( Set at 1,830 m. above sea level ) an attractive town with tree-lined avenues and the deep blue lake in the background. Drive to the Blue Nile falls 30kms away from Bahirdar, visit the villages and evening back to Bahirdar. Overnight Hotel Bahirdar Day 17 - Full day in Bahirdar depart by boat to visit the Zege peninsula for monasteries of Ura Kidanemihret, and the monastery of Azewa Mariam to see mural paintings, crowns, crosses etc. In the afternoon visit the Market and Weito Village where the papyrus boat is made Overnight Hotel Addis Ababa Day 18 - Drive to Addis Ababa with visits to Debre Libanos Monastery, Blue Nile Gorge where you will see Galada Baboons with Portuguese Bridge, Entoto Hills/Entoto Maryam Church, Chancho/Durba/Muga Gorge. Overnight Hotel 5 Departure Day 19: evening traditional Ethiopian night- Connect with your home bound flight.