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Map of 14 Day South Tour
Day 1
We will meet
your international flight and take you for refreshment before departing south from Addis Ababa for the Rift Valley Lakes.
Stopping on the way, we will enjoy a picnic lunch and a visit to the 36 mysterious stone stelae at Tiya
which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are heading to Lake Abiata-Shala National Park. We
can take an interesting stop at the Boyo Wetlands during the European winter if you are a bird watcher. In
which case we will also spy the thatched Hadiya homesteads, some painted with geometric patterns.
Stay overnight in your hotel on the banks of Lake Langano.
Day 2
A second day to explore
the lakes. Maybe take one of the boat trips or engage in some watersports (on offer for a fee).
Chitu Hora, a small beautiful crater lake is home to a flock of flamingos (at the
end of the rains for about 4 months) and is well worth the visit. Lake Abiata is also a good place to see the migrant wader,
Mongolian plover, Pacific golden plover and many more, as over 300 species of bird have been recorded here.
The nearby Lake Shala is also good for birding as well as boasting a hot spring where you can take a dip if inclined.
Another night in your lakeside hotel.
Day 3
After breakfast we will drive to Arba Minch. We hope to be in good time to visit the Dorze village
with its beehive shaped houses with their distinctive 6m domes. The Dorze people are weavers and renowned
for their shama cloth which you will be able to purchase by the side of the road.
Overnight at your hotel.
Day
4
Drive
to our base for visiting nearby villages. After settling in to the hotel, we will return to the vehicle and
drive to the Hamer village.
The approximately 50,000 strong
Hamer are famous for the women’s hairstyle, which is achieved using ochre and resin, and also for the jumping of the
bulls ceremony – a rite of passage for young men. The ceremony starts with face painting and then a walk to an open
space to wish the bull jumper luck in his life. Then the potential suitor starts running across the bulls. If he manages
to do so without falling off he is ready to become a man and his father can then choose a bride for him. Until he proposes,
which can take months, he has to keep on the skin worn during the ceremony and can only drink milk and eat honey and meat.
Overnight in your hotel.
Day 5
After breakfast we will make the two hour drive to Omorate, passing through the open grassy savanna. Birders
may be interested to catch sight of the carmine bee-eaters and we may also enjoy glimpses of dik-dik and gerenuk.
We will board the flat-bottomed ferry and cross the Omo River to visit the Dasenech and Galeb tribes.
Overnight at your hotel.
Day 6
In the morning you can visit the Karo people who are Ethiopia’s most endangered tribe of
approximately 1,500. They are renowned for their decorative body painting which they achieve by utilizing
white chalk, iron ore, yellow mineral rock and charcoal. They display a long nail through their lower lip
in addition to the painting, and many of the men have ornate hairstyles.
We
will return to Turmi for the market. Overnight at your hotel.
Day 7
Drive to Jinka. This will take most
of the day, but there should be time to visit the museum. This is a very well kept museum with lots of information on all
the different tribes of the South – the Arbore, Hamer, Bana, Ari, Dasenech, Nyangatom, Mursi and Maale. There
is also a library.
Overnight in Jinka.
Day 8
After breakfast we will set off for the Mago National Park to visit
the Mursi people. The most famous of the Lower Omo Valley tribes, the pastoralist Mursi, are notorious for the lip plates
worn by the female population. At the age of around 20, the clay plates are inserted in a slit between the lower lip and the
jaw and can be up to 15cm in diameter. The larger the lip plate, the greater the value of the woman when she is married. The
stick fighting, Donga, between men competing for the right to marry is also a sight worth seeing.
We will bring food and drink with us and stay in one of the basic, but very beautiful campsites in
the park.
Day 9
After breakfast we will enjoy further exploration in the Mago National Park.
You can make another visit to the Mursi or spend the day viewing the park’s wildlife including buffalo, Grant's
gazelle, topi and Burchell's zebra, giraffes, an abundance of different types of monkey and baboon as well as proliferating
bird life. Lions, cheetas and jackals also inhabit areas of the park but are rarely seen.
We will return to Jinka to spend the night.
Day 10
Drive from Jinka to Arba Minch via Konso and its statues. Konso is the main town of the Konso people and their
fascinating culture. Easily reachable villages, such as Machekie, display the famous Wagas – wood statues erected in
honour of Konso warriors after their death. You will also see the uniquely constructed hillside houses, which include a tunnel
as an entrance to protect against intruders.
We will return to your hotel where
we will spend the night.
Day 11
Visit
to Nechisar National Park. Not far from Arba Minch, 'nechisar' means white grass in
Amharic and is named after the pale plains in the park's west. However, Nechisar contains a wide variety of other terrains,
including acacia scrub, moist forests and open stretches of water. The park is surrounded by Lakes Chamo and Abaya, and the
large populations of hippos and crocodiles are one of the areas main attractions. Other mammals present include gazelle, Swayne’s
hartebeest, lots of Burchell’s zebra, dik-diks, greater kudu, warthogs, crocodiles, and bush pigs, along with an amazing
variety of birds, including storks, pelicans, vultures and buzzards.
Overnight at your hotel.
Day
12
From Arba Minch we will visit the hot springs and ancient forest at Wondo Genet. The forests are
excellent for hiking and birds, including the exotic white cheeked turacou, hornbills and barbets. Overnight in the pleasant,
lake-fringed city of Awassa.
Day 13
In the morning visit Awassa’s
fish market and, if you wish, try the local delicacy of raw fish, before making the return journey to Addis. Overnight in
Addis.
Day 14
Depending on the time of your international flight we will take
a tour of Addis. We propose
a visit to the nearby National Museum, whose exhibits includes the remains of the oldest human ancestor ever found, the world
famous Lucy. After a coffee at Tomoca in the bustling Piazza area followed by lunch served in one of the
best traditional eateries in the capital we will drive to Mercato, one of the largest outdoor markets in Africa. When you
are done browsing and haggling if you still have shopping to do we can take you to see some of the local craftsmen at their
work and to shops where it is possible to get beautiful locally carved gifts and furniture and other artefacts.
You might like to visit
the Boston Day Spa for some massage therapy before your long cramped flight. The salon offers excellent facials, manicures
and pedicures and they specialise in a sort of African Turkish bath.Whatever you choose to do on this last day in Ethiopia we will be at your disposal and will take
you to the airport in time for your international flight.
We think this is a responsible tour to choose because firstly we use local guides, educated within Ethiopia who can then
make their living and improve their prospects from the employment we provide. We also offer our guides
on-going training on ecological issues and support.
We offer you advice on protecting the environment which is
useful and relevant wherever and whenever you travel. We take a non invasive approach, always removing
all signs of our presence and respecting the environment with its vegetation and wildlife.
You may choose to keep a record of animal and bird sightings for ongoing listing to be published
on the website for other travellers – making a positive contribution to the conservation of the wildlife in the locality.
This
trip Is culturally sensitive - by staying in venues run by local people where you will learn about local
environmental, social and cultural issues.
The ‘pay per click’ fee given to the local tribes in return for a cherished
photo will help support their economy.
Ethiopia is pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025. Clients will
be made aware of the various projects in Ethiopia with whom Alligan Travel is personally acquainted who are effecting a positive
change to the environment by their actions i.e. tree planting, seed distribution
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