Book this 13-Day Ethiopia Tribes and Wildlife Tour to meet Ethiopia’s tribes and see its rare wildlife.
The trip starts with a flight to Arbaminch, where you take a boat trip on Lake Chamo. You then drive to Turmi to meet the Hamer people and explore the Alduba Market.
Next, you visit the Dassanech and Kara tribes before heading to Jinka to meet the Mursi people. The trip continues to Konso, a UNESCO site, and the Dorze village, known for its elephant-shaped houses. You then visit Ziway, Awash National Park, and Harar, where you see the hyena-feeding tradition.
The trip ends with a visit to the Bale Mountains, the Sanetti Plateau, and a return to Addis Ababa for a farewell dinner.
Detailed 13-Day Ethiopia Tribes and Wildlife Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Flight to Arbaminch
Depart Addis Ababa for Arbaminch, about 550km south of the capital. The name Arbaminch means “forty springs,” since the town is surrounded by many natural springs. On arrival, take a boat trip on Lake Chamo to see large groups of hippos, plenty of birdlife, and crocodiles sunning on the shore.
Day 2: Drive to Turmi
After breakfast, drive to Turmi to meet the Hamer people, known for scarification and styling their hair with clay. They also practice bull-jumping, a ceremony young men complete before marriage.
Visit Alduba Market, held every Tuesday, the biggest market in the region, bringing together the Hamer, Benna, and Tsemay tribes.
Day 3: Excursion to Omorate and Karo
After breakfast, drive to Omorate to meet the Dassanech people, whose villages sit along the Omo River. Return to Turmi for lunch, then visit the Kara people in the afternoon, known for their body paintings used in ceremonies. They are cattle herders who settle along the Omo River for water access.
Return to Turmi for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Visit Mursi Village
After an early breakfast, leave Turmi and drive to Jinka through Mago National Park. Visit the Mursi people, known for the women’s large clay lip plates, a symbol of beauty and identity.
Day 5: Visit Konso Village
After breakfast, drive to Konso through Tsemay lands. On Thursdays, visit the Afar Market, a lively trading center. Meet the Ari people, known for their farming skills.
On arrival in Konso, explore the terraced hills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and visit the chief’s compound to see traditional art and wooden totems honoring the dead.
Day 6: Drive to Dorze Village
After breakfast, drive to Dorze lands. The Dorze people are known for their elephant-shaped houses made of bamboo. Their fertile land supports false banana plants, used to make local food. The Dorze are known for their art, crafts, and weaving, with a chance to buy souvenirs.
Day 7: Drive to Ziway
After breakfast, leave Dorze and drive to Ziway through the fertile lands of Wolayta Sodo. On arrival, visit the shores of Lake Ziway to see great white pelicans, marabou storks, and other water birds.
Day 8: Drive to Awash National Park
After breakfast, drive to Awash National Park. Visit the Awash River and see the Awash Waterfalls. The park is home to many birds, plus colobus monkeys, beisa oryx, Soemmerring’s gazelle, black-backed jackal, warthog, Hamadryas baboon, Anubis baboon, lesser kudu, and Salt’s dik-dik.
After the game drive, head to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 9: Drive to Harar
After breakfast, drive to Harar, stopping at Awodai, home to Ethiopia’s largest khat market. In the afternoon, visit the Hyena Man, who feeds wild hyenas every night, a tradition started to stop hyenas from attacking livestock and people. You may get a chance to feed the hyenas yourself.
Day 10: Harar City Tour, Flight to Addis Ababa
After a late breakfast, explore the walled city of Harar, dating back to the 16th century, one of Ethiopia’s most important Islamic cities. Visit the Harari museums, local markets, and traditional Harari houses.
In the afternoon, drive to Dire Dawa Airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa. On arrival, our team will take you to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 11: Flight to Bale Mountains
After breakfast, take a flight to Goba. Your guide will drive you to Dinsho, the entry point to Bale Mountains National Park. Hike to a viewpoint to take in the scenery and wildlife, including warthog, mountain nyala, Menelik’s bushbuck, and the Bohor reedbuck.
Day 12: Excursion to Sanetti Plateau and Harenna Forest
After breakfast, drive to the Sanetti Plateau, the best place in Ethiopia to see the endangered Ethiopian wolf. The plateau has winding roads with wide views and is a breeding ground for rodents and other small mammals.
Stop at Tulu Dimtu, the highest peak in the Bale Mountains at 4,377 meters. At the base of the escarpment, explore a small village. Wildlife here includes black-and-white colobus monkeys and Bale monkeys.
Day 13: Fly Back to Addis Ababa
After breakfast, drive to Goba Airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa. If time allows, take a city tour, visiting the National Museum, the former palace of Emperor Haile Selassie, and the remains of Lucy.
Enjoy a farewell dinner with Ethiopian food and live music before heading to the airport for your departure flight.
Book this 13-Day Ethiopia Tribes and Wildlife Tour today and meet Ethiopia’s tribes while seeing its rare wildlife.
