Awash National Park - 2 Days Trip

A short overnight trip to Awash National Park.

Day 1: Depart east from Addis Ababa to Awash National Park. In the evening you will have a chance to do a short game drive to see the local wildlife, such as Oryx, Baboons, greater and Lesser Kudu, Warthogs, Gazelles, Colubus Monkeys. Additionally, if you get the luck you will get to see Leopards, Lions, and other Cats. The landscapes in the park are beautiful, looking over the Awash Gorge. You can drive deep into the park, near the hot springs. Overnight in Awash National Park Lodge

Day 2: Early morning, take a drive in the park to witness the park as it comes alive. Afterwards, depart from Awash, returning to Addis Ababa. On the way you can stop by at Sodere to take a shower in the therapeutic hot springs waters.

• Awassa – 2 Days Trip

  Day 1: Depart south from Addis Ababa via Butajira. On the way you will visit the archeological sites of Tiya (ancient stelae field and UNESCO World Heritage Site), Adadi Maryam (a rock-hewn church similar to those in Lalibela) and Melka Kunture (pre-historic tool-making site). Final destination for the day will be Awassa. Overnight in Awassa (hotel).

  Day 2: After breakfast, visit the local fish market on the shores of Lake Awassa. Afterwards, take a boat trip on the lake to visit the hippos. Finally, return north to Addis Ababa. If time permits, you may visit the Abiatta-Shala National Park. Lake Shala, with its deep blue waters is the deepest lake in Ethiopia at 236m. Lake Abiatta is a soda lake at which thousands of flamingos can be seen at various times of the year.

• City Tour of Addis - Full Day

  Trinity Cathedral

  A beautiful church with a baroque style of European architecture which is unique to both Ethiopia and Africa and is dedicated to the holy trinity. Here you will find scripts of the imperial families, status done by a Greek sculpture stained glass window paintings from the old and new testament in the bible and coffins of Emperor Haile Silassie –I, the founder of the church and his wife.

  Ethnographic Museum

  It is found in the main campus of the Addis Ababa University by the institute of Ethiopian studies with the aim to preserve the country’s historical and cultural heritages. It has complete collections that describe almost all the tribal groups in Ethiopia. Here you will have an overview about the history, culture and traditions of the people of Ethiopia. The collections include the nomadic tribal groups that are now living just as man’s forefather lived thousands of years back.

  National Museum

  It comprises of many archaeological and historical findings including the famous complete hominid fossil remain of “Lucy” locally known as “Dinkinesh” meaning wonderful.

  Weaving style at Shiromeda

  This is making of cultural clothes with different designs in traditional way. Here you can see while the weavers are weaving and selling the products in the nearby to their weaving place. The main products are the traditional shema clothes like “Gabi”, “Netela”, etc…... from cotton, which are completely in different style with other industrially made nylon clothes. The national cloth is also made in the same way. Even if weaving is the activity that can be done in every part of the country, there are people who are specialized for this activity making quality cultural clothes in many different forms. These are Dorze people, one of the southern nations and nationalities who are also known for their beehive elephant head. In Addis Ababa they are leading in supplying the cultural clothes.

  Mount Entoto

  It is the highest peak in Addis Ababa with an altitude of 3200 meters, which was the Sit for the first palace of emperor Menelik-II, the founder of Addis Ababa. Here there is s.t marry church, where emperor Minilik was crowned and you will admire the stupendous views of the city with its surrounding plains and volcanic cones together with its breathtaking air.

  Merkato

  The greatest open air market in east Africa. Here you will be presented with confusing, but fascinating, glimpse of the vast range of goods and artifacts available from all parts of the country and you will enjoy the Ethiopian trade exchange tradition in the open air, you can purchase anything you desire.

• Rift Valley Lakes, Adadi Mariam Church and the Tiya Stelae Field- 2 days Trip

  This short tour from Addis Ababa combines a visit to some of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes with a visit to two archaeological sites on the outskirts of the capital.

  On the morning of day 1, visit Adadi Mariam Church and the Tiya Stelae Field on route to Lake Langano. On day 2, visit Abijatta-Shalla National Park before returning to Addis Ababa in the afternoon.

  Day 1: Addis Ababa / Lake Langano - Early morning, depart Addis Ababa heading to Lake Langano via the Adadi Mariam Church and the Tiya Stele Field. Stop for lunch in the town of Tiya before continuing onto Lake Langano. In the afternoon, chill out and relax by the lake. Swimming and kayaking on the lake are some of the possible activities that you can partake in.

  Adadi Mariam Church

  Adadi Mariam is a subterranean rock-hewn church similar to those of Lalibela. This church is unique as it is the southern-most church of its type, and stands alone – no other rock-hewn churches are in the area. It has been surmised that King Lalibela ordered the construction of Adida Mariam for his visit to southern Ethiopia. The site dates to the 13th century, but is still an active site of worship.

  Tiya Stele Field

  Tiya

  Tiya is among the most important of the roughly 160 archaeological sites discovered so far in the Soddo region, south of Addis Ababa. The site contains 36 monuments, including 32 carved stelae covered with symbols, most of which are difficult to decipher. They are the remains of an ancient Ethiopian culture whose age has not yet been precisely determined.

  Overnight at: Sabana Beach Resort

  Day 2: Abiyatta-Shalla National Park Visit / Addis Ababa - After breakfast at the hotel, make the short trip by car to the far side of the main road to visit the Abijatta-Shalla National Park. Explore the park until lunch time.

  Lunch in the town of Ziway on the way back to Addis Ababa.

  After lunch, take the expressway back to Addis Ababa with a view to being back in the capital by 5.00 pm.

  Abijatta-Shalla National Park

  Langano

  Abijatta-Shalla National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located 200 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, it contains the Rift Valley lakes of Abijatta and Shalla. The two lakes are separated by three kilometers of hilly land. Besides the two lakes, the primary attraction of this national park are a number of hot springs on the northeast corner of Lake Abijatta, and large numbers of flamingoes on the lake.

• Wenchi Crater Lake – 2 Day Tour

  Wenchi is a highland area, situated 155 km west of Addis Ababa. The area is famed for its beautiful mountainous landscape used partly as farmland and partly covered by natural forest and stunning Crater Lake.

  The area is famed for its beautiful mountainous landscape; The Lake is situated at the base of an extinct volcano. The whole crater contains a large lake with small islands, hot mineral springs, waterfalls and beautiful valleys and farmland. An old monastery with a church is situated on one of the lake islands.

  Upon arrival at the lake, you can hike (or take a horse) down to the base of the lake. At the lakeside, we will have lunch and then take a short boat ride out to an old monastery with a church which is situated on one of the lakes islands. After lunch, you will have the option to hike back or else take a horse if you feel like it.

  That night we will stay at the Negash Lodge in Woliso. The following morning you will have a chance to enjoy the lush surroundings of the lodge. This is a good chance to see Colobus monkeys and a large variety of birds. After having lunch at the lodge, we will head back to Addis Ababa. Arrival time back in Addis Ababa will be around 4.00 pm.

  Lake Wenchi*/Menagesha Forest

  Day 1: Early morning departure to Lake Wenchi. Here you can do some horseback riding or hiking around this stunning crater lake and/or a boat trip on the lake to visit the island monastery of Cherkos and the hot springs. Overnight in Woliso (lodge).

  Day 2: After breakfast, drive to the Menagesha National Forest for some hiking. Here you will enjoy the wildlife, such as the Colobus Monkeys and Endemic Menelik’s Bushbuck, as well as Birds, including the Endemic Ethiopian Oriole and Abyssinian Woodpecker. After the visit, return to Addis Ababa in the afternoon.