Historic Route Tour
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Tour name: Historic Route, Simien Mountains, Tigray Churches and Lalibela Tour
Tour code: HSTLTR-113
Destinations: Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Gondar, Simien Mountains (Built Ras, Sankaber, Jinbber Valley, Chennek, Ras Bwahit, Axum, Yeha, Teka Tesfay, Hawzen/Gheralta, Atsbi, Lalibela
Duration: 13 days/12 nights
Starting point: Addis Ababa
Ending point: Addis Ababa
Day 1. Addis
– You will be welcomed by your guide/a member of Magma Flow Team at Bole International airport Addis and transfer to your hotel/resort. If your arrival is early morning, city tour of Addis Ababa will be arranged.
Meal plan: Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Zola/Guzara International hotel (3*) Addis
Day 2. Addis – Bahir Dar
– Morning, fly to Bahir Dar, pick up from airport and check-in your hotel/lodge.
– Take a boat trip on Lake Tana.
Visit:
- ZegePenninsula
- AzuwaMaryam
- UraKidaneMehret
- DebreMaryam
– Afternoon, visit Blue Nile Falls & walk around to enjoy the beautiful views of the area.
– Sunset on the best viewpoint of the Lake.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Jacaranda hotel (3*) Bahir Dar
Day 3. Bahir Dar – Gondar
– Morning, drive to Gondar.
– Afternoon, visit sites in Gondar:
- The Royal Enclosure
- Fasilidass Pool, still used for Timket celebrations
- Ras Gimb Palace Museum
- Debre Birhan Selassie church
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: AG/Ruth hotel (3*) Gondar
Day 4. Gondar – Simien Mountains (Buyit Ras – Sankaber)
– Morning, drive to Buyit Ras via Debark.
– Trek (2-3h) from Buyit Ras to Sankaber. En route, visit:
- The wonderful scenario of the landscapes
- Endemic Gelada Baboons
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Snack & Dinner
Overnight: Camping at Sankaber
Day 5. Simien Mountains [Sankaber – Jinbar Valley – Chennek
– Trek (3h) from Sankaber to Jinbar Valley. En route, visit:
- The place where the Jinbar Waterfall plunges into Geech Abyss.
- Jinbar Waterfall & its adorable landscape.
- Endemic Gelada Baboons
– Car picks us up from Jinbar Valley and drive to Chennek.
– Trek (0.5-1h) around Chennek to visit villages and local people.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Snack & Dinner
Overnight: Camping at Chennek
Day 6. Simien Mountains (Chennek – Ras Bwahit) – Gondar
– Drive from Chennek to Bwahit Pass and ascend (3h) to Ras Bwahit (4,430m) the second highest mountain in Simien, enjoy watching the wonderful views of the landscapes.
– Afterwards, descend back to Bwahit Pass, meet our car and drive back to Gondar.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: AG/Ruth hotel (3*) Bahir Dar
Day 7. Gondar – Axum
– Morning, fly to Axum, pick up from airport and check-in your hotel.
– Afternoon, visit sites in Axum (all if time permits):
- The famous Obelisks
- Archeological museum
- Queen of Shebas Bath
- Ezanas enscription
- King Kalebs tomb
- King Bazens tomb
- Queen of Shebas Palace
- Mary of Zion church, where the Ark of the Covenant is kept.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Armah/Ethiopis hotel (3*) Axum
Day 8. Axum – Yeha – Teka Tesfay – Hawzen
– Morning, drive to Hawzen. En route, visit:
- Ruins of Yeha Temple (if interested)
- Medhane Alem AdiKosho: Requires 1h easy trekking
- Mikael MelhayZengi: Requires 1h easy trekking
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Vision hotel Hawzen
Day 9. Hawzen – Gheralta – Hawzen
– Morning, visit Abune Yemata Guh (Requires 2h challenging trekking and climbing – not recommended if you have height phobia) or Maryam & Daniel Korkor (Requires 2.5h challenging trekking).
– Afternoon, visit Maryam Papaseit (Requires 1h easy trekking).
– Afterwards, return to Hawzen.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Vision hotel Hawzen
Day 10. Hawzen – Atsbi – Mekelle
– Morning, drive to Atsbi to visit:
- Mikael Imba: Requires 0.75 easy trekking and climbing on a 2m tall ladder
- Mikael DebreSelam: Requires 2h easy trekking
– Afterwards, drive to Mekelle.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Axum hotel (3*) Mekelle
Day 11. Mekelle – Lalibela
– Fly to Lalibela, pick up from airport and check-in your lodge.
– Afternoon, visit best of the best churches in Ethiopia, Yemrahanna Kristos.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Sora lodge (3*) Lalibela
Day 12. Lalibela
– Morning, visit half of the 11 rock-hewn churches (Northwestern cluster):
- BetMedhaneAlem
- BetMaryam
- BetMeskel
- BetDanaghel
- BetMikael
- BetGolgotha (entry not permitted for women).
– Afternoon, visit the rest half (Southeastern cluster):
- BetGabriel-Rufael
- BetMerkorios
- BetAmanual
- BetAbbaLibanos
- BetGiyorgis until the sunset (the most famous of all)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight Sora lodge (3*) Lalibela
Day 13. Lalibela – Addis
– Morning, fly from Lalibela to Addis and explore the Capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa:
- Panoramic view of the city from Entoto Mountain.
- Entoto Maryam Church & Museum
- The city’s largest market for traditional clothes.
- The ethnographical museum, with great displays of the many cultures of Ethiopia, housed in the former palace of Haile Selassie.
- National Museum, where Ethiopias oldest resident, Lucy, is housed.
- The Selassie (Trinity) church, one of the most important churches of Addis Ababa and the final resting place of Haile Selassie, to whom there is a dedicated museum on site.
- Merkato, Africas largest open-air market.
– Evening, cultural dinner invitation at a traditional restaurant with local folkloric dances.
– Transfer to Bole International airport Addis to fly back home or your hotel for overnight.