This itinerary provides a 12-day tour of Ethiopia that includes visits to major cities and regions. The tour begins in Addis Ababa with city tours and visits local markets and sites. It then travels south through Arba Minch to visit tribal villages along the Omo River Valley like Jinka, Turmi, and Murule. The tour continues to Awassa and the Bale Mountains National Park to see wildlife and unique habitats before returning to Addis Ababa through scenic countryside.

1. Day 1 - Arrive in Addis Ababa
Arrive at Bole International Airport. Boba Tours representative will meet you and transfer you to
hotel & we will give you some briefing about the tour if you not tired.
Day 02 City Tour in Addis Ababa
Visit the
Ethnographic Museum, a great introduction to Ethiopian culture and history. Visit the Mercato,
one of the East Africa's largest outdoor markets, and Trinity Cathedral, resting place of Emperor
Haile Selassie & Entoto mountains the beautiful over view of the city Addis
Overnight Hotel - Addis Ababa
Day 3 Drive to Arba-minch

2. Depart early from the hotel, for the drive to Arba Minch (450km, 8 hours), via the 10th century
stone stelae of Tiya and Butajira. Enjoy dinner at Soma Restaurant.
Overnight: Swaynes Hotel or Paradise Lodge
Day 4 City Tour in Arba-Minch
After

3. breakfast, drive up to Chencha. The town is set at an altitude of 2,900m in the Guge Hills north
of Arbaminch. A dramatic series of switchbacks that take you 1,600m higher in a mere 22 km,
brings you to the home of the Dorze people, who are renowned as cotton weavers. Here, the bee-
hive-shaped dwellings stand up to 6 m tall and are constructed entirely from organic materials −
bamboo sticks, grass and enset (similar to banana) . These are among the most distinctive
traditional structures to be seen anywhere in Africa. The main concentration of traditional houses
is at the village of Dorze, where you may also make a stop. After lunch, take a boat trip on Lake
Chamo to the Crocodile Market. Overnight: Swaynes Hotel or Paradise Lodge
Day 4 Drive Arba-minch - Jinka (250 km, 8 hours)
In this morning early we will drive to Jinka on the way stop at Konso in orde to visit Konso
structural land escape w/c registered in UNESCO as a world Heritage & visit the Generic pole of
the people. After having lunch in Konso Drive to jinka Overnight stay in Omo-Hotel
Day 5 - Jinka - Mago - Jinka - Turmi

4. Early morning drive from Jinka to Mago National Park (34km) Meet your Park Scout and
continue to the village of the Mursi Tribes. The Mursi Tribes are one of the tribes in South
Ethiopia, whose ladies mutilate their lips as a sign of beauty. Then we will drive back to Jinka
for lunch after lunch we will drive to Turmi (127km - 3 hours). Overnight - Turmi Lodge or
Buska Lodge
Day 6 - Turmi - Murule - Dimeka - Turmi
After breakfast, drive from Turmi to Murule to visit the Karo tribes who live by the side of the
Omo River. This morning, you will visit the village of the Karo Tribe, noted for their hair
decoration, body painting and unique style of dressing. En route you will stop at a few of the
Southern Ethiopian villages as well as visiting Dimeka to see the Hamer Market (subject to date
of travel). A picnic lunch box will be provided at Dimeka.
The Hamer tribe is handsome, photogenic and friendly. The Karo and The Hamer are related in
culture and they are the only people in the Omo Valley who allow marriage in between two
tribes (Hamer and Karo). Like all small ethnic groups of the far South Omo area, they practice a
combination of pastoralism and shifting agriculture mainly rain-fed. The main part of their life
and economy is based on cattle herding and great wealth is measured by the number of cattle
owned. These people are very famous for their hair styles, body painting and the rarely seen but
always remembered 'Bull Jumping'. Young men may choose their brides after successfully
completing a Bull jump.

5. Continue back to Turmi at the end of the day (196km - 4 hours).
Overnight: Turmi Lodge or Buska Lodge
Day 7 - Turmi - Arbaminch

6. After breakfast, drive to Arbaminch via Er-bore, home to the Er-bore tribe (291km - 6 hours).
They are closely related to the Borena Oromo and share their unique adornments such as
aluminium bead necklaces. Proceed to Arbaminch stopping en route to visit traditional houses in
Konso.
Overnight: Swaynes Hotel or Paradise Lodge
Day 8 - Arba Minch - Lake Awassa
After breakfast, drive from Arbaminch to the lakeside city of Awassa (285km - 5 to 6 hours). On
the way pass through land which produces the best banana, papaya, apple and mango in Ethiopia
for the world market. With a population of over 80,000, Awassa is the largest city in southern
Ethiopia and sits at an altitude of 1,685m. Lake Awassa is the smallest of the Rift Valley lakes in
Ethiopia. Set in a volcanic caldera, it has no outlet, yet the water remains fresh and supports a
rich variety of plankton and an abundance of fish. The dense scrub and fig woodland along the
shore is well-preserved and teems with birds and monkeys.
Overnight: Haile Resort or Lewi Resort

7. Day 9 - Awassa − Goba (Bale)
There
will be an early-morning birding walk along Lake Awassa. After breakfast, head off for the Bale
Mountains National Park, which lies in the highlands to the east of the Rift Valley (270km - 5
hours). The park protects Ethiopia's second-highest mountain range, including Mount Tullo
Diimtu, which is at 4,377 m is the second highest peak in Ethiopia. The main attractions of the
park are the wild alpine scenery, particularly at the 4,000m Sanetti Plateau, and the opportunity
to see up to 15 endemic bird species, as well as unique wildlife such as the Simien wolf and
mountain Nyala. The Bale Highlands are very green, cool by day and often very cold at night.
At the sprawling town of Shashemene, north of Awassa, we proceed east and travel via the towns
of Kofele, Dodola and Adaba, finally arriving at Dinsho Town, centre of the NP. From here on
you will be treated to some of the most spectacular landscapes in southern Ethiopia: craggy
peaks interspersed with streams and waterfalls, as well as wonderful wildflower displays - fields
of blue and yellow wildflowers and stands of red-hot poker. A few kilometres before entering
Dinsho, the road passes briefly through the Gaysay sector of Bale, where you are almost certain
to see our first mountain Nyala and perhaps even a Simien wolf, and many fascinating birds
including the endemic Rouget's Rail.

8. A stop will be made at the park headquarters just beyond Dinsho, where there will be time to do
the walking trail that leads through the surrounding juniper forest. It protects the main
concentration of Bale's mountain Nyala, an exceptionally handsome antelope. You should also
see Menelik's bushbuck, a species endemic to Ethiopia - superficially similar to the mountain
Nyala, but much smaller. Also look out for warthog, bohor reedbuck and guerza monkeys. An
unusual plant in the Dinsho area is the white-flowered Abyssinian rose, the only flowering rose
indigenous to Africa.
The main habitats protected by Bale are African juniper and the fragrant Hagenia abyssinica
woodland, montane forest and Afro-alpine moorland. The juniper-hagenia woodland lies at an
elevation of between 2,500m and 3,300m and is mostly found on northern slopes, such as around
the park headquarters. At similar elevations on the southern slopes the vast Harenna Forest is the
park's main stand of Afro-montane forest. The Afro-alpine moorland is found at above 3,500m,
with the most extensive patches on the Sanetti Plateau. Dinsho is an excellent spot for montane
forest endemic birds, while the Sanetti Plateau is the best place in Ethiopia to see highland
endemics and unusual migrant raptors.
Later in the afternoon continue to Goba via the town of Robe. Goba is the former capital of the
Bale Zone and lies in the cool, breezy foothills of the Sanetti Plateau.
Overnight: Bale Mountain Lodge
Day 10 Sanetti Plateau
After
breakfast continue to the Sanetti Plateau, the highest point in the Bale National Park. It is cited as
Africa's largest expanse of Afro-alpine moorland, a montane habitat confined to altitudes of
3,500 to 4,500 m on East Africa's tallest mountains. Because such habitats are isolated, they tend
to display a very high degree of endemism, and Sanetti is no exception. From Goba we climb
1,300m. After 13 km we will be surrounded by clumped grey heather interspersed with lichen
covered rocks and stands of giant lobelia. About halfway across the plateau the road skirts a
series of crystal-clear tarns.
Simien wolves are unexpectedly common and, with luck, you will enjoy close-up views of
Africa's rarest canid. The wolf is far more common here than in the Simien Mountains in the
north. The wolf population of around 400 was only made known to science in 1959. Generally
they are very approachable and offer superb photo opportunities. Other characteristic mammals
of the plateau are golden jackal, klipspringer, the Abyssinian hare, the endemic giant molerat,
and a number of other small endemic burrowing rodents. The plateau also offers great birding

9. opportunities: look for endemics such as blue-winged goose, spot-breasted lapwing and Rouget's
rail, all of which are common here.
At the Southern end of the Sanetti Plateau, the Harenna Forest Escarpment affords an astounding
view of the forest almost 2,000m below. Return to the Lodge for the night.
Overnight: Bale Mountain Lodge
Day 11 - Bale Mountains
Continue your exploration of the landscapes, flora and fauna of the Bale Mountains.
Overnight: Bale Mountain Lodge
Day 12 - Goba − Addis Ababa ( 440Km, 8HRS)
Depart Goba for Dodola travelling via Dinsho and Adaba (440km - 7 to 8 hours) Here we turn
north to travel along a scenic route that takes us through hilly countryside, initially still sporting
the yellow and orange alloes that are characteristic of the Bale area, as well as large rural
homesteads ringed by neat mud and euphorbia enclosures. After passing through Bekoji,
continue through frosty moorland covered in heath-like plants. Bird enthusiasts should keep an
eye open for wattled ibis and Abyssinian longclaw.
The next town is Asela, capital of the Arsi Zone. The area is notable for its fertile, extensively
cultivated hills, where millet and maize fields are interspersed with stands of trees. The orderly
green slopes are reminiscent of the English countryside.
Arrive at the sizeable, friendly and unusually modern-looking town of Adaama, on the fertile
plateau that divides the Rift Valley from the central highlands. Here, join the surfaced road to
Addis Ababa, 100 km distant. En route, pass through Bishoftu, the site of the famous victory by
Ahmed Gragn over Emperor Lebna Dengal in 1529, which cleared the way for the region to be
occupied by the Oromo. Further along see Mount Yerer, a four million-year-old extinct volcano
set on the western Rift Valley wall. In Addis Ababa enjoy a farewell dinner with traditional
dance in an Ethiopian restaurant. Overnight: The Sheraton
Price quotation for in Land Transport
Group size Price per/personin US $ No. of Days Total in US
$
Remark
3 125 12 4500 The Price include all
accommodations
5 115 12 6900 The Price include all
accommodations
7 105 12 8820 The Price include all
accommodations
10 95 12 11400 The Price include all
accommodations

10. Back home
Flight back home
The Above rate encompasses fuel cost, Transport cost, Labour cost such as Driver & Guider,
Hotel Cost as well as Beverage or packed water cost for each visitor 3 times per day.