| Day 1
Home departure Day 2
Arrive Addis Ababa. City Tour visiting a
choice of interesting sights. Overnight
Hotel in Addis Ababa.
Day 3 Drive to
Dessie. A 400 kilometre drive passing
through spectacular scenery en route.
Lunch at Debre Sinar.Opportunity to buy
locally harvested Thyme .Overnight in
small but very clean ,basic Hotel.
Day 4 Continue
journey on to Lalibela via Woldia through
the beautiful Lasta Mountains.Arrive at
Lalibela in time for lunch at your hotel.
Afternoon exploration of the famous Rock
Hewn Churches now a Unesco World Heritage
Site.
Day 5 A further
chance to visit other rock hewn churches
in the centre of Lalibela. Optional
afternoon trip by mule, or on foot to see
the Church of Ashetan Mariam. This sits
on top of a mountain rising to nearly
4000 metres above Lalibela.
Day 6 Drive to
Mekele.Lunch at Mychew. Overnight at the
Ambraha Castel Hotel, full of character
and with a lovely view of Mekele from
it's terrace.En route one can enjoy the
wonderful scenery of the Alage Mountain
Range, the setting for a famous battle
between the Ethiopians and the Italians.
Day 7 A 225 kilometre
drive to Axum via Debre Damo and Yeha.
Lovely Highland scenery on the way and a
chance to visit the famous monastery at
Debre Damo. Yeha is the site of the first
known Capital of the Ethiopians and is
thought to be the birthplace of the
country's earliest civilization dating
from the 5th Century B.C.
Day 8 Exploring the
many and varied Historical Sites of Axum,
including the Stellae Park,King Kaleb's
Palace and the underground
tombs.Afternoon trip to view the supposed
last resting place of the Ark of the
Covenant in the Church of St. Mary of
Zion.
Day 9 Along but
rewarding days drive to Gondar. Passing
through the scenery of the famous Simien
Mountains with impressive peaks and
volcanic cores. Various sightings of Ras
Dashen, the highest peak in Ethiopia and
the fourth highest in the African
Continent.Arrival at a good Hotel in time
for supper.
Day 10 An interesting
visit to the Royal Compound of the past
Kings of Ethiopia and to the Church of
The Holy Trinity.The Chuch is famous for
the painted murals within. Local birdlife
and flora are an added bonus. If by
chance you time your visit to be here at
Timkat (Epiphany) then this would be a
most memorable visit.
Day 11 A much shorter
drive to Bahir Dar to arrive in time for
lunch at your hotel on the shore of Lake
Tana.The journey takes you through the
farming areas of the Amhara Tribe. There
are many opportunities to see birdlife en
route. After lunch a visit to the source
of the Blue Nile and a chance to admire
the view from Haille Selassie's Summer
Palace.
Day 12 A boat trip
across Lake Tana to the Zegne Peninsular
to visit one of the monasteries dating
from the 12th Century .Famous for their
Treasury of Ancient Crowns and wonderful
murals. A chance to meet local villagers
and to see the locally woven picnic
baskets . Optional afternoon trip to the
T'Issat Falls or just relax in the Hotel
Compound be.side Lake Tana .
Day 13 Continue
Southwards to Debre Markos. Overnight
nice Hotel.
Day 14 Final leg of
journey returning to Addis Ababa passing
across the spectacular Blue Nile Gorge at
it's deepest point via Debre Libanos,
with a chance to visit the famous 12th
Century monastery.
Day 15 Fly Home
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