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Day 1: Leave London or USA
Day 2: Arrive in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia where you will be met and transferred to the Ghion Hotel where you will spend the night.
Day 3: Early morning depart south of Addis Ababa towards the Rift Valley. The first stop is at Melka Kunture, one of the most important Paleolithic sites in Ethiopia, Along the Awash River where Melka Kunture is located, the fossils of hippopotamus, rhinoceros, and elephants have been found. Continue to the church of Adadi Mariam, the southern-most rock hewn church in Ethiopia. Contemporaneous with those of Lalibela (in fact local tradition says that it was built by King Lalibela in 1106), the church was carved below ground level and contains 24 windows surrounded by a wide, high tunnel. It is still being used today. Our final stop is at Tiya, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, where you will see the northernmost example of a peculiar type of engraved, standing stone monoliths that stretch across parts of sou only a limited number of single rooms available here.) (B/L/D)
Day 4: Set in a volcanic crater, Awassa Lake is the smallest in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Here, you may view hippos, grivet monkeys, and colobus monkeys with their wonderful white faces encircled by deep ebony crowns. Birdwatchers will especially enjoy such avian wonders as the silvery-cheeked hornbill, black-winged lovebird, and Abyssinian black-headed oriole. The city of Awassa with its diverse ethnic mix will be especially enjoyable as you walk through the daily market where colorful villagers negotiate for fish. In the afternoon, visit the Rift Valley Lakes of Abyata and Shala, part of a national park, to view the rich concentration of brightly colored flamingoes. Shala, the southern lake, fills a crater almost 1000 feet deep, while nearby Abyata is a shallow pond – each creating it’s own environmental niche. Here you may also baboons, Grant’s gazelle, the huge hornbill, pelicans, and plenty of kites and hawks. Binoculars are recommended (B/L/D)
Day 5: Enjoy an early morning ‘primate walk’ following the baboon troops and Colobus monkeys along the trail. In the afternoon there will be a walk along the lake edge for a close-up view of the hippos relaxing in the water. (B/L/D)
Day 6: This morning’s drive takes you back to Addis Ababa where you will have the rest of the day free. Those wanting more adventure can visit the open-air market, one of the largest in Africa, where dizzying displays of food, spices, carpets, religious artifacts, and lovely gold jewelry entice tourists and natives alike. Overnight at the Hotel Ghion for the last night in Ethiopia (B/L/D) |
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