15 DAYS - ADVENTURE - DANKIL DEPRESSION & AFAR PEOPLES
BY SURFACE
Day 1: Arrival Addis Ababa / City Tour
Beginning of the tour in Addis Ababa. Morning free. Afternoon (1400 hrs from the hotel) tour of the capital: visit Entoto mountains with views over the capital, the National museum, St George church. ON (overnight) chosen hotel.
Day 2: Fly to DireDawa
Meet your vehicles and proceed to Harar. On the way visit the chat market at Awedae. Afternoon visit of Harar:the mosques, city walls, the basket production, the markets, French poet Rimbaud house, and more. Evening visit a man feeding wild hyenas, at the doors of the town. Meals & ON in hotel.
Day 3: Drive to the Awash National Park
Visiting Afar people on the way. At the park admire a very nice flora & fauna (Oryx, lesser kudu, dik-dik, crocodiles, hippos, many birds & more), the Awash river falls + the river gorge & more. ON Fafate lodge in the park or Genet hotel in Awash town.
Day 4: Drive to Semera
Proceed then to the Afar people and reach Semera, where we take the permits for the Danakil. Dinner & ON camping Me’aseni lodge or other.
Day 5: Visit Afar people extracting salt from lake Afrera
Proceed to the hot springs, where we’ll camp (next to the springs). Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping
Day 6: Drive till Dodom.
Then organize the camels for the materials and trek from around 1500 hrs till early evening to the volcano. Here are fantastic views,with the lava and the volcano rim. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping on the volcano.
Day 7: Full day at the Ertale volcano
We Can walk all around the rim. Meals & ON on top.
Day 8: Walk back to Dodom
To meet the vehicles. Drive then to an Afar people village (Emegubi village) for some very interesting experiences, admiring their culture & way of life. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON in the village.
Day 9: Proceed to Ahmedale.
Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camp.
Day 10: Drive to Dalol
To see the Afar men extracting salt. Are spectacular colors of nature, unique in the world. Dinner & ON camping AhmedAle
Day 11: Follow up camel’s caravans and walk with the Afar people
You’ll see how they prepare their traditional bread, how they travel, communicate & more. Is another unique experience. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON camping at bank of the dry river.
Day 12: walk to Berhale - Drive to Gheralta/ Mekele
Continue walking with the Afar people, following the camel’s caravans. Reach then Berhale, where you’ll meet the vehicles. Drive to Gheralta, in the Hawsen region. In ones from 120 mts below sea level we go to the Ethiopian highlands. Here in the Tigray region are found more than 110 different churches, with different architectural and ornamental designs, from the Axumite to the Zegwe dinasty, built in such difficult places over mountains to protect the churches and monasteries from any enemy. On the way visit Micael Imba church. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON Gheralta lodge Hawsen (or Axum hotel in Mekele, if Gheralta lodge is not available).
Day 13: Mekele
Full day to visit these special churches: we suggest Abreha We Atsbeha, Degum Selassie & Wikro Cherkos. ON Gheralta lodge (or Axum htl in Mekele).
Day 14: Drive to Kombolcha - Crossing lake Ashandi
We proceed to lake Hayk. Visit Debre Estifanos monastery, over an island of the lake. Drive to Kombolcha. Lunch on the way; dinner & ON hotel in Kombolcha (suggested Sunny side or Hikma or Tecle).
Day 15: Drive to Addis Ababa
Crossing fantastic views, reach Addis Ababa. Ones in Addis, short visit of the Mercato, biggest open air market in Africa.Dinner invited in a traditional restaurant with folkloristic dances. Then transfer airport for departure.