Compare Friuli Venezia Giulia and Slovenia Cycling Tour by Tourissimo vs Exotic Ethiopia: Spectacular Wildlife and Ancient Kingdoms by Road Scholar

Day 1: Grado - Aquileia

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Villa Bernt

Terrain: Flat

Ride: 13 mi or 22 km

A private shuttle will take you to our hotel on an island-village on the Adriatic. Grado is Friuli’s lagoon city, a town with 1600 years of history, which can still be experienced by strolling the calli (streets) of the ancient city center. Grado was the first port of entry for ships headed upstream to nearby Aquileia, a powerful Roman city on the river Natisone.

After some lunch and presentations, we ride inland to Aquileia. The colony was founded in 180BC and served as a strategic frontier fortress at the northeast corner of Transpadane (on the far side of the Po river) Italy.

Back at the hotel, you will receive an overview of the tour program followed by dinner.

Day 2: Collio Hills

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: La Subida

Terrain: Rolling

Ride: 30 mi or 48 km

After fine tuning our bikes some more, we ride along the Natisone river and we reach Gorizia for a short visit and some lunch. Once a favorite spot of the Hapsburg nobility, since 1947 Gorizia has been split in two, with Nova Gorica developing on the other side of the Italian–Slovenian border. We are in the dramatic Carso area with its limestone formations, grottoes, and underground rivers. La Subida is a charming country hotel and the hospitality of the Sirk family is legendary. Tonight, we will have dinner at l'Osteria, which is part of the La Subida Estate. La Subida is a place that makes our guests feel at home and relaxed. It's unique.

Day 3: Cividale Loop

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: La Subida

Terrain: Hilly

Ride: 28 mi or 45 km

Today's ride leads us northward to Cividale del Friuli (UNESCO site). We will be pedaling through the Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli wine area for about 30 mls of easy and rolling terrain. Cividale del Friuli will be our lunch stop and then we will head back to La Subida from a different road. Before reaching the hotel, we will stop at a local winery for lunch and wine tasting. The family-owned Grillo winery is in the center of the Schioppettino wine production (very rare and hard to find anywhere else in Italy). Relax back at La Subida before dinner.

Day 4: Bovec

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation:  Hotel Alp

Terrain: Rolling Hills

Ride: 46 mi or 74 km (shorter option available)

Today's ride takes us out of Friuli, heading northeast to the border of Slovenia. We will notice the landscape changing as we ride through the lowest mountain pass of the Alps, a long, easy smooth climb that takes us to the former border between Italy and Slovenia. Entering Slovenia we will find ourselves in a lush, green landscape with the typical vegetation of a mountain region, with rivers, waterfalls, and forests. Silence and very few cars make this and the next rides heavenly. Our lunch stop is in Caporetto/Kobarid and we have planned a visit to the WWI museum, a small but very complete and interesting house where the people from Caporetto have collected pictures and objects through which they tell the history of WWI as it was lived by the soldiers and civilians in that valley where we bike during our tour. In the afternoon we cruise to Bovec following the Soča river valley. You'll have time to explore Bovec on your own ant to enjoy a cold beer while watching the sunset behind the high mountains that surround the valley where Bovec is nestled. A short walk to the center of Bovec and we will find our dinner table ready at a local Gostilna, a simple, typical ‘trattoria’ style restaurant where we can enjoy our Slovenian meal.

Day 5: Bovec

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Alp

Terrain: Rolling Hills

Ride: 23 mi or 37 km

Bovec is known as the adventure capital of Slovenia, and we have a full day here to rest and enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities: kayaking, rafting, canoeing, paragliding, mountain biking, hiking and more. Kayaking in the emerald waters of the Soca River while immersed in the landscape of high peaks, forest and waterfalls is an unforgettable experience not to be missed. For those who like hiking there are some interesting trails with historical traces of WWI and WWII just outside of Bovec, with a war cemetery, two old forts and some bunkers and tunnels dating back to the Napoleon era and WWI. A bike ride will also be available if you want to explore the countryside up to the edge of Triglav National Park, in a remote little valley where only sheep and cows are witnesses to our slow-paced ride through paradise. Dinner is on your own.

Day 6: Fusine Lake to Bled

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Astoria Bled

Terrain: Rolling Hills

Ride: 37 mi or 59 km

Today we’ll go across the Alps to reach Tarvisio, a town on the border where Italy, Austria and Slovenia meet. A bus will shuttle us and our bikes over a mountain pass and down to the enchanting Fusine lakes where an easy and flat bike path starts. We’ll follow the bike path along the valley, once again immersed in a beautiful forest and with mountains all around us. Past the town of Kranjska Gora we’ll leave the main path and enter a secondary valley, now riding on an unpaved (but smooth) bike path.  This valley, the Radovna Valley, is the most beautiful, magical and enchanting place of the whole tour. Streams, small waterfalls, tall trees, water mills, a few old farmhouses and some cows are what we will see during the almost 10km of riding in this heavenly valley. Once we leave the valley we will be very close to Bled and if time and weather permit we can take a detour to admire the Vintgar Gorge, a canyon carved by the Vintgar River. A boardwalk runs along the gorge and from there we can view waterfalls and rapids.

Bled is our final destination today. We’ll bike along the lakeshore to reach Hotel Astoria in the center of Bled. Dinner will be at a castle overlooking Lake Bled. If time allows it, you can visit the interesting museum inside the Bled Castle. 

Day 7: Ljubljana

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: Allegro Garni Hotel

Ride:  None

Today we’ll transfer by private bus (about 1 hr) to Ljubljana. Upon arriving, you will have a guided visit of the town center of this UNESCO-recognized gem. You will have some free time in the afternoon to explore on your own and to do some shopping. We will enjoy our final dinner at one of the finest restaurants in town.

Day 8: Ljubljana

Meals: Breakfast

Terrain: Departure

Ride: None

After breakfast, we’ll provide a transfer to the Ljubljana airport.

Day 1
In Transit to Program
In Flight

Day 2
Arrive Ethiopia, Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location: Addis Ababa Meal: D Hotel: Capital Hotel
Activity note: Hotel check-in from 2:00 p.m.

Afternoon: After clearing Ethiopian customs and immigration, your Group Leader will meet and accompany you for the transfer to the hotel. Check-in and relax before the orientation and welcome dinner start this evening.

Dinner: A welcome dinner and orientation will be held at the hotel. Welcome dinner consists of a three-course meal with starter, main entree with vegetable side dish, and dessert. Bottled water is provided throughout the program. Other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We are fortunate to have as our Group Leader a knowledgeable expert who will also serve as our primary lecturer for most of the program. Continue getting to know your fellow participants, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Day 3
Gondar Palaces & Churches
Location: Gondar Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Mayleko Lodge
Activity note: Flight is approximately 1 hour. Minimal walking, terrain uneven with some stairs to be encountered.

Breakfast: At the hotel, we will enjoy an early morning buffet breakfast, featuring fresh fruit, cold cereals, toast, pastries, eggs, breakfast meats. Coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available after purchase.

Morning: After checkout, an early morning flight will take us to Gondar, the 17th-century capital of Ethiopia, where we will visit the Imperial Castle Compound of Gondar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Influenced by Indian, Portuguese, and Axumite architecture, the castle was the center of politics in the first half of the 17th -century. We will also visit the “Bath of Emperor Fasiladas,” the church of Quskuam Mariam, and the two-storied palace of the beautiful Empress Mentewab. We will have the chance to see the church of Debre Birhan Sillassie, famous for its wall and ceiling paintings and the only church saved from Mahdist invasion in the 19th century.

Lunch: At a local restaurant, we will enjoy lunch with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we will continue our visit to Gondar's beautiful palaces; our Group Leader will give an overview of Ethiopia's history, politics and cultures.

Dinner: At a local restaurant, accompanied by a performance of traditional Ethiopian music, we will enjoy a meal with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 4
Simien Mountains National Park
Location: Gondar Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Mayleko Lodge
Activity note: Elevation of park areas visited reaches above 11,000 feet. Required walking in the park today is minimal. Drive time between Gondar and Simien Mountains is approximately 3 hours one-way; roads may be rough and potholed in spots.

Breakfast: At the lodge, we will enjoy breakfast with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Morning: A full-day trip today will take us to the Simien Mountains National Park, a spectacularly eroded area of highland which occupies a surface area of 70 square miles. Over millennia, nature’s forces have worked to transform the Ethiopian plateau into an impressive landscape filled with jagged peaks dropping sharply to deep valleys below; some precipices reach some 4,900 feet in length. We will have the opportunity to observe and photograph the dramatic landscape at various points. We will spend time in the park viewing the endemic Gelada baboon, also referred to as the bleeding heart baboon, and the breathtaking scenery of the Simien Mountains.

Lunch: In the park, we will enjoy a picnic-style lunch.

Afternoon: We will continue our visit of the Simien Mountains National Park before driving back to Gondar for the night. Our Group Leader will give a lecture on the Gelada baboon.

Dinner: At the lodge, we will enjoy a dinner, plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 5
Axum Archaeology Sites, St. Mary of Zion Church
Location: Axum Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Sabean Hotel
Activity note: Flight time is 90 minutes. Walking on uneven ground around 1 mile total with periods of standing; minimal stairs encountered.

Breakfast: Lodge meal.

Morning: An early morning flight will take us to Axum, located in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. Legend describes Axum as the ancient capital of the Queen of Sheba, which has been debated amongst historians for decades. The Ark of the Covenant, purportedly holding the stone slabs of the Ten Commandments, is said to reside in the Church of St. Mary of Zion where it is guarded by one priest for his entire life. The Ark, according to legend, was brought to Axum by Menelik, the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, in the 10th-century BC. Supposedly it was kept in secret in one of the monasteries of Lake Tana until it was brought to Axum, its final resting place. Over the course of the morning and afternoon, we will visit many of Axum's historic and archaeological sites. In the company of our Group Leader, we will explore the famous church of St. Mary of Zion, which is the oldest church, and the mother church, of Ethiopia. The cathedral is a repository for crowns belonging to some of Ethiopia’s former emperors and other treasures including illuminated manuscripts. Here, we will also see the book on the miracle of St. Mary from the 18th-century, which is illuminated and written in ancient Geez script. We will continue to the stele field which dates from the 4th-century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will also see the palace ruins and tomb of King Kaleb and King Gebre Meskel (5th and 6th-century) as well as the palace of the legendary Queen of Sheba (9th-century BC).

Lunch: Taken at a local restaurant, lunch will include water, tea, coffee; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we will continue our visit to Axum's archaeological sites. Our Group Leader will lead a discussion about the history of Christianity in Ethiopia.

Dinner: At the hotel, dinner will include water, tea, coffee, with additional beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 6
Yeha Temple, Abba Garima Monastery
Location: Axum Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Sabean Hotel
Activity note: Drive between Axum and Yeha is 1 hour each direction; roads may be rough and potholed in spots. Minimal walking, terrain uneven with some stairs to be encountered, periods of standing.

Breakfast: At the hotel, breakfast will be a small buffet featuring cereals, fruit, toast and juice, tea, coffee, water.

Morning: This morning we will embark on an excursion to Yeha. The drive will take us past the battlefield of Adwa, where Ethiopians defeated the Italian Colonizers in 1896. In Yeha, we will visit the Yeha Temple (5th-century BC), which is the oldest standing structure in Ethiopia, and a site that some believe to be the largest and most impressive in the Horn of Africa. Built in the Sabean style, the temple shows evidence of the civilization there having had contact with South Arabia, which has led some scholars to believe that Yeha and other related sites were precursors to the Axumite Empire.

Lunch: Taken at a local restaurant, lunch will include water, tea, coffee; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: On the way back to Axum, we will stop at the Abba Garima Monastery, located just east of Adwa. The monastery was founded in the 6th-century by Abba Garima, one of a group of missionaries, referred to as the Nine Saints, who were influential in the initial growth of Christianity in Ethiopia. The monastery was built for Abba Garima by King Gebre Meskel, and is best known as the house of the Garima Gospels, widely recognized as the oldest remaining illustrated Christian texts in the world, having been carbon-dated to between 390-570. The monastery’s treasury is also held in high regard, with an impressive collection of ornamented crosses, crowns, helmets, chalices and manuscripts, as well as many other treasures related to the emperors and major religious figures in Ethiopia going back to the 6th-century. We will visit the monastery in the company of our Group Leader and local priests, and will return to Axum in the late afternoon.

Dinner: Hotel meal.

Evening: At leisu
re.

Day 7
Lalibela Rock-hewn Churches
Location: Lalibela Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Maribela Hotel
Activity note: Visitors must remove shoes and hats before entering the churches. Access to the churches requires walking up/down small hills, climbing rough stairs with up to 50 steps and navigating narrow passageways. Walking up to 1 mile. Flight approximately 45 minutes.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: To begin our morning, we will transfer to the airport for our flight to Lalibela, which is home to the 13th-century, hand-carved rock churches of King Lalibela (1181-1221), after whom the town is named. The eleven churches, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, may have taken 24 years and 25,000 people to complete. Some Ethiopians still believe the rock-hewn churches were built by angels.

Lunch: At the hotel, we will enjoy lunch, plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we will visit the first group of churches: Holy Savior Church, St. Mary’s Church, the House of the Cross, the House of the Virgins, and the twin churches of Bete Gologota and Bete Debrasina. The churches are laid out in a cluster and connect to each other through an underground stone tunnel. Our Group Leader will give a lecture on the history of Lalibela and its churches.

Dinner: At a local hotel restaurant, we will enjoy dinner with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 8
Lalibela Rock-hewn Churches, Home-hosted Meal
Location: Lalibela Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Maribela Hotel

Activity note: Visitors must remove shoes and hats before entering the churches; church floors are uneven and rough. Access to the churches requires walking up/down small hills, climbing rough stairs with up to 50 steps and navigating narrow passageways. Walking up to 1 mile.

Breakfast: At the hotel, we will enjoy breakfast with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Morning: To begin our day, we will visit the second and third group of churches in Lalibela by motorcoach and then on foot, including the spectacular Bete Giorgis (St. George), which is carved from the earth’s surface two stories directly down in the shape of a cross. We will then return to the hotel for lunch.

Lunch: Hotel lunch.

Afternoon: Following lunch, our Group Leader will give a presentation on the different ethnic groups in Ethiopia. In the afternoon, we will walk to the local village and join a family to experience their way of life. We will bake injera (typical Ethiopian food) and cook “wat” (local stew). Finally, we will enjoy our home-cooked dinner together with the family and partake in the typical Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

Dinner: We will dine on homemade food with our local hosts.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 9
Cave Church, Transfer to Lake Langano, Stelae of Tiya
Location: Lake Langano Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Sabana Beach Resort
Activity note: Visitors must remove shoes and hats before entering the church. Total drive time between Addis Ababa and Lake Langano is approximately 4-5 hours, including the stops; road can be rough in spots, with potholes. Travel by 4x4 through Day 13. Minimal walking.

Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.

Morning: On the way to the Lalibela airport this morning, we will visit the Neakuto Le’ab cave church, which is famous for its wide collection of ancient crosses, manuscripts and icons, dating from the 13th-century. From the church, we will transfer to the airport for our flight back to Addis.

Lunch: En route to Lake Langano, we will enjoy a boxed lunch.

Afternoon: Dividing the group between enclosed 4x4 vehicles, we will start our drive south to Lake Langano. During the drive to Langano, we will visit the stelae, or inscribed stone slabs, of Tiya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, we will view the 32 mysterious stelae, carved with symbols, most of which are hard to decipher. We will continue to the lodge.

Dinner: At the lodge, we will enjoy a dinner with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 10
Bale Mountains
Location: Bale Mountains National Park Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Bale Mountain Lodge
Activity note: The total drive time from Lake Langano to the Bale Mountains is approximately 6-7 hours, including stops and lunch; road can be rough in spots, with potholes. Minimal walking.

Breakfast: At the lodge, we will enjoy breakfast, with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Morning: Today, we will drive to Bale Mountains National Park.

Lunch: En route to the Bale Mountains, we will enjoy a boxed lunch.

Afternoon: Upon reaching the entrance to Bale Mountains National Park, we will stop to take a short hike near the headquarters, searching for endemic species such as the mountain nyala and Menelik's bushbuck. Warthog, reed buck, gray duiker and the giant molerat are also commonly spotted. The birdlife is prolific as well, with 310 species calling the Bale Mountains home and an additional 170 migratory species having been seen in the park. We will then continue to the lodge in the park for check-in.

Dinner: Lodge dinner.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 11
Sanetti Plateau, Ethiopian Wolf
Location: Bale Mountains National Park Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Bale Mountain Lodge
Activity note: The elevation of the Sanetti Plateau is from 12,470-14,360 feet. Walking today is minimal, and kept to a gentle pace due to the altitude.

Breakfast: Lodge breakfast.

Morning: Today is a day of great contrasts with amazing scenery and birding, making for excellent photographic opportunities. We will depart early and ascend the Bale massif onto the Sanetti Plateau, which is between 12,470 and 14,360 feet above sea level. This site is a bird refuge of immense importance, supporting seven globally threatened species and nearly all of Ethiopia’s Highland biome species. Keep an eye out for endemic birds such as the blue-winged goose, spot-breasted lapwing/plover, yellow-fronted parrot, Abyssinian longclaw, Abyssinian catbird and Ethiopian/black-headed siskin. The main target today is to see the plateau’s most celebrated resident, the Ethiopian or Simien wolf, sometimes called the world’s rarest canid; watching these vibrantly colored animals exhibiting their hunting prowess while pouncing on giant molerats is surely amongst Africa’s greatest wildlife experiences.

Lunch: In the park, we will enjoy a picnic-style lunch.

Afternoon: Our visit of the Sanetti Plateau will continue, as our Group Leader will give a lecture on the Ethiopian Wolf and other endemic species in the area. We will then return to the lodge.

Dinner: At the lodge.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 12
Lake Awassa
Location: Awassa Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Haile Resort
Activity note: Total drive time today is approximately 5-6 hours including stops; road can be rough in spots, with potholes. Boat ride lasts 1.5 hours.

Breakfast: Lodge meal.

Morning: After breakfast, we will start the drive to Awassa, one of the Rift Valley lakes.

Lunch: En route to Awassa, we will enjoy a boxed lunch.

Afternoon: We will continue our drive to Awassa, arriving in the mid-afternoon and checking into our hotel. We will have time to enjoy the lakeside setting before setting out on a boat ride on Lake Awassa in the company of a local specialist, searching for the varied birdlife in the area, as well as the resident hippos.

Dinner: At the hotel, we will enjoy a meal including coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Our Group Leader will lead a discussion at the lodge on the geology of Ethiopia and the formation of the Great Rift Valley and its lakes.

Day 13
Rift Valley Lakes, Lemma Guya Art
Location: Addis Ababa Meal: B,L,D Hotel: Capital Hotel
Activity note: Total drive time today is approximately 4 hours including stops; road can be rough in spots, with potholes. Minimal walking.

Breakfast: At the hotel, we will enjoy a breakfast with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Morning: Before driving back to Addis, we will stop for a visit to the fish market on the shore of Lake Awassa. En route to Addis, we will visit the Rift Valley lakes of Ziway, Abijatta and Shalla.

Lunch: On the way to Addis, we will enjoy a boxed lunch.

Afternoon: En route to Addis Ababa, we will visit the African Art Museum and Training Institute, also known as Lemma Guya Art Gallery. In 1983, Ethiopia’s most renowned painter, Lemma Guya, established an art gallery at his home, which sits on 10,000 square meters of land that was granted to him by the empire of Ethiopia. Located about 25 miles from Addis Ababa, the gallery mainly features works of art from Guya and his children. Guya’s paintings, which were created primarily using stretched goat skin and oil paints, a technique he pioneered, portray and comment on the culture, society and landscapes of Africa. After its opening, the gallery was converted into a museum and training center for upcoming artists, providing opportunities to study with Guya himself. Should the artist be at his home in Debre-Zeit, we may have an opportunity to meet him in person. Upon arrival back in Addis, our Group Leader will discuss archaeology in Ethiopia, in preparation for tomorrow morning's visit.

Dinner: At a local restaurant, we will enjoy a farewell dinner with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Day 14
National Museum, Program Concludes
Location: In Flight Meal: B,L
Activity note: Hotel check-out by 6:30 p.m.

Breakfast: At the hotel, we will enjoy breakfast with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Morning: This morning, we will be driven to the National Museum of Ethiopia for a private, guided visit, in the company of one of the curators. The National Museum houses many archaeological and historical findings, including the famous, partial hominid fossil remain of Lucy, locally known as Dinknesh, meaning wonderful. Recently added to the basement gallery is a display on Selam, meaning peace. Estimated to be 3.3 million years old, she is considered the earliest hominid child found, and is 120,000 years older than Lucy. Afterward, if flight times allow, we will visit a local orphanage. The Abebech Gobena Orphanage was founded in 1980, and is one of the oldest orphanages in Ethiopia, also providing like HIV/AIDS prevention education, habitat improvement, infrastructure development, agricultural extension, micro-finance, and women empowerment.

Lunch: At a local restaurant, we will enjoy a meal with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will have the use of a day room at the hotel until 6:30 p.m., allowing us to freshen up before our travel home. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Day 15
In Transit From Program
In Flight
Morning: Morning arrivals back in North America.