Incredible Ethiopia: Timket Festival
Overview
Highlights
- Be part of the procession of locals marching to Jan Meda in preparations for Timket Festival in Addis Ababa
- Search for the source of the Blue Nile on a boat cruise at Lake Tana, then discover the churches and unique castles of the regal city of Gondar.
- Trek the majestic series of undulating amethyst peaks that make up the Simien Mountains, looking out for the distinctive red-hearted Gelada.
- Explore Lalibela's unique churches - astonishing constructions sculpted from huge slabs of stone - that make up one of the world's greatest historical and religious sites.
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Itinerary
Begin this Ethiopian adventure in the capital of Addis Ababa. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 1 pm. Please ask the hotel reception where it will take place. If you can't arrange a flight that will arrive in time for this, please arrive a day early so y...
Wake up early today to enjoy the main celebration day of Timket. This morning there will be mass and sermons happening all over Ethiopia in preparation for the blessing of the water. We will head back to Jan Meda to be part of this fascinating event. Here the patriarc...
Today we will take a spectacular flight to Bahir Dar. From the air we can gaze across the extraordinary nature of the Ethiopian Plateau, repeatedly cut by immensely deep gorges. Bahir Dar is a small but fast growing town on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the source ...
Head out to the Blue Nile Falls today. Located 32 kilometers south of Bahir Dar, the Blue Nile Falls measure over 400 metres wide and crash down 48 metres in full flood. These falls are known locally as Tis Isat (Smoking Water) and are a spectacular sight when the wat...
Travel north around the edge of Lake Tana this morning and head for the regal city of Gondar. This drive will take approximately 4.5 hours, including stops for photos along the way. Gondar was the 17th and 18th century capital of Ethiopia, and is famed for its medieva...
Today you'll have free time to explore the quiet streets of Gondar for yourself. Take a stroll to the markets, or otherwise perch up at the hotel by the pool. You'll be heading into the mountains tomorrow so there's nothing wrong with enjoying a little bit of luxury while you have it.
Depart Gondar early in the morning and head towards Debark and the Simien Mountain National Park. The remainder of the day is free to explore the spectacular mountain scenery including Ethiopia's highest point – Ras Dejen (4550 metres). This area is home to much of Et...
Take the asphalt but winding road up to the fabled city of Axum, crossing the lowlands of the Simien Mountains and the Tekeze River gorge (approximately 8 hours). Though this is a long and winding journey, the spectacular views of the mountains makes the time slide aw...
Today is a free day with the option to tour the incredible historical sites of Axum. Visit the stele fields, several tombs, the ruins of the Queen of Sheba’s palace and an archaeological museum. The field is home to over 100 stele – the largest one measuring 33 metres...
Leave Axum for Mekele, looking across to see the spectacular Adwa Mountains and the battlefield of Adwa, where the Ethiopians defeated the Italians in 1896. Stop to visit the Pre-Christian Pagan Temple of Yeha before breaking for lunch at Adigrat. Yeha is though to ha...
Start the long journey to Lalibela early in the morning on a smooth paved road and, after a couple of hours, reach the spectacular mountain range of Amba Alaje. Continue through green valleys and flat plains before turning west towards Lalibela at Woldia (approximatel...
Today you’ll use the morning and afternoon to visit Lalibela’s amazing churches, which look like they've been dropped down from the sky. Between 1137 and 1270, several astounding rock-hewn churches were constructed in Lalibela; astonishing because most are not built f...
This morning we trek to the rock church of Asheten Mariam, which sits on the 3,150-metre-high Abune Josef mountain that overlooks Lalibela. You will climb for 2.5 hours to the summit, where the church is carved out of a cleft into the cliff face. The monastery houses ...
This trip comes to an end today after breakfast. There are no activities planned and you are free to leave at any time.
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