GROUP TRIP: OMO VALLEY
Why Travel with Go Addis Tours?
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Go Addis Tours’ has won the Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for the last four years in a row and we’re the #1 ranked tour company in the country. We have more than 375 reviews attesting to our excellent service and ability to create experiences that no other tour company provides.
- Our guides are the best in the country and on our group trips you’ll be paired with an escorted guide from Addis for the whole trip.
- At each leg of the journey the group will also be accompanied by an expert local guide, which will add depth and give you a richer understanding of Ethiopia and the places you visit.
- We’re detailed obsessed AND live and breathe hospitality.
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We arrange it all: guides, entrance fees, hotels, transportation and transfers.
- Between the two founders of Go Addis Tours we’ve got 25 years of combined experience in hospitality and our partners on the ground have been working in tourism for the last 10 years.
- We practice responsible tourism, working closely to grow the capacity of our partners and the communities we work in to be able to showcase to the world what Ethiopia has to offer.
TRIP DEPARTURES (2019)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Spend a full-day with the Mursi tribe whose women are known for their clay lip plates and whose men are known for the stick fighting ceremonies.
- Visit the Hammer people and learn about their way of life and have a chance to see the bull jumping ceremony.
- Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Omo Valley and the fertile Omo River basin. Cross the Omo River on local boats to reach the Dassenech tribe and spend time with them.
- Visit Konsso a UNESCO World Heritage Site to learn more about their ancient terraced agricultural practices.
- Experience market day in Southern Ethiopia, an entertaining and somewhat hectic experience!
- Visit the Karo tribe and learn about their agricultural practices on the shores of the Omo River. The Karo depend on flood retreat cultivation focusing on maize, sorghum and beans.
- Visit Dorze to learn more about their elephant shaped huts and about their production of false banana and traditional weaving.
- Relax and soak in the beauty of Abiajatta Shalla park and the Rift Valley Lakes. Spot endemic birds on a bird walk or just while sitting lakeside.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Addis Ababa to Arba Minch - Driving South through Rural and Fertile Ethiopia
- Breakfast (included)
- Early morning departure to Arba Minch (about 7 to 8 hours)
- Tiya stele stop a UNESCO World Heritage Site conveniently along the way. These are the graves of the ancient Gurage royal families and date 900-1,200 years old.
- We will also have lunch on the road and the drive will be a good time to get to know your fellow travelers and our guide! We will also walk through the trip itinerary as a group.
- Arba Minch is one of Ethiopia’s second tier cities. It’s the jump-off point for all trips to the Omo Valley and is gorgeously situated on the edge of lake Chamo and lake Abaya.
- Dinner (not included)
Day 2: Arba Minch - The Edge of the Omo Valley & Dorze's Elephant Houses
- Breakfast (included)
- Visit the “Crocodile Market” by boat – a place in the lake where you can see humongous crocodiles, beautiful scenery and lots of birds. There is also a chance to see hippos.
- Visit Dorze village to see some of the more uniquely built huts as well as to learn a bit more about the traditional way of like of the Dorzena people. The Dorze huts are elephant shaped huts and all materials used for these building come from local, organic matter. There are 12 small villages here.
- The community is also well known for it’s production of false banana and gorgeous weaving style.
- Relaxing evening in Arba Minch, a city situated on the edge of Lake Chamo and Lake Abaya, bustling with a diversity of life and the gateway urban area of Southern Ethiopia.
Day 3: Arba Minch to Turmi - The Hammer People Famous for Their Bull Jumping Ceremony
- Breakfast (included)
- This is a decently long driving day and we expect to spend about 6-hours in the car. We will do what we can to break up the driving with little stops along the way!
- Afternoon/evening visit to the Hammer tribe. The Hammer are known for the Bull Jumping ceremony (only in June & July), evangadi night dance, their hair style and their body painting.
- Dinner (not included)
Day 4: Turmi to Dassenech to Turmi - Dassenech and Crossing the Omo River by Boat
- Breakfast (included)
- Visit to the Dassenech tribe after crossing the Omo river by local boat. This tribe has six small villages all fairly close to each other. They are semi-nomadic and the majority of what they grow is sorghum using local irrigation from the Omo River. They are also well known for decorating their body intricately and their face painting
- Dinner (not included)
Day 5: Turmi to Karo to Jinka - The Omo River, The Karo and Saturday Market Day
- Breakfast (included)
- Morning visit to Karo tribe who live at the shore of the Omo river. We will go to the Kolcho Village to get a unique and best view of the Omo river basin. T
- Market Day! Today we will try to find a bustling market along the way to take part and see who has the best bargaining skills. We will do at least one market during the trip, depends on timing.
- Optional – visit the ethnographic museum in the evening.
- Dinner (not included)
Day 6: Jinka to Mursi to Konsso - The Infamous Mursi
- Breakfast (included)
- Visit to the Murcsi tribe, the most famous of the Omo valley tribes well-known for their lip plates.
- Mursi women are renowned for the lip plates that they start to use by the time they are 20 years old to extend a slit between the lower lip to fit the size of a clay plate, every year inserting a bigger plate. The men are also known for their stick fighting, called Donga, in which the winner has the chance to marry after the eligible women watching the ceremony choose who will marry. Tourism has made the Mursi tribe quite aggressive in looking for tips and so we will do our best to get a bit off the beaten path, though be prepared for a more touristic experience here.
- Time permitting go to Konsso so to be able to leave a bit earlier on day seven for Aje.
- Dinner (not included)
Day 7: Konsso to Aje - UNESCO World Heritage Site and Countryside Drive to Aje
- Breakfast (included)
- Morning visit to Konsso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Konsso village is known for it’s terraced cultivation and the village formation.
- Depart (7-8 hour drive) into the Rift Valley Lakes. We’ll be going into the wild for a couple of nights in untouched wilderness and enjoy time relaxing lakeside, going for walks and enjoying nature.
- Dinner (not included)
Day 8: Aje - Abiajatta Shalla National Park, Nature Walks and Lakeside Relaxing
- Breakfast (included)
- Relaxing day at the lake. Explore and hike around. This is a fairly untouched part of the world and you will have a chance to see majestic birds endemic to Ethiopia. We may even get to see flamingoes and a couple of birds that are endemic to Ethiopia. You’ll also hear hyenas at night!
- Evening camp fire celebration and dinner to recap a great trip (included).
Day 9: Aje to Addis - Driving through the Rift Valley and the Famous Go Addis Food Tour
- Breakfast (included)
- Morning departure back to Addis. This will be roughly a 5-hour driving day.
- Stop at one of the Rift Valley lake-towns for a quick visit, most likely in Ziway.
- Afternoon Food Tour to cap off the trip and bid everyone goodbye. Food Tour will finish by 8pm and folks with flights out in the evening will board their plan happy and full.
- GAT Program Finished.
Go Addis Group Travel
- Meet discerning likeminded travelers looking to have fun and experience Ethiopia to the fullest.
- Travel for less and save your money to experience more of the country (or to keep money in the bank)!
- Groups will be kept intimate with our average group size at eight travelers and groups will never be larger than a group of 12.
- Amazing local guides throughout to give you a diverse perspective. And, you’ll have a head guide traveling with the group throughout the trip to help make everything smooth and fun!
- All travelers must be 16 years or older.
- Trips will run with a minimum of five confirmed clients.
