Visit Addis Ababa, Lalibela, Tigray, Lake Tana,

Customized HELICOPTER safari {12 days} across

Harar, Bale Mountains and the Omo Delta

Join us for a journey through one of AFRICA’S least explored countries.

Visit the unique landscapes & cultures of almost untouched regions of ETHIOPIA.

DAY1 ADDIS ABABABegin your journey in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa - the fourth largest city in Africa. On your arrival at Bole International Airport, your pilot and guide will meet you and take you to the Sheraton Hotel.

Depending on your time of arrival, a city tour can be arranged. The National Museum, St George’s Cathedral, the Ethnological Museum and Haile Selassie’s palace are all worth seeing. Traditional song houses and local markets can also be visited. Overnight at the Shera-ton Hotel.

ETHIOPIA

DAY 2 LALIBELA

THE SHERATON

Today you depart for Lalibela, following the Blue Nile Gorge through truly stunning landscapes. You will arrive in Lalibela mid morning and in the company of an expert guide, you will visit some of the famous 12th century rock-hewn churches.

The city of Lalibela is, together with Axum, one of the two most important holy cities in Ethiopia, due to its famous rock-hewn churches, the largest monolithic rock-hewn buildings in the world. The city and its churches have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Overnight at Mountain View Hotel, Lalibela.

MOUNTAIN VIEW HOTEL

TROPIC AIRby helicopter with

12 DAYS

DAYS 5/6 LAKE TANAAfter two days in Tigray, we depart for Lake Tana. On route we stop at the fascinating town of Aksum - famous for Stellae and stone monuments. An early lunch will be arranged in one of the local hotels.

We then continue our journey South, flying over the spectacular Simien Mountains, that stand over 4,500 meters tall, arriving at Lake Tana mid afternoon.

Located in the Amhara region in the north-western part of the country, Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the Ethiopia’s largest lake. The lake has 37 islands, many with monasteries of immense historical and cultural values, decorated with colorful paintings. We will spend two nights at the Kuriftu Resort, and enjoy a boat cruise to some of the islands that house historic nunneries and monasteries. Two nights at Kuriftu Resort.

KURIFTU RESORT

DAYS 3/4 TIGRAYOur destination today is the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia. On leaving Lalibela, we will fly over the spectacular Danakil Depression in the Afar region, in far North Eastern Ethiopia. You will also visit Irta Ale a volcano in a state of continuous eruption since 1967 and the most famous of the Danakil Depres-sion’s volcanoes.

In the afternoon, and over the next couple of days, we will visit the amazing rock-hewn churches that are perched on top of steep hills, or carved into cliff faces, only accessible by narrow footpaths. Overnight at Gheralta Lodge.

GHERALTA LODGE

DAY 12ADDIS ABABA

THE SHERATON

Today you will return to Addis Ababa - the final journey of our adventure follows the western wall of the Great Rift Valley. Spend a night at the Sheraton Hotel before departing the next day.

DAYS 10/11OMO DELTA

Today we fly to Arba Minch where we will meet our vehicles and continue on to the Omo Delta. Over the next 2 days we will meet some of Africa’s most interesting tribes. We will witness a Hamer bull jumping ceremony, Surma stick fighting and meet the Mursi, Nyan-gatom and Kara people. Overnight at Murulle Hunter’s Lodge.

MURULLE HUNTER’S LODGE

DAY 7 HARAR

After breakfast, we fly to the Eastern highlands, landing at Dira Dama airport. The 16th century walled city of Harar is Ethiopia’s Holy City for the Muslim community. Its charac-terized by narrow alleyways, whitewashed walls and more than 90 ancient mosques. Overnight at Harar Guest House.

HARAR GUEST HOUSE

DAYS 8/9BALE MOUNTAINS

The Bale Mountains, in the south Eastern region of Oromia, is known for its abundant wildlife and Africa’s largest area of Afro-Alpine habitat. During our time here, we will explore the mountains - walking, horse trekking and scenic drives. We will also have an insight into the work of the Ethiopian wolf Conservation Program. Overnight at Bale Mountain Lodge.

BALE MOUNTAIN LODGE

E T H I O P I AS U D A N

E R I T R E A

Y E M E N

U G A N D AK E N YA

G u l f o f A d e n

R e d S e a

ADDIS ABABA

T I G R A Y

Lake Turkana

A X U M

N

s

w E

Lake Tana

SIMIEN MOUNTAINSNATIONAL PARK

BALE MOUNTAINSNATIONAL PARK

BABILE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY

HA

GR

EA

T R

I FT

VA

LL

EY

S i m i e n M o u n t a i n s

B a l e M o u n t a i n s

GAMBELLANATIONAL PARK

YABELLO WILDLIFESANCTUARY

ABIJATTA-SHALLA LAKESNATIONAL PARK

NECHISARNATIONAL PARK

A

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia’s sprawling capital in the highlands bordering the Great Rift Valley, is the country’s commercial and cultural hub. Its National Museum exhibits prehistoric fossils, including replicas of the famous early hominid known as Lucy, along with Ethiopian art and traditional crafts.

DAY 1 - OVERNIGHT AT THE SHERATON

A GATEWAY TO ANOTHER WORLDADDIS ABABA

C BLUE NILE GORGE

LALIBELA

LALIBELAIntended to be a ‘new Jerusalem’ following the capture of teh Holy lands by Muslims,the rural town of LALIBELA is an ancient world with medieval rock-hewn churches, hidden crypts and dimly lit passageways, all carved from solid granite, a millennia ago.

DAY 2 - OVERNIGHT AT THE MOUNTAIN VIEW HOTEL

ONE OF ETHIOPIA’S HOLIEST CITIES

DANAKIL DEPRESSION

DANAKIL DEPRESSION

DANAKIL DEPRESSION

C ERTA ALE

SALT PLAINS & THE AFAR PEOPLE

C

SALT WORKERS, DANAKIL

TIGRAY REGION

TIGRAYTIG�Y Region is the northernmost of the nine regions of Ethiopia. The 120 year old rock churches are remarkable and very little is known about their origin or their architectural history; although their remote and often precarious positions on cliff faces have led scholars to believe that they may have been constructed to hide from the raiding Muslims. Local tradition attributes most of the churches to the 4th century Aksumite Kings, Abreha and Atsbeha.

Access to the churches involves some interesting hikes up the steep (and sometimes sheer) cliff faces, but there are always plenty of priests to assist, and the reward is worth it. Inside many of the churches are colourful frescoes - hundreds of years old - protected from sunlight. The priests who live on these mountains follow a simple life that revolves around the Orthodox Christian calendar.

The footholds on the rock faces of the Tigrayan rock churches have been hewn by the bare feet of generations of priests climbing to their remote places of worship.

DAYS 3/4 - OVERNIGHT AT GHERALTA LODGE

12TH CENTURY ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES

C INSIDE TIGRAY CHURCH

AKSUM

LAKE TANA is the largest lake of Ethiopia, located in a depression of the northwest plateau, 6,000 feet (1,800 metres) above sea level. It forms the main reservoir for the Blue Nile (Abbay) River, which drains its southern extremity near Bahir Dar. The lake's surface covers 1,418 square miles (3,673 square km), with a surrounding drainage of 4,500 square miles (11,650 square km); its maximum depth is 45 feet (14 metres).

The islands and peninsulas of Lake Tana collectively house more than 20 monastic churches - steeped in mystery and legend, these old churches form peaceful retreats for their monastic residents and visiting tourists alike.

DAYS 5/6 - OVERNIGHT AT KURIFTU RESORT

THE SOURCE OF THE BLUE NILELAKE TANA

SIMIEN MOUNTAINS

SIMIEN MOUNTAINSSIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK (SMNP), with its undulating plateau and deep valleys is often dubbed the Grand Canyon of Africa. The park is located in the North Gonder Zone of the Amhara National Regional State. It sits 870km from Addis Ababa in the mountain massif to the north of the famous Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Simien is home to Ras Dejen, the highest mountain in Ethiopia (4,533m). This ecotourism destination is popular with wildlife watch-ers including bird watchers, researchers amd cultural enthusiasts.

The combination of altitudinal variation and isolation of the Simien Mountains has given rise to a number of rare and endemic species such as the Ethiopian wolf, walia ibex or gelada and a high level of diversity.

‘THE GRAND CANYON OF AFRICA’

World Heritage–listed HA�R is a place apart - an ancient city in Eastern Ethiopia, established by Sultan Abu Beker Mohammed in 1520. The old City Wall of Harar is the main attraction and symbol of Islamic architecture. With its 368 alleyways squeezed into just 1 sq km, it’s more reminiscent of Fez in Morocco than any other city in the Horn. Harar has approximately 90 mosques, which form the largest concentration of mosques in the world.

Its countless shrines, animated markets, crumbling walls and charming people will make you feel as if you’ve floated right out of the 21st century. One of Harar's main attractions is the hyena man who feeds hyenas on the outskirts of the town every night.

DAY 1 - OVERNIGHT AT HARAR GUEST HOUSE

AN ANCIENT WALLED CITYHARAR

BALE MOUNTAINS

BALE MOUNTAINSLocated 400km southeast of Addis Ababa, BALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK contains a spectacularly diverse landscape and has one of the highest incidences of animal endemicity of any terrestrial habitat in the world. The high altitude, afro-montane Sanetti Plateau rises to over 4,000m and includes the highest peak in the south-ern Ethiopia highlands. This undulating plateau is marked by numerous glacial lakes and swamps and surrounded by higher volcanic ridges and peaks. The southern slopes are covered by the lush and largely unexplored Harenna Forest.

One of the best sites to spot the rare and endangered Ethiopian Wolf is on the spectacular Sanetti Plateau as the sun rises.

DAYS 8/9 - OVERNIGHT AT BALE MOUNTAIN LODGE

A SPECTACULARLY DIVERSE LANDSCAPE

In NW Kenya lies one of the Rift Valley’s largest lakes - TUR�NA - also known as the Jade Sea owing to its eccentric turquoise color. 90% of the lake’s water is fed from Ethio-pia’s Omo River, and years of erosion has created the amazing OMO RIVER DELTA - a constantly changing floodplain covering an area of 1500km2.

Living within close proximity of each other are a multitude of traditional tribes and nomadic herdsmen that have walked this scorched place for centuries - their customs and traditions unchanged. Known as ‘the people of the Delta’ the Dassanech live on the delta, rearing livestock and cultivating crops in the day and hunting crocodiles at night. The Suri are self-sufficient people, expert in stick fighting, priding themselves on the scars they carry. The Hamar have unique rituals - bull fighting amongst them.

DAYS 10/11 - OVERNIGHT AT MURULLE HUNTER’S LODGE

A FORGOTTEN CORNER OF AFRICAOMO DELTA

Tel: +254 (0) 7327 49315 info@robertssafaris.com www.robertssafaris.com