Once-in-a-lifetime cultural and travel experience tour

Today is a drive day as we make our way from Addis Ababa to Arba Minch, a city at the edge of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, overlooking Lake Chamo and Lake Abaya.

On the way to Arba Minch we’ll visit Tiya Stelae, one of Ethiopia’s 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Here you will find a group of mysterious large standing stones dating back thousands of years.

We will also visit Adadi Maryam, a church cut from the rocks, reminiscent of the churches further north in Lalibela, which is believed to date back to the 12th or 13th Century.

In the evening, we’ll relax at our cosy lodge which has breath-taking views overlooking the area. The hotel is located on a hill which overlooks a narrow stretch of forested land, known locally as “the bridge of heaven”, which separates the two lakes. 

In the morning, we’ll take a boat trip on beautiful Lake Chamo, which is part of Nechisar National Park. Here you have a good chance of seeing animals such as hippos and birds. 

Lake Chamo is also known as the ‘Crocodile Market’ due to the high concentration of large Nile crocodiles that gather at the lake.

In the afternoon, we’ll get a great introduction to the tribes of the Omo valley by visiting a Dorze village, high up in the Gughe Mountains. 

At the village, we’ll learn about this tribe’s unique way of life and distinctive architecture, experience their traditional music and dance, see how they make their food and perhaps try their locally made alcohol.

The Dorze people are renowned for their incredible weaving skills and their huts that are made from all natural materials, are shaped like a beehive and look like the face of an elephant.

The rest of the afternoon is free to relax at the lodge or have a swim in the pool. In the evening, we’ll eat at the hotel’s restaurant, which uses homegrown ingredients from its own on-site farm.

Today we’ll make our way towards Karat.

In the afternoon, we’ll visit the Konso villages which are part of the Konso Cultural Landscape, which are one of Ethiopia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The villages are unique in appearance, with the fortified stone-walled walkways and terraces set around a ceremonial square. 

The people of Konso are excellent farmers and we will explore by foot to get an insight into their lifestyle and traditions. If time permits, we will visit the Konso Museum and we will meet the king of Konso.

Leaving konso, we’ll make our way towards Jinka through the land of the some of the tribes we will visit over the next few days.

When we arrive, we will visit the vibrant and colourful Key Afer market, an important place where the local tribes meet weekly to trade and share news. 

This is a good opportunity to meet the local people and appreciate the similarities and differences between the tribes. 

From there, we’ll make our way into Mago National Park where we will camp overnight with the fascinating Mursi tribe. Spending time with the tribe like this will allow us to get a genuine insight into their lives.

The Mursi are known for their distinctive lip plates, scarification and body painting and whilst we’re with them, we’ll learn about their culture and customs. 

Around the age of 15, a girl’s mother or other older relative cuts open the girl’s lip and it is held open by a wooden plate until it heals. Over the months and years, progressively larger plates are inserted to stretch the lip further.  

This practice was originally thought to be to disfigure themselves ward off slave traders, however over the years has become a sign of beauty. 

After saying goodbye to the Mursi, we’ll head towards the market town of Jinka, where we’ll take a fascinating walk through the local villages to visit the Aari tribe who live in the surrounding highlands. 

The Aari tribe are agriculturalists who have retained many of their traditional practices, many of which you will see on our walk. It is thought that the Aari are the original tribe from the Omo Valley, from whom many of the other tribes originated. 

Whilst we’re in Jinka, we’ll take the opportunity to visit the Omo Valley Cultural Museum where you will learn about the history and traditions of the Omo Valley tribes. 

We’ll spend the evening at a lovely eco-lodge.

Leaving Jinka, we’ll head towards the town of Dimeka to visit the bustling Dimeka Market, where we will first encounter the Hamar people, who we will camp with tomorrow night.

In the afternoon, we’ll cross the Omo River to visit the Dassanach tribe near Omorate. The Dassenach are a semi-nomadic, cattle herding people whose land extend all the way to Sudan and Lake Turkana in Kenya. 

We’ll drive to Turmi, where the Hamar people live and in the evening, we’ll have dinner at our lovely lodge and relax around the campfire. 

The Hamar are famous for their ‘bull jumping’ ceremony, a coming of age ritual where a young man who wants to marry jumps over a line of bulls to show the bride’s family that he is worthy of her hand in marriage.

Whilst we are in this area, we will try to attend a bull-jumping event. There is no guarantees as this is a real ceremony (not put on for toursists), but we have timed the trip to coincide with the season, plus having 3 nights in the area will also greatly help our chances.

The Hamar welcome guests to the bull-jumping ceremonies – catering for hundreds of guests isn’t cheap, so contributions from tourists are very much appreciated!

Today we’ll visit the Kara (Karo) tribe in a village overlooking the beautiful Omo River. The tribe are known for their incredible and elaborate face and body painting using natural materials such as chalk, iron ore and charcoal.

They are thought to be one of the most endangered tribes in the Omo Valley and we will learn about their traditions, their progressive practices and how their world is changing.

There will be time in the afternoon to relax at the lodge or visit the on-site spa at the hotel. They offer body, face, shoulder and foot massages, pedicures and manicures.

After breakfast, we’ll visit the Nyangatom tribe, whose women wear layers of beads around their neck and striking skirts. The men are known for being some of the fiercest warriors in the Omo Valley. But don’t worry – they are very hospitable to their guests! 

We’ll then spend the evening camping with the Hamar tribe. As well as the bull jumping ceremony, the Hamar are famous for the Evagadi celebration dance, which we will get to experience whilst in the village. 

The Hamar women are very striking in appearance, wearing their hair in braids covered in ochre, colourful beaded jewellery and displaying the scars on their backs, which are caused by thorns and whipping, a common practice in the tribe.

After saying goodbye to our new Hamar friends, we’ll visit the Arbore tribes on the way to Jinka.

The Arbore are pastoralists who played an important role acting as the middlemen of the trade routes between the Hamar tribes and those in the Konso Highlands. The women are known for their beauty and elaborate jewellery. 

In the afternoon HIKING TRAILS through the villages/farms/rugged pathways while meeting and talking with different families and family members of Banna tribe and or to get involved and experience daily activities of the Benna tribe.