7 Day Southern Ethiopia Tribal Itinerary

Arrive to bole international airport,   upon arrival at Bole international airport our representative will welcome you and transfer to the hotel. On this day you will have a city tour in Addis Ababa. Visit historical sites including the National Archaeological Museum, to view the 3.6 million year old remains of “Lucy” whose skeleton was discovered in 1974. Continue to the Ethnological Museum at Addis Ababa University; a great insight into the many different peoples of Ethiopia and their respective cultures. After visiting Holy Trinity Cathedral, we will end the day with a drive to the top of Mount Entoto, which rises to an altitude of 10,500 feet and offers a panoramic view of the metropolis. Overnight hotel.

Fly to Arbaminch, and pickup from the airport and transfer to your hotel, after an hour of relax in the hotel a short drive to the village of the Dorze tribe. Walk amongst the Dorze people and appreciate their beehive-shaped homes. This tribe is respected as expert weavers. Also, they are expert farmers and witness their ingenious terracing technique, allowing them to farm efficiently along the mountainside and yet prevent soil erosion. After lunch, enjoy a refreshing boat trip on Lake Chamo, home to huge crocodiles, hippos and a variety of bird-life. Overnight hotel.

In the morning after breakfast enjoy a refreshing boat trip on Lake Chamo, home to huge crocodiles, hippos and a variety of bird-life. Keep drive deep in omo valley Ethiopia. Admire the omo valley landscape, on the way if market day you will meet many different tribes in the market.  Late afternoon arrive in turmi for your overnight stay. Overnight lodge.

Turmi is our new base as we explore the region and meet the different tribes who share this valley but live a life uniquely their own. Drive to the Murulle area. Murile (also spelled Muelle and Murli) lies on the banks of the Omo River, and is a popular base for exploring this area. The two main tribes who live here are the Karo and the Hamer, both of whom practice scarification and have elaborate hairstyles. The Karo are experts in body painting, using clays and locally available vegetable pigments to trace fantastic patterns on their faces, chests, arms and legs. These designs have no special symbolic significance but instead are created for fun and aesthetic effect, as each artist tries to outdo another. Karo men also sculpt and shave their hair into extravagant shapes, with special ochre "caps" of hair usually containing several ostrich feathers.  In the afternoon we will visit hamer tribe village. Overnight same lodge.

Drive to Kenya border and cross Omo River to the dasnech tribes, The Dasanach tribe are found in the most southern part of the Omo Valley and have a population of around 20,000. They live at the point where the Omo River delta enters Lake Turkana, in fact their name means ‘People of the Delta’. They are primarily pastoral people, growing maize, beans, and pumpkins at the time of year when the delta floods. During dry seasons they rely on their cattle and goats for milk, meat, and hides. Their homes are dome-shaped, made from branches covered with hides with mats covering the floor, and they have their own unique language.  The lower class of the tribe are called Dies, and are the people who have lost their cattle and hence their livelihoods. Rather than living with the rest of the tribe, they live near Lake Turkana and find food by fishing or hunting crocodiles. Drive back to Turmi for lunch. After lunch, drive to Jinka at the foot of mago national park, the capital city of omo valley which is the small african and the center of lower omo valley people. Overnight lodge.

This morning we will drive to Mago National park to visit Mursi tribal village. The tribe is renowned for the now-uncommon custom of their women, upon reaching maturity, having their lower lips slit and circular clay discs inserted. Back to jinka for lunch. After lunch visit the ari tribe village and the jinka ethnographical museum where you will get many insights and knowledge about the omo valley tribe. Overnight lodge.

Catch your flight back to Addis Ababa, Shopping and have a coffee ceremony, Late this evening enjoy a “farewell dinner” and coffee ceremony with Ethiopian traditional dance from different nations at a famous traditional Ethiopian restaurant. After sampling the various national dishes and enjoying an Ethiopian Folkloric dance and live Music from different nation, then transfer to the airport and fly back home. End of The tour!