14 Day Tour to the South - Tribes and their Culture
The ancient tribes in the Omo Valley still retain their culture and traditions as their villages are relatively inaccessible. We have put together a tour which brings travellers face to face with these fascinating people and offers a rare glimpse in to a unique way of life.
Day 1
We will meet your international flight and take you for refreshment
before departing south from Addis Ababa for the Rift Valley Lakes.
Stopping on the way, we will enjoy a picnic lunch and a visit to
the 36 mysterious stone stelae at Tiya which is listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. We are heading to Lake Abiata-Shala National
Park. We can take an interesting stop at the Boyo Wetlands during
the European winter if you are a bird watcher. In which case we
will also spy the thatched Hadiya homesteads, some painted with
geometric patterns.
Stay overnight in your hotel on the banks of Lake Langano.
Day 2
A second day to explore the lakes. Maybe take one of the boat trips
or engage in some watersports (on offer for a fee).
Chitu Hora, a small beautiful crater lake is home to a flock of
flamingos (at the end of the rains for about 4 months) and is well
worth the visit. Lake Abiata is also a good place to see the
migrant wader, Mongolian plover, Pacific golden plover and many
more, as over 300 species of bird have been recorded here. The
nearby Lake Shala is also good for birding as well as boasting a
hot spring where you can take a dip if inclined. Another night in
your lakeside hotel.
Day 3
After breakfast we will drive to Arba Minch. We hope to be in good
time to visit the Dorze village with its beehive shaped houses with
their distinctive 6m domes. The Dorze people are weavers and
renowned for their shama cloth which you will be able to purchase
by the side of the road.
Overnight at your hotel.
Day 4
Drive to our base for visiting nearby villages. After settling in
to the hotel, we will return to the vehicle and drive to the Hamer
village.
The approximately 50,000 strong Hamer are famous for the women’s
hairstyle, which is achieved using ochre and resin, and also for
the jumping of the bulls ceremony – a rite of passage for young
men. The ceremony starts with face painting and then a walk to an
open space to wish the bull jumper luck in his life. Then the
potential suitor starts running across the bulls. If he manages to
do so without falling off he is ready to become a man and his
father can then choose a bride for him. Until he proposes, which
can take months, he has to keep on the skin worn during the
ceremony and can only drink milk and eat honey and meat.
Overnight in your hotel.
Day 5
After breakfast we will make the two hour drive to Omorate, passing
through the open grassy savanna. Birders may be interested to catch
sight of the carmine bee-eaters and we may also enjoy glimpses of
dik-dik and gerenuk. We will board the flat-bottomed ferry and
cross the Omo River to visit the Dasenech and Galeb tribes.
Overnight at your hotel.
Day 6
In the morning you can visit the Karo people who are Ethiopia’s
most endangered tribe of approximately 1,500. They are renowned for
their decorative body painting which they achieve by utilizing
white chalk, iron ore, yellow mineral rock and charcoal. They
display a long nail through their lower lip in addition to the
painting, and many of the men have ornate hairstyles.
We will return to Turmi for the market. Overnight at your
hotel.
Day 7
Drive to Jinka. This will take most of the day, but there should be
time to visit the museum. This is a very well kept museum with lots
of information on all the different tribes of the South – the
Arbore, Hamer, Bana, Ari, Dasenech, Nyangatom, Mursi and Maale.
There is also a library.
Overnight in Jinka.
Day 8
After breakfast we will set off for the Mago National Park to visit
the Mursi people. The most famous of the Lower Omo Valley tribes,
the pastoralist Mursi, are notorious for the lip plates worn by the
female population. At the age of around 20, the clay plates are
inserted in a slit between the lower lip and the jaw and can be up
to 15cm in diameter. The larger the lip plate, the greater the
value of the woman when she is married. The stick fighting, Donga,
between men competing for the right to marry is also a sight worth
seeing.
We will bring food and drink with us and stay in one of the basic,
but very beautiful campsites in the park.
Day 9
After breakfast we will enjoy further exploration in the Mago
National Park. You can make another visit to the Mursi or spend the
day viewing the park’s wildlife including buffalo, Grant's gazelle,
topi and Burchell's zebra, giraffes, an abundance of different
types of monkey and baboon as well as proliferating bird life.
Lions, cheetas and jackals also inhabit areas of the park but are
rarely seen.
We will return to Jinka to spend the night.
Day 10
Drive from Jinka to Arba Minch via Konso and its statues. Konso is
the main town of the Konso people and their fascinating culture.
Easily reachable villages, such as Machekie, display the famous
Wagas – wood statues erected in honour of Konso warriors after
their death. You will also see the uniquely constructed hillside
houses, which include a tunnel as an entrance to protect against
intruders.
We will return to your hotel where we will spend the night.
Day 11
Visit to Nechisar National Park. Not far from Arba Minch,
'nechisar' means white grass in Amharic and is named after the pale
plains in the park's west. However, Nechisar contains a wide
variety of other terrains, including acacia scrub, moist forests
and open stretches of water. The park is surrounded by Lakes Chamo
and Abaya, and the large populations of hippos and crocodiles are
one of the areas main attractions. Other mammals present include
gazelle, Swayne’s hartebeest, lots of Burchell’s zebra, dik-diks,
greater kudu, warthogs, crocodiles, and bush pigs, along with an
amazing variety of birds, including storks, pelicans, vultures and
buzzards.
Overnight at your hotel.
Day 12
From Arba Minch we will visit the hot springs and ancient forest at
Wondo Genet. The forests are excellent for hiking and birds,
including the exotic white cheeked turacou, hornbills and barbets.
Overnight in the pleasant, lake-fringed city of Awassa.
Day 13
In the morning visit Awassa’s fish market and, if you wish, try the
local delicacy of raw fish, before making the return journey to
Addis. Overnight in Addis.
Day 14
Depending on the time of your international flight we will take a
tour of Addis. We propose a visit to the nearby National Museum,
whose exhibits includes the remains of the oldest human ancestor
ever found, the world famous Lucy. After a coffee at Tomoca in the
bustling Piazza area followed by lunch served in one of the best
traditional eateries in the capital we will drive to Mercato, one
of the largest outdoor markets in Africa. When you are done
browsing and haggling if you still have shopping to do we can take
you to see some of the local craftsmen at their work and to shops
where it is possible to get beautiful locally carved gifts and
furniture and other artefacts.
You might like to visit the Boston Day Spa for some massage therapy
before your long cramped flight. The salon offers excellent
facials, manicures and pedicures and they specialise in a sort of
African Turkish bath.Whatever you choose to do on this last day in
Ethiopia we will be at your disposal and will take you to the
airport in time for your international flight.
We think this is a responsible tour to choose because firstly
we use local guides, educated within Ethiopia who can then make
their living and improve their prospects from the employment we
provide. We also offer our guides on-going training on ecological
issues and support.
We offer you advice on protecting the environment which is
useful and relevant wherever and whenever you travel. We take a non
invasive approach, always removing all signs of our presence and
respecting the environment with its vegetation and
wildlife.
You may choose to keep a record of animal and bird sightings
for ongoing listing to be published on the website for other
travellers – making a positive contribution to the conservation of
the wildlife in the locality.
This trip Is culturally sensitive - by staying in venues run by
local people where you will learn about local environmental, social
and cultural issues.
The ‘pay per click’ fee given to the local tribes in return for
a cherished photo will help support their economy.
Ethiopia is pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025. Clients will
be made aware of the various projects in Ethiopia with whom Alligan
Travel is personally acquainted who are effecting a positive change
to the environment by their actions i.e. tree planting, seed
distribution