Yeha

The oldest standing structure in Ethiopia is located in Yeha; it is a tower built in the Sabaean style, and dated to either the 8th or 7th century BC. This tower is one of the reasons some believe Yeha was the capital city of the D'mt kingdom. The walls of its early temple survive, while other ruins include Grat Beal Gebri, with square pillars.

Yeha is also the location of an Ethiopian Orthodox monastery, founded according to tradition by Abba Aftse, one of the Nine Saints. In his account of Ethiopia, Francisco Alvares mentions visiting this town in 1520, and provides a description of the ancient tower, the monastery, and the local church, which also has been dated to the time of the Axumite Kingdom. This ancient structure houses a museum.

Yeha has also been the site of a number of archeological excavations, beginning in 1952 by the Ethiopian Institute of Archeology.

Debre Damo

Some two hours drive from Axum, stiff uphill walk from the point where the road ends – lies the monastery of Debre Damo, situated on a clifftop in one of the wildest parts of Tigray. Debere Damo is unique and unforgettable. The bluff on which Damo stands is a real – life Shangri-La. Remote and beautiful, far from the hustle and bustle of the 21st century, the cool celestial island of rock offers panoramic views over the surrounding countryside and complete seclusion and peace for the hundred or so monks and deacons who live there. The monastery’s treasures include an extensive collection of illuminated manuscripts and the intricate carving on the beams and ceiling of the ancient around which the monastery is built.

Axum

Much more is know about the historic highland city of Axum, once a great commercial centre, trading via the Red Sea port of Adulis and founded perhaps 500 years after the decline of Yeha. Axum stands in the highlands northwestern Tigray, commanding spectacular views over the nearby Adawa hills. This ancient settlement is frequently referred to as “the sacred city of the Ethiopian”-a description that adequately sums up its significance in national culture as a centre of Orthodox Christianity. Many remarkable monuments here attest to the great antiquity of religious expression in this country, and as a former capital that has never lost its special appeal to the hearts and minds of all Ethiopians.
Axum is renowned for its cathedral of St. Mary of Zion where, legend has it the original Ark of the covenant is housed. Axum is also famous for its seven mysterious monolithic stelae, hewn from single pieces of solid granite. The most notable are carved to resemble multi-storey houses; several weigh more than 500 tonnes and stand 20 metres high. They seem less like prayers of stone and more like lightning-rods to heaven. Axum’s greatest significance, however, is as the epicenter of the queen of Sheba’s dynasty, upon which rests the notion of the sacred kinship of the semitic peoples of Ethiopian – a notion that links the recent past to ancient times. The former Emperor Haile Selassie claimed to the 225th monarch of the solomonic line. His death in 1975 marked the end of an era – and the beginning of the end of an entire way of life.

Sof Omar

Sof Omar, a tiny Muslim village in Bale, is the site of an amazing complex of natural caves, cut by the Wab River as it found its way from the nearby mountains. The settlement, which is a religious site, is named after a local Sheikh.

Armed with torches and official map, visitors to Sof Omar make their way underground, far into the bowels of the earth, beside a subterranean stream, and there can see an extraordinary number of arched portals, high eroded ceilings and deep echoing chambers.

Turmi

Turmi is a market town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region, the town has an elevation of 925 meters above sea level.

Home to many of the Hamer people, Turmi has a weekly market on Mondays. One product available at this market is incised gourds, used by local women as shopping baskets. Turmi is also notable for its traditional dances and the Jumping of the Bulls.

Combined Tours (Historic sights and culture with Nature)

DAY 1. Arrive Addis Ababa. Afternoon program will be a city tour. Overnight AA

DAY 2. Fly to Axum. In Axum we visit different historical sights like the stele, Ezana’s palace,     Queen Sheba’s palace and the church of St. Mary Tsion. Overnight Hotel.

DAY 3. This morning we drive to the pre-historic sight of Yeha for its Temple. Overnight Hotel.

DAY 4. Fly to Lalibela. This afternoon we visit the first group of the rock-hewn churches. Beta Medhanialem,  Beta Golgotha, Beta Mariam and Beta Georges. Overnight  Hotel.

DAY 5. This morning we have a mule excursion to Asheton Mariam. And in the afternoon we visit the second group of Lalibela’s Rock-Hewn churches. Overnight Hotel.

DAY 6. Fly to Gonder. Today we are visiting the medieval Gonder castles and the beautifully painted Debre-Brehan Sellassie church. Overnight Hotel.

DAY 7. Drive to Semien Mountains National park through Debark where we see the beautiful endemic Gelada Baboon with wonderful scenery of the park. Overnight camping at Sankaber.

DAY 8. Proceed to Cheneck for the rare endemic Walia Ibex, which is confined to this region.  Here we also see a lot of birds of prey like Bearded Vulture or Lammergeyer. Overnight camp at Cheneck

DAY 9. Drive back to Gonder. Overnight Hotel.

DAY 10. Proceed to Bahir Dar. Afternoon a Boat trip on Lake Tana to visit  Zeghe Monastery. Overnight Hotel.

DAY 11. This morning we drive to the Blue Nile Falls one of the spectacular water falls in  Ethiopia. Afternoon program will be visiting the market. Overnight Hotel.

DAY 12. Fly back to Addis Ababa. Overnight AA.

DAY 13. Departure.

The Mursi

The Mursi live between their dry season range in the Mursi Hills, and their wet season range on the Tama Plains, north of Mago Park in the Omo River region of South-Western Ethiopia. They care for livestock and plant some crops. They have a war-like reputation given their strong desire to control as much grazing land as they can for their livestock.

When a young Mursi girl reaches the age of 15 or 16, her lower lip is pierced so she can wear a lip plate. The larger the lip plate she can tolerate, the more cattle her bride price will bring for her father.