9 Days The Southern Ethiopian Lakes and Forests

Spend your first day acquainting yourself with Ethiopia’s sprawling capital. Explore the National Museum including a replica of ‘Lucy’, the famous early hominid, visit the Holy Trinity Cathedral, and head up Mount Entoto for spectacular views over the city.

Your Vip Away Travel Designer can help plan activities that suit your needs prior to departure.

After breakfast on day three, you’ll head south to the Bale Mountain National Park and check into your luxury lodge.

Spend your days exploring the Sanetti Plateau and Bale Forest watching for wildlife, including numerous bird species, Bale monkeys, and the Ethiopian wolf, the world’s rarest carnivore and an icon of Ethiopian wildlife.

Your Vip Away Travel Designer can advise on activities prior to departure.

Continue south to Arba Minch in Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley, where you’ll be staying at the aptly named Paradise Lodge overlooking Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo.

Go on game drives searching for animals and endemic birds, take a dip in the sacred waters of Forty Springs, see hippos and crocodiles on Lake Chamo, hike across ‘God’s Bridge’ (an isthmus separating the two lakes), and visit the elephant huts of the Dorze people.

Your Vip Away Travel Designer can advise on activities prior to departure.

Your final destination is Turmi in the Omo River Valley in the heart of southern Ethiopia, where you’ll be staying in an eco-lodge overlooking the Buska Mountains.

After settling in you'll have time at leisure. Perhaps take the time to learn about the local Hamer tribe, famous for their Evangadi dance and ‘bull leaping’ ceremony.

Enjoy a full day in the Omo River Valley.

This is your chance to meet and interact with other Omo River Valley tribes, such as the Dorze, Konso, Karo, Dassanetch, and Benna, each with their own fascinating culture and traditions.