Brief itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Addis Ababa, arrival and city tour | Addis Ababa |
| Day 2 | Flight Addis Ababa – Gondar, visit palace and church | Gondar |
| Day 3 | Gondar – Debark – Sankaber | Sankaber camp |
| Day 4 | Sankaber – Gich | Gich camp |
| Day 5 | Gich – Ambaras – Gondar | Gondar |
| Day 6 | Flight Gondar – Lalibela, visit rock-hewn churches | Lalibela |
| Day 7 | Trek to Asheten Maryam Monastery and Hudad Lodge | Hudad Lodge |
| Day 8 | Walk on the plateau around the lodge, trek back to Lalibela | Lalibela |
| Day 9 | Flight Lalibela – Addis Ababa, market and departure | - |
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Addis Ababa, arrival and city tour
Arrival in Addis Ababa and completion of the entry formalities. Transfer to the hotel and accommodation in the rooms. Then a city tour takes place. If interested, we can visit a project, which is supported by our local tour operator. In the evening we have dinner together.
Day 2: Flight Addis Ababa – Gondar, visit palace and church
Domestic flight to Gondar, the capital of Ethiopia until 1855, where the ancient emperor’s palace with churches and baths is situated. The castle from the 17th century, called Fasil Ghebbi, is located in the palace district which has been declared to be a UNESCO cultural world heritage site. We also visit the Church of Debre Birhan Selassie with its iconic ceiling of painted angels.
Day 3: Gondar – Debark – Sankaber
5-9 km, 2-3 hours trek. The private vehicle takes us 100 km north on the Ethiopian highland to Debark, a small city of about 30,000 inhabitants at the border to the famous Simien National Park. After a quick stop for some formalities at the head quarter offices and for collecting the cook and scouts we drive out on a rough road to the 3,000+ m high mountain plateau. From here we take a short walk of 2-3 hours (depending on your interest) on which we get a first impressive view over the dramatic mountains range. After tasting a delicious dinner prepared by our cook, first night in the tents at the Sankaber camp.
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Day 4: Sankaber – Gich
13 km, 6 hours trek. At Sankaber we meet our mulemen and mules in charge of transporting our heavy material, before commencing the trek to Gich. We traverse along the escarpment before dropping down to get impressive views, for example of the beautiful Jinbar Waterfall. From here we ascend through terraced
From here we ascend through terraced farmland to the former village of Gich and walk through it to our camp at 3,600m. In the evening we have the possibility to walk up to the mountain Kedadit and to assist to an unforgettable sunset. Second and last overnight in the tent.
Day 5: Gich – Ambaras – Gondar
10 km, 4-5 hours trek. Today we walk for 2-3 hours to the summit of Imet Gogo (3,926m), which is one of the most beautiful and spectacular viewpoints. Then we trek along the whole escarpment and through a fresh forest until the road near to Inatye (Ambaras) where you are picked up and brought back first to Debark and then to Gondar (totally 4 hours of drive).
Day 6: Flight Gondar – Lalibela, visit rock-hewn churches
Flight to the other UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lalibela - the Jerusalem of Ethiopia, the pilgrimage site and holy town for Ethiopian-orthodox Christians. Picked up at the Airport you are taken directly to start the tour in Lalibela visiting the North-Eastern group of 11 monolithic churches carved into the rock.
Having finished visiting this part of the churches, we make our way to the hotel for check-in and lunch. The tour starts again in the afternoon with the Southern groups of the churches and your guide leads you through the network of crevices and tunnels linking the single churches. The visit of today ends with the last built and supposed to be the best of the 11 churches: Saint George (Bete Giorgis).
Day 7: Trek to Asheten Maryam Monastery and Hudad Lodge
Today we visit a rock church too, but a special one: we trek first to the Asheten Maryam (Amharic for St. Mary's perfume), a still active mountain monastery with a cave church. This track also offers the great opportunity to have an authentic insight in the surrounding farmers’ life.
There are two options to accomplish this walk, either to start the walk from the beginning which takes 4-5 hours or drive up some parts and shorten the walk to only 2.5 hours. In the afternoon our trek ends on a beautiful mountain plateau located 11 km North-East of Lalibela and where our lodge is situated.
Day 8: Walk on the plateau around the lodge, trek back to Lalibela
In the morning, and depending upon the physical fitness and interests of the clients, a walk around the lodge or on the large plateau can be done to enjoy the scenic views of the area. There are Gelada baboons and other animals that can be observed. Here it’s possible to spend some time enjoying their activities. Having eaten lunch at the lodge, an afternoon 3 hours descending walk takes you back to Lalibela.
Day 9: Flight Lalibela – Addis Ababa, market, and departure
Transfer to the Lalibela airport in the morning and flight to Addis Ababa. If there is enough time before your departure, we visit a market or shops in Addis Ababa to buy souvenirs. Finally, there is a joint traditional Ethiopian dinner with music and dance performance. End of the trip and departure depending on flight times.
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