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Trip ToNorthern Ethiopia
Day 1/ Arrive in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Transfer to hotel and city tour of the town. Drive north to Mount Entoto. In 1881 Emperor Menelik II made his permanent camp here, after the remains of an old town, believed to have been the capital of the 16th century monarch Lebna Dengel, were discovered. Menelik took this discovery to be a divine and auspicious sign for his new capital. We will view the Church of Mariam, where Menelik was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1889, and the Church of Archangel Raguel. Gather this evening for our festive welcome dinner party. Over night in Ras Amba Hotel.
Day 2/ Addis Ababa — Gondar fly: The royal city of Gondar where magnificent fortified palaces dominate the landscape. The oldest and most impressive is the two-story palace of Emperor Fasilidas, built of solid basalt stones. Other royal buildings include the library of Emperor Yohannes I, the House of Song where royal ceremonies took place, the elegant reception and banquet hall of Emperor Bakaffa, and the palace of this king's wife. Just outside of town is the BathingPalace where Epiphany is celebrated each year. Also visit the Church of Debre Birhan Selassie, an imposing structure with its harmony of brightly colored ceilings completely covered with intricately painted angels. Overnight at the Fasil Lodge.
Day 3/ Gondar — Semien Mountains – Debark, Semein Mountain Hotel: ( 120 km, 4 hours drive) . The 100 km drive take you to the Debark town, the gate of the SemeinMountainNational Park. Afetr peaking scout and local guide we drive another 20 km to the park. Semein is one of the sites registered by UNESCO as world heritage site. We drive and walk at different sites for scenery wild life. Semein is a home of the red listed Ethiopian Wolf and Walia Ibex. and Chilada baboons. After the visit of the park drive back to Debatk for over night..
Day 4/ Debark — Gondar – Bahirdar drive. The drive to Bahir dar first is on the chain of mountains and after 70 km you start droping to the low laying falt plain of Fgera. in about 3 hours from gondar you arrive Bahir Dar, one of the best growing town of Ethiopia famous for flame trees lining the streets and located on the shore of the biggest lake of Ethiopia, Lake Tana. Check in to Summerland Hotel.
Day 5/Arround bahir Dar: Morning drive to the Blue Nile Falls and afternoon boat trip to Island Monasteries of Lake Tana. Ghion Hotel. Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile, and the most dramatic wonder here is theBlue NileFalls; in flood-stage it is more than 1300 feet wide. After dropping over a sheer chasm more than 150 feet deep, the mist drenches viewers a half mile away. In a gorge created by the waterfall is a small rain forest lush with tropical vegetation and inhabited by lively monkeys and a multitude of spectacular birds. Now a days more than 90% of the waterfall is used for hydro electric power. January is the best time of the year to see the falls. But to go there and walking in the river gorge and the surrounding scenery is god experience. After visiting the waterfall at 35 km from Bahir Dar.
After lunch board a boat for a cruise onLake Tanato visit two of the island’s monasteries. Located on the forestedZegePeninsula, Ura Kidhane Mihret is the most impressive of the southern monasteries. The walls of the church are completely covered with remarkable 16th-century murals that offer a revealing look into medievalEthiopia. Nearby is Azuwa Maryam, containing several fascinating paintings. Back to Bahir Dar
Day 6 / Bahiur Dar – lalibela drive, Lal Hotel. Today we cross the farm lands of Fogera plain and the moutainous landscape of Dabre Tabor. We meet farmers on their daily life at diffrent places. We also visit some of the farmers home. Arrive lalibela and check in to lal Hotel
Day 7/ Full day visit of Lalibela Churches: Eight hundred years ago King Lalibela created a marvelous gift to the world. Often called the Eighth Wonder of the World, Lalibela contains towering churches that were carved from the soft, volcanic tuff in which they stand. Some lie almost completely hidden in deep trenches, and others stand in open quarried caves. A complex and bewildering labyrinth of tunnels and narrow passageways with crypts, grottoes, and galleries connects them all. Within this mystical world, priests go about their daily tasks, seemingly oblivious of the outside world. Standing 38 feet tall with seventy-two pillars, Medhane Alem is not only the largest in Lalibela, it is the largest monolithic rock-hewn church in the world. The oldest of the churches, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Bet Maryam is the only Lalibela monolith with a porch. The remains of exquisite early frescoes can be seen on the ceiling and upper walls, and there are many elaborately carved details on the piers, capitals, and arches. Overnight for two night Lal Hotel.
Day 8/ Lalibela – Axum flight, and visit the sites. This ancient city, with its half-buried ruins of palaces, monolithic stelae, and subterranean tombs, is one of Ethiopia's most historic sites. Reputedly the capital of the Queen of Sheba, today Axum is the hub of Ethiopian Christianity. Visit the Park of the Obelisks where several colossal monoliths still stand together, marking the tombs of the Axumite royals. Nearby, is the subterranean Tomb of Ramha, a former king of Axum. Beneath the Palace of Kaleb, steep stone steps lead to underground galleries and chambers, locally believed to be the treasury of Emperor Kaleb.
Visit a historically important dedicatory stone dating to about 320 AD with an inscription written in three languages — Sabaean, Ge'ez (earliest written Ethiopian language), and Greek, and explore the tomb of King Basen, who ruled at the time of the birth of Christ. Also explore Gobadura, where Axum’s giant stelae were quarried, and see the impressive relief drawing of a lion cut into a large boulder. Axum is where the Ark of the Covenant of Biblical fame is reported to be hidden within the compound of the Church of Saint Mary of Zion. We will see the new, and rather garish church built with the support of Haile Selassie, and the small outbuilding nearby that purportedly houses the renowned Ark. Overnight in the Ramhai Hotel.
Day 9/ Axum – Addis flight, city tour and shopping, evening departure.
