SAMPLE ITINERARY
|
Lower Omo Valley, South West Ethiopia
8 Days / 7 Nights Visits to Konso, Tsemai, Mursi, Hamer, Bena, Kara, Ari Tribes ***This tour can be with roundtrip flights to and from Jinka and include more tribal visits. Day 1 : Addis Ababa – Butajira - Arbaminch Starting off from Addis Ababa early morning, you will be heading down South to Arbaminch via Butajira and Hosaina. At Tiya, you will have a brief stopover to visit the UNESCO-registered Stalae fields of Tiya. With lunch break at Wolaita Sodo, you will proceed to Arbaminch, arriving late afternoon and overnight at Tourist Hotel / Paradise Lodge / Swaynes Lodge. Day 2 : Arbamich – Konso - Jinka In the morning, you will head down South to Konso. Arrival at Konso, you will be able to visit a local Konso village, their terraced farm fields and totems. The Konsos are known to be the ones who first initiated terrace farming. Driving further down into the Lower Omo Valley past the Weito Plains, you will be able to see the Tsemai tribe. Further on at Key Afer, you will be able to visit the Bena tribe. Arrival in Jinka late afternoon, you will spend overnight at Eco-Omo Lodge / Eyob Guest House / Jinka Resort Hotel. Day 3 : Jinka – Mago National Park – Jinka In the morning, you will be heading into Mago National Park, home to the Mursi tribe. Settled in the lowland plains of the Park, you will visit a local village of the Mursis. Returning back to Jinka, you will be able to visit the local South Omo Museum, an opportunity that will give you a good overall insight into the various tribes of the South. Overnight will then be at the Eco-Omo Lodge / Eyob Guest House / Jinka Resort Hotel. Day 4 : Jinka – Key Afer - Turmi Starting off from Jinka in the morning, you will be heading to Turmi with a brief stopover at Key Afer. Arrival at Key Afer, you will be able to join into the local weekly Bena market, same a very colorful market that attracts neighboring tribes in the area – the Aris from Jinka, the Tsemais from Weito, the local Benas and the Hamers from Dimeka area. Attending to this market will allow you to compare the dressing patterns, ornamentation techniques etc. of the various tribes in the area. After lunch at Key Afer, you will be proceeding to Turmi via Dimeka. Arrival in Turmi late afternoon, you will be camping overnight at Keske Campsite / Evangadi Campsite or alternatively at the bungalows in Buska Lodge Day 5 : Turmi – Korcho - Turmi In the morning, you will be heading to Korcho, home to the Karo tribe. Settled around the banks of the Omo River, the Karo tribe are known for their body paintings, same done for beautifying purposes. From this particular village, the view of the Omo River is magnificent, a high ground view seeing off the Omo River flowing down South into the Turkana Lake. Mid-afternoon, you will be heading back to Turmi where upon arrival, you will be camping overnight at the Evangadi Campsite / Keske Campsite. During any of your evenings in Turmi, you will be able to see an Evangadi dancing ceremony of the Hamers. With luck, you may also be able to attend to a bull- jumping ceremony of the Hamers – a marriage initiation right of the young men that allows them for transformation from childhood to adulthood, a right that comes with a lot of social responsibilities as well. Day 6 : Turmi – Dimeka - Turmi Mid-morning, you will be heading to Dimeka, another Hamer tribe settlement 28kms out. Saturday being the weekly Hamer market in Dimeka, you will be able to join in at this market, see their day-to-day activities. Returning back to Turmi early afternoon, you will visit a local Hamer village. End of the day, you will be overnighting at the bungalows in Buska Lodge. Day 7 : Turmi – Arbore - Arbaminch Heading to Arbaminch in the morning, you will be driving by the Buska Mountain chain. Extending for roughly 96kms in the Weito Plains parallel to Lake Stephanie for certain parts, you will be visiting the Arbore tribe. With lunch stop at Weito, you will head to Arbaminch where upon arrival you will be spending overnight at Tourist Hotel / Paradise Lodge Day 8 : Arbaminch – Ziway – Addis Ababa Early morning, you will be heading back to Addis Ababa via the Rift Valley line. Driving through the lake region, you will be able to see Ziway, Langano, Shalla and Abiatta lakes and additionally the crater lake region of Debrezeit. Arriving Addis Ababa late-afternoon, you will be checking in at Jupiter Hotel or a hotel of your choice, thereby ending your 8 days tour of the Lower Omo Valley of South Ethiopia. |
