DAYS
14
TOUR CODE
ETHI-27
COST
£6495
DAYS
14
TOUR CODE
ETHI-27
COST
£6495
On the roof of Africa, source of the Blue Nile, lies an ancient country where visitors can trace the origins of the human race, surrounded by some of the world's most stunning and varied landscapes.
Overview
Ethiopia is an ancient country whose people are among the most ethnically diverse in the world, and whose landscape is mesmerisingly varied, dramatic and beautiful. A vast number of species make their homes amongst Ethiopia’s lakes, forests, grassland and wetlands, volcanic peaks, valleys, gorges and waterfalls. The country’s history is equally diverse and deep-rooted, with myriad ethnic groups, tribes and religious communities living alongside one another; while the country’s Orthodox church – which plays a guiding role in Ethiopia’s history and culture – has coexisted with Islam for hundreds of years.
Our freshly-updated tour will take travellers on an unforgettable journey through Ethiopia’s landscape and natural wonders, complemented by glimpses into the country’s cultures, traditions and ancient history.
We begin in Addis Ababa, the cosmopolitan capital and administrative centre of the African Union, a growing modern city with dramatic new buildings, parks and museums. Here we will visit the National Museum of Ethiopia, home to internationally important archaeological collections and the skeleton of 3.2 million year old ‘Lucy’, one of our earliest bipedal ancestors.
The lakes and mountains south of Addis of the Rift Valley offer a contrasting experience, and here we will begin to appreciate the vast spectrum of Ethiopia’s natural wonders. Abijatta Shalla National Park harbours Somali ostrich, huge flocks of greater and lesser flamingos, and imperial and long-crested eagles; while in the stunning Bale Mountains – a UNESCO-recognised, biodiverse landscape ranging from glacial lakes and forests to volcanic peaks, valleys and waterfalls – we will discover an abundance of bird and animal life including the endangered Ethiopian wolf. Our extended stay here will allow us to visit the awe-inspiring Sanetti Plateau: between 3800m and 4377m above sea level, the site’s sweeping landscape of moorland, valleys and streams creates a habitat for numerous endemic species.
A journey to Lake Awassa, one of the most famous and beautiful of Ethiopia’s great lakes, will deepen our understanding of the inseparable links between the landscape and its human history. Here, the high concentration of Nile tilapia has enabled both a thriving animal population and human industry through its regular lakeside fish market. We will take in the market, bustling with local trade and birds including great white pelican, African fish eagle, kingfishers and sacred ibis. Our time in Awassa will also include a visit to a local Partners for Change development project, meeting local women and young people actively involved in initiatives within their communities, to learn about modern Ethiopian society and its challenges. These innovative programmes unveil another side of Ethiopian life, as local communities provide mutual support and effective action for overcoming poverty.
AN EVOLVING WILDLIFE HAVEN
New for our 2027 tour is a stay in the Chebera Churchura National Park. Established in 2005, and still relatively unexplored by tourists, this land of rivers, grasslands, forests, springs, caves and waterfalls harbour many large mammals including wild African elephant, buffalo, forest-dwelling lion and leopard, alongside dynamic birdlife from white-cheeked turaco and half-collared kingfisher to black-crowned crane. Our accommodation, Elephant Paw Lodge, is equally intriguing: nestled at the park’s gateway, this scenic and spacious site is a hub for conservation, community outreach and cultural projects.
We shall complete our tour as we began, in Addis Ababa, where we will enjoy a farewell dinner before taking an evening flight home.
Tour Director
Kevin Hand
Kevin Hand is a long-standing ACE Tour Director with a special interest in birds, mammals and ecotourism. He has a great deal of experience visiting many different countries around the world, and has led and co-led several previous tours to Ethiopia.
This tour will be led by Kevin Hand, MSc, MCIEEM, a long-standing ACE Tour Director with a special interest in birds, mammals and ecotourism. Kevin led a team providing access to the British countryside for hard-to-reach groups, as well as a project on eagles, vultures and other wildlife in Albania. He has been President and Vice President of the Cambridge Natural History Society and continues to act as a Trustee. He currently also chairs the Newmarket Chalk Streams Trust; has been a Trustee of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, as well as a reserve warden; and is now a Biodiversity Surveyor for the RSPB. He has a great deal of experience visiting many different countries around the world, and has led and co-led several previous tours to Ethiopia with ACE.
- ACE customer on a 2025 tour led by Kevin Hand
Our Accommodation
We will stay in a series of well-located hotels in the centres of Addis Ababa and Jimma, interspersed with stays close to or within the national parks, many commanding beautiful views over Ethiopia’s lakes, mountains and forests. While comfort and facilities are not usually of the same standard as those found in western accommodation, our hotels will be welcoming and as comfortable as possible, while remaining consistent with the objectives of a cultural tour. For more information on one of our hotels, please see the ‘An Evolving Wildlife Haven’ section. Please note the hotels listed in the itinerary are all subject to final confirmation.
Itinerary
Day 1
Depart London Gatwick 1000 on Ethiopian Airlines, arriving Addis Ababa 2040. Check into Hotel Celeste, Addis Ababa for two nights.
Day 2
Morning: traditional coffee ceremony and free time to rest. Afternoon: visits in Addis including the cathedral and National Museum of Ethiopia (archaeological collections, Sabean artefacts, skeleton of 3.2 million year old ‘Lucy’). Introductory talk and welcome, including an overview of Ethiopia’s landscape.
Day 3
Journey south to the Rift Valley Lakes region, passing through Tiya Stelae field, Butajira and Lake Ziway (diverse birdlife). Overnight at Sabana Lodge, Lake Langano. Short evening talk introducing the cultural diversity, ethnic groups and tribes of Ethiopia.
Day 4
Visit to Abijatta Shalla National Park, looking out for birds such as the Somali ostrich, huge flocks of greater and lesser flamingos, southern pochard, imperial and long-crested eagles. Journey on towards the Bale Mountains, passing through villages of the Oromo people (the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia) while looking out for endemic mountain nyala and Menelik’s bushbuck, Rouget’s rail and blue-winged goose. Three nights at the Wabe Shebelle Hotel, Goba.
Day 5
Whole day spent acclimatising to our surroundings and exploring the Bale Mountains, a beautiful and biodiverse landscape ranging from glacial lakes, forests, grassland and swamps to volcanic peaks, valleys, gorges and waterfalls; home to the endangered Ethiopian wolf alongside many more endemic species. Short evening talk on Ethiopian wildlife and conservation.
Day 6
Excursion to the remarkable Sanetti Plateau, which lies between 3800m and 4377m above sea level, with the highest all-weather road in Africa: look out for white-backed black tit, wattled cranes, white-cheeked turaco, Abyssinian cat bird, spot-breasted lapwing and cape eagle owl, as well as the endemic Ethiopian wolf.
Day 7
Drive to the headquarters of the Bale Mountains National Park at Dinsho, continuing to explore its magnificent wildlife. Pass through villages of the Oromo people and the town of Shashemene to reach Awassa, a dramatic landscape with superb wildlife including hippos. Two nights at the lakeside Haile Resort.
Day 8
Morning visit to the lakeside fish market in Awassa (bustling with local trade as well as birdlife including great white pelicans, African fish eagle, kingfishers, jacana, sacred ibis and marabou stork). Afternoon visit to a local Partners for Change development project, meeting local women and young people and learning about modern Ethiopian society and its challenges.
Day 9
Continue to the town of Wolaita Sodo, passing through villages of the Oromo, Alaba, Hadiya and Welayta peoples. Overnight at LEWI Resort, Welayta Sodo.
Day 10
Journey to Chebera Churchura National Park, one of the country’s newest parks, famous for wildlife including African elephant, buffalo and many species of birds; as well as wild coffee, cardamom and figs in the forests. Two nights at the Elephant Paw Lodge. Short evening wildlife talk.
Day 11
Whole day spent exploring the Chebera Churchura National Park. A wide array of wildlife has been spotted here including African elephant, buffalo, hippo, defassa waterbuck, forest-dwelling lion, leopard, bushbuck, warthog, monkey and giant forest hog, alongside a rich variety of birdlife including the endemic white-winged cliff chat, banded barbet, wattled ibis, Ethiopian oriole and thick billed raven.
Day 12
Continue to Jimma, home to one of Ethiopia’s finest coffees. Afternoon: visit to the Aba Jifar Palace, the oldest, largest and best preserved example of traditional wooden architecture in the city, combining different styles. Overnight at the Haile Resort, Jimma. Farewell talk.
Day 13
Morning visit to a nearby coffee farm, followed by short flight to Addis Ababa. Time to rest at Hotel Celeste. Farewell dinner at a traditional local restaurant, featuring live music and dance, before 0050 flight from Addis Ababa.
Day 14
Arrive London Gatwick 0540.
Please note the itinerary, including the accommodation, represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change. Local conditions can be unpredictable so travellers should anticipate a certain degree of flexibility, and we cannot guarantee the presence of all the wildlife mentioned.
Frequently Asked Questions
To read our full list of frequently asked questions please visit our general FAQs here.
What is the maximum group size of this tour?
What is the deposit cost for this tour?
What tour staff will be on this tour?
Am I fit enough to travel on this tour?
Fitness Requirements
The majority of ACE Cultural Tours are active in nature. To make the most of our time in a destination and provide excellent value for money, they are busy – there are often several visits included each day. As such, our tours require a certain minimum level of physical and mental fitness, mobility and stamina.
Many visits will involve navigating several steps, uneven ground, steep ascents and descents, and could involve embarking and disembarking aircraft, coaches, trains and cruise vessels. Plenty of walking, punctuated by lengthy periods of standing, is the norm. Some tours may involve long coach journeys.
It is essential that all customers are sufficiently fit and able enough to fully participate. Furthermore, every tour comprises a group of guests. We cannot allow the entire group to be negatively impacted by one participant, either holding up the pace we reasonably need to maintain or disproportionately requiring the attention and support of the tour staff.
We carefully consider the intensity, fitness and other requirements of each itinerary and describe them on the tour pages of our brochures and website. Please study these descriptions closely. When you call to book, we will reiterate those requirements and ask you to confirm that all group members are indeed fit enough and otherwise able to meet the criteria. It is your responsibility to answer fully and honestly. If it transpires that you are not able to keep pace with the tour and/or it reasonably appears you are negatively impacting (or are reasonably likely to negatively impact) the enjoyment of the rest of the group (including their ability to complete all scheduled visits), we may ask you to sit out certain days/visits, take a taxi at your own expense (if available in the location), or even, if we consider there is no other reasonable alternative, ask you to leave the tour and make your own way home.
This tour concentrates on a number of diverse regions within Ethiopia. Taking full advantage of the country’s stunning natural environment, our itinerary includes several long journeys and one internal flight. Some days will be long, and temperatures could be hot. Our route passes through highland areas – Addis Ababa itself is 7200 ft above sea level – and while the elevation makes for a generally agreeable climate, a very good level of fitness is required throughout. Travellers should be prepared for a lower overall standard of accommodation than we would expect in western Europe; our hotels will be as comfortable as possible while remaining consistent with the objectives of a cultural tour. Overland travel will be made by comfortable minibus, with a second vehicle used to transport luggage and food for our journeys, and most lunches will be provided by a group chef. We have designed this tour to be dynamic and well-balanced: the major centres of Addis and Jimma are likely to be busy, but our itinerary will be interspersed with quieter and more relaxed time spent in the natural Ethiopian landscape and in the national parks amongst its incredible flora and fauna.
As a minimum, participants should be able to successfully complete the following self- assessment tests:
- Walk for one hour at a reasonable pace and without needing to take a break to rest
- Climb at least two flights of stairs at a reasonable pace
- Stand unaided for at least 30 minutes
- Stand up and sit down ten times in one minute
- Carry or otherwise move your own luggage
Please ensure you have read and understand our full fitness requirements as described in our terms and conditions.
UK Government Travel Advice
For additional travel information from the UK government please consult the following pages.
Cost Details
Ethiopia: Wildlife, Landscapes & Culture
February 22 - March 7, 2027
Included: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, full board (except lunch on Day 13) with water & non-alcoholic drinks, excursions & admissions, gratuities & all taxes.
Not Included: visa, travel insurance, single room supplement £795.
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