Day 1 Addis Ababa - Gondar Welcome to Ethiopia! After your arrival Addis Ababa Bole International Airport you will transfer to the domestic terminal for your flight with Ethiopian Airlines to the historic capital of Gondar, the so-called Camelot of Africa. Meet your guide at Gondar airport and transfer to your hotel in town and go on an afternoon visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Gondar. Glorious castles and churches await you. Flight time: 1h; Travel time: 1h
Day 2 Gondar - Simien National Park You will drive to Debark to get the permissions for the National Park and then further on to our trailhead. The car drops you some bit before our campsite where the first views to the lowlands open up. You gonna enjoy your first easy hikes in the Giant heather forests of the Simien National Park before you reach your first camp at Sankaber. Travel time: 3-4h, hiking: 2-3h, (difficulty: easy/medium, altitude difference: ?300m/984ft, ?300/984ft)
Day 3 Simien NP: Sankaber (2800m/9186ft) - Geech (3600m/11.811ft) In the morning we load our mules and take only light day packs for our hike. It takes us only a short while to get back to the escarpment to have a pleasant hike along the edge with enjoyable views to the lowlands. A huge gorge opens up where the Jinbar waterfall drops over 400 meters into one of the highest waterfalls of the country. We get our picknick along the way and finally reach our camp in Geech in the afternoon. Before sunset, we can climb Mt. Kedadit to enjoy the sun setting there. Hiking: 6-7h, 14km (difficulty: medium/hard, altitude difference: ?1.000m/3280ft, ?800/2624ft)
Day 4 Simien NP: Geech - Chennek (3400m/11.154ft) Giant lobelias towering up to 6 meters in the skies. These survival specialists are only found in Africa's highest peaks. Our trail leads us today through
Day 5 Chennek - Axum This morning we see the first sunlight enlightening the massive walls of the Simiens. It might be freezing but these splendid views will not let us stay any longer in our sleeping bags. After a short walk around the camp to stretch our legs we gonna leave the mountains to drive further north to see the ancient ruins of the Axumite Kingdom. Almost all day the Simien Mountains will not be out of sights while driving through the lowlands crossing the Tekeze River valley before we reach the ancient capital of Axum. Travel time: 7-8h, hiking: 1h, 5km (difficulty: easy, altitude difference: ?100m/328ft, ?100m/328ft
Day 6 Axum - Gheralta Some 2000 years back, Axum has been a fertile region when its kingdom expanded to become a world empire besides Rome or Persia. The economy grew, palaces arose and kings had impressive burial sites and finally, Christianity arrived in ancient Ethiopia. Today you will discover the old ruins and the monolithic steale of the Axumitic Empire. After lunch, your journey leads you to the Gheralta region, the so-called
Day 7 Gheralda Your morning at the lodge will be one of the most impressive moments of your trip. The red sandstone mountains slowly enlightened by the early morning sun while you enjoy your breakfast in the lodge garden. You will spend the rest of the day hiking the Papaseti valley, no doubt one of the most beautiful corners of the region. Your trail leads you through dry river beds, farmlands, you rest under ancient sycamore trees and also get the chance to see Gheralta
Day 8 Gheralda - Saba In the morning you leave for Danakil Depression one of the hottest and most geographically active regions on earth. You leave the fertile Ethiopian highlands to travel to one of the most inhospitable landscapes on our planet. Temperatures can easily reach 50 degrees and hot winds blow across the flat desert plain at night. Millions of years ago parts of the desert were flooded by the sea, huge salt crusts formed. In the afternoon you visit the Asale salt lake with its endless white salt pan enjoying the sunset. Travel time: 5-6h.
Day 9 Day trip to Dallol Volcano Dallol means "dissolution" in the Afar language and so its appearance is constantly changing. Over the Asale salt lake, you approach this flat volcano, which pushes through the salt crust. Everywhere, bright colors shimmer, which seem to come from another planet. Turquoise green acid lakes form everywhere in its crater. Everything is harmonious and peaceful but you are dancing on an active volcano. The forces of the earth show themselves to you at a flank of the Dallol, where an eruption formed a gigantic salt canyon. In the afternoon you will return back to your camp at the Saba Canyon where you will dip yourself in a small river bed for a nice refreshment. Travel time: 2-3h.
Day 10 Saba - Berale - Mekelle The salt caravans use the same resting place tonight and stay among us. Still in the darkness to advance the heat of the day, they set off and head with the dromedary caravans towards Berale. Slowly the steep and barren cliff walls light up in the first sunlight. Finally, the valley widens and you meet a dirt road where you will be picked up by your vehicles. The journey continues to Mekelle. Travel time: 4-5h.
Day 11 Mekelle - Addis Abeba You take the early morning flight from Mekelle to Addis Ababa and transfer to your international flight back home. Before departure, you are going to enjoy a traditional farewell dinner in Addis. Flight time: 1,5 h; travel time: 1h
