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8-Day Scenic Omo Valley & Ethnic Tribes of Ethiopia

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Overview

The 8-day Southern Ethiopia Omo Valley tour is a cultural exploration where travellers will meet local tribes and learn about their cultures and customs.

Four of Africa’s major linguistic groups are represented in the region, including the Omotic speakers, a language group as endemic to South Omo as the Ethiopian wolf is to the Abyssinian highland.

The most renowned of the Omotic speakers are the Mursi people. The tradition of women having large clay plates inserted in their mouths to symbolise their eligibility for marriage. Other important groups of the south Omo include the Hammer, Benna, Karo, Ari, Dasenech, Erbore, Konso, and Temay, some of whom you will meet and have the chance to learn about their culture on this trip.

Depending on your schedule when travelling to Ethiopia, you may be lucky enough to run into a market day on your trip. Turmi, Demeka, and Key Afer are the most colourful markets in South Omo.
Culture & Arts
Outdoors & Nature
Sightseeing

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Addis Ababa

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Arrive in Addis Ababa

Arrive in Addis Ababa, the country’s commercial and cultural hub. Once you have checked into your hotel, you can spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at your hotel or rejuvenate at the spa with a range of therapies and treatments.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Jupiter International Hotel4 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Free Time in Addis AbabaOptional Activity

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Lunch and dinner

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Addis Ababa

Day 2

Drive to Arba Minch

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Drive to Arba Minch

You will depart for Arba Minch. En route, you will visit the home of the Dorze people at Chencha. The Dorze people are renowned for being cotton weavers whose tall beehive-shaped dwellings are among the most distinctive traditional structures seen anywhere in Africa. The main occupations of the region are farming and weaving. You will then drive to Paradise Lodge for the night.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Paradise Lodge3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Dorze Village Culture

  • restaurant icon
    Restaurants

    Paradise LodgeRequest to Book

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast and dinner

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Addis Ababa

    Chencha

    Arba Minch

    North Omo

Day 3

Boat Trip on Lake Chamo

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Boat Trip on Lake Chamo

Starting early, you will enjoy a boat trip on Lake Chamo enjoying the beautiful scenery with the chance to see a large number of hippos and crocodiles. Drive to Jinka and stop along the way in tribal villages and if it is Thursday, we will stop off at the weekly market in Key Afer. Stay at the eco-friendly lodge that works hard to be in harmony with nature.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Eco Omo Lodge3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Boat Ride on Chamo Lake

  • restaurant icon
    Restaurants

    Paradise LodgeOptional Activity

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Paradise Lodge to Chamo Lake

    Private Driver from Arbaminch to Jinka

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Arba Minch

    Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

    North Omo

    Jinka

Day 4

Mago National Park and Cultural Visit

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Mago National Park and Cultural Visit

This morning, you will leave early to visit to Mago National Park to see many different animals in the park on a safari experience. The national park is also known for being the traditional home of many ethnic communities who still live here in small villages. After your safari experience, you'll be welcomed into one of the villages to meet the locals and learn a little about their culture.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Buska Lodge2 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Mago National Park

    Hamer Village

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Eco Omo Lodge to Mago National Park

    Private Driver from Jinka to Turmi

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Jinka

    Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

    Turmi

Day 5

Dasanach Village and Turmi Markets

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Dasanach Village and Turmi Markets

After breakfast, you will drive to Omorate and then cross the Omo Valley River by canoe to visit a local village called Dasanach, where you'll meet the villagers there to learn about their customs and everyday life. In the afternoon, you'll move onto the markets in Turmi, where you will meet more of the locals and get a true idea of life working in the markets and the products that they sell.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Buska Lodge2 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Daasanach Village

    Local Markets in Turmi

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Buska Lodge to Omorate

    Private Driver from Omorate to Buska Lodge

    Private Driver from Buska Lodge to Turmi

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

    Omorate

    Turmi

Day 6

Kolcho Village and Free Time

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Kolcho Village and Free Time

Continue along the Omo River to the Kolcho village. The Karo people are an East African Nilotic tribe who decorate their faces and bodies with paint made from chalk and ochre to increase their attractiveness, a tradition that has remained with these people for centuries. In the afternoon relax at the lodge after a busy few days where you can choose to get a massage if you please.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Buska Lodge2 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Karo Culture

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Buska Lodge to Karo

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

Day 7

Drive to Arba Minch and Free Time

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Drive to Arba Minch and Free Time

This morning drive to Arba Minch and check back into the Paradise Lodge. The hotel is situated on a hill overlooking the narrow stretch of forested land, known locally as “the bridge of heaven”, which separates the two lakes. You can spend the afternoon at the lodge or head out for a walk along the many trails that surround it. The lodge has an outdoor pool that you are welcome to lounge by for the remainder of your day.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Paradise Lodge3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Free Time at Paradise LodgeOptional Activity

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Turmi to Arba Minch

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

    Arba Minch

Day 8

Drive to Addis via Butajira

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Drive to Addis via Butajira

Drive to Addis via Wolyta, Hossena and Butajira. En-route visit Tiya prehistoric site, classified by UNESCO as one of Ethiopia's World Heritage sites. Finally, you will drive back to Addis and onto the airport for your departure.

  • activities icon
    Activities

    Tiya Archeological Site

  • restaurant icon
    Restaurants

    Paradise Lodge

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Arba Minch to Airport

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Arba Minch

    North Omo

    Tiya

Included in Price

  • 7 nights accommodation
  • 8 activities
  • 7 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 2 dinners
  • Airport transfer
  • Entrance fees
  • Ground transportation
  • Licensed English speaking guides

Not Included in Price

  • Alcohol beverages
  • Domestic flights
  • Entry visas / airport departure tax
  • Gratuities
  • International flights
  • Laundry
  • Personal expenses
  • Travel insurance
  • Trekking permits
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