Omo Valley: Cultures of Southern Ethiopia
Travel through time as you visit a region where fifty years ago, few of its inhabitants had ever even heard of “Ethiopia.” The Omotic people make up what are frequently considered the most fascinating tribes on earth. These tribes number up to two dozen, and the inhabitants display symbolic clothing and body ornamentation that varies dramatically from one tribe to the next. Step out of your comfort zone as you travel through this wild land, as diverse topographically as it is culturally.
Itinerary
Arrive in Addis Ababa and transfer to your hotel. Hilton Addis (D)
Depart by road to Arba Minch. Stop at the archaeological site of Melke Kunture, the stelae field of Tiya, and the rock-hewn church of Adadi Maryam. Arrive this evening at your lodge in Arba Minch. Paradise Lodge or Swayne’s Hotel (B, L, D)
Today, drive to visit the nearby Dorze people, who are well-known for their weaving projects. Here, you will have a chance to interact with the people and learn about their culture. This afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Chamo and visit the Crocodile Market. Paradise Lodge or Swayne’s Hotel (B, L, D)
Today, drive to Jinka, stopping in a Konso village on the way. The Konso are a pagan society, known for their unusual burial traditions and their spectacular agricultural terracing techniques. Continue to Jinka. Jinka Resort or Goh Hotel (B, L, D)
Today, drive to Mago National Park and visit a local Mursi village. The Mursi are among the most famous of the Omo Valley tribes, known for the women who insert large clay plates into their ears and lips. Jinka Resort or Goh Hotel (B, L, D)
Today, drive to the small town of Turmi, and visit the Hamer and Banna tribes. The Hamer are particularly beautiful, and are most distinguishable by their hair, which they style into thick braids with red mud and lard. Buska Lodge or Turmi Hotel (B, L, D)
Today, enjoy a daytrip to the southernmost part of the Omo Valley, near the border with Kenya. You will cross the Omo River by boat to spend the day among the tribes of Dassanech and Caro. Buska Lodge or Turmi Hotel (B, L, D)
Today is a long day of driving through spectacular scenery, to the town of Yabello. You will visit an Erbore village en route. Yabello Mobil Hotel (B, L, D)
Today is a day excursion to the salt lake of El Sod, where you will have a chance to hike into the crater and see the locals mine salt. Continue to a Borana village, where you can see the Borana men creating a human ladder to extract water from deep within the earth. They call this spectacle the “singing wells,” as the men chant and sing while lifting the water into a large basin for their cattle. Yabello Mobil Hotel (B, L, D)
Today is another long drive, but with some of the most incredible scenery of the entire journey through the south. You will pass a number of colorful villages en route to the large town of Awassa. Time-permitting you may have time to visit nearby Lake Awassa. Haile Resort (B, L, D)
This morning, see the Awassa fish market, then drive towards Addis Ababa, visiting the region’s numerous lakes en route. This evening, you will be transferred to the airport for departure on your international flight. (B, L, D)
Extend Your Journey
Rovos Rail Journeys: Historic South Africa
The Blue Train Experience
Botswana Flying Safari
Splendors of Namibia
Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago
Seychelles: Jewel of the Indian Ocean
Desroches: Seychelles Outer Islands
Mauritius: Princely Isle
- Visit the tribes of the Omo Valley, whose traditions and ways of life are quickly disappearing
- Learn the traditions of the Hamar people, pastoralist who are known for exotic decorative practices
- Discover the famous Mursi tribe women, known for wearing a 7-inch diameter clay plate on their lip
- See the painted faces and bodies of the Karo tribe
11 DAYS & 10 NIGHTS
Southern Ethiopia’s Omo Valley
From $4,235 per person double occupancy.
Includes:
Accommodation, full board as noted in the itinerary, village entrance fees, and all transfers and touring with local English-speaking guides. Private Journeys depart daily subject to availability.