ABYSSINIAN EXPLORER - ETHIOPIA

more photos | enquiry | availability check

Discover the Ethiopian Highlands on horseback with the semi nomadic Oromo people. Riding in traditional style on local horses through the Bale Mountains Eco-tourism area we can see the rare Abyssinian Wolf, Menelk's Bushbuck, Mountain Byala and many more. We are in an Islamic country, inhabited by the Oromos. Draped in capacious white shawls, they cross the vast horizon on their inexhaustible horses. Slender and fine-featured, they were semi-nomadic pastoralists, traditionally horsemen who use their horses as mounts or as draft/pack animals. We also visit Lalibela, a religious treasure unique in the world, the spirited high place of Abyssinia. The site embraces several dozen churches cut into the rock, still frequented with fervour by Coptic Christians. This is an adventure of a lifetime for intermediate riders onwards.

Trip length 15d /14n / 8d riding Ride only price 2008 & 2009 - £1,805 Departure dates 21 November - 5 December 2008 21 November - 5 December 2009 Approximate riding time per day 4-6 hours Riding ability required ability to walk, trot and canter Group size 5 -12 Meeting point (getting there) Addis Ababa Transfer included from Addis Ababa Flight guide London - Addis Ababa return £300-450 Internal flights included in holiday price Single supplement £149

SAMPLE ITINERARY - ABYSSINIAN EXPLORER

Day 1 - 21 November
Arrival in Addis Abbaba in the morning. Visit of the city. Hotel

Day 2 - 22 November
Flight to Lallibela. Visit Lallibela. Hotel.

Day 3 - 23 November
First thing in the morning: visit the churches, then fly in the afternoon to Addis. The rest of the afternoon is free. Dinner with a traditional show in the evening and night at the hotel.

Day 4 - 24 November
This morning we take a 6 hour drive through the Ethiopian Great Rift Valley, punctuated by lakes and volcanoes.  Significant numbers of people live here and have marked the countryside: there are fields as far as the eye can see, numerous villages, and at all times, people walking in the road. At Shashemene we leave the main road to head off East, towards the Eastern Highlands of the Rift, and little by little we reach the heights of the Bale Plateau, which constitutes one of the greatest zones at altitude in the country, and whose summits rise to 4000m. En route we stop at lake langano for lunch and then proceed to Dodola. Overnight in the Bale Mountain Motel.

Day 5 - 25 November
From Dodola we drive 30km to the Changiti forest edge. We are now at 2400m altitude (7,500 ft). Here we find our horses waiting. As we ride in the forest we are surrounded by exotic bird sounds and colobus monkeys jumping from tree to tree. On your trail we come across Tarura Plain - ideal for those who want to enjoy a gallop. The Ethiopian horses are not used to the same signals as European horses, however, it is not difficult to control them. En-route we stop at Wahoro hut. After a brief break the route takes us Angafu Via Tulu tute at 3,750m altitude ((11300ft) from where we are rewarded with an astounding view. In the afternoon, we take a short walk along the ridge to Delume hilt enjoy more. Overnight at the Angafu Eco-hut.

The day unfolds at between 3000 and 3400 metres, where a forest dominated by huge African Junipers and spectacular Abyssinian Hagenias unfurl in full bloom in November. This is the domain of warthogs and baboons, mountain nyalas, and a multitude of birds. 5hrs riding.

Day 6 - 26 November
After an early breakfast we ride to Mololcho hut over about 5-6hours. We travel through dense primeval jungle to start with.  What may surprise you the most is that familiar species known to be shrubs in Europe grow to towering trees here. We leave the forest at around 3400m, onto the great afro-alpine humid meadows, its undulating territory spiked with wild hyacinth, and everywhere you will see giant Lobelias looking oddly like palms. They grow around 3100 to 4300 metres, can reach 2 or 3 metres in height, and are as perfectly adapted to the intense solar radiation as they are to the great fluctuations in temperature. This sometimes lunar landscape reminds us of the tundra with its cushions of lichen and its lava flows. 

A multitude of rodents species live here - a bonus for many kinds of predators. Amongst other we find eagles, buzzards, falcons and Abyssinian wolves, the rarest canines in the world. About 600 survive here in the Bale plateau. November is the whelping season for Abyssinian wolves, as it is also for the nyalas. Night at the Mololicho refuge hut. 6hrs riding.

Day 7 - 27 November
This morning take a 7 hour horse riding through mainly Erica vegetation. Carpet’s of yellow flowers make the riding extremely attractive and there is a most impressive view at an altitude of 3350m. On your way to Duro you we cross the Meribo river which flows all season long, and we walk the final meters to Meribo as the trails is not suitable for horses. The beauty of the camp can be glimpsed through the window of the hut at all times. In the late afternoon walk along the ridge and discover the scenery more and more. After dinner make acamp fire, meet the villagers and enjoy their traditional coffee ceremony.

Day 8 - 28 November
Today we head to Morba at 3750 m on a full day horse riding through alternating heathers and vast plains on a relatively unchanging route on a plateau. After some 5 hours on horseback along which we may with some luck see the fawn coloured Abysinnian wolves (harmless to people), we encounter the Berenda ridge falling abruptly from an altitude of 3 600m. After 6-7 hours we take a break at the Habera water fall before continuing to Moroba. Today is the longest day with 10 hrs of riding in total.

Day 9 - 29 November
Trail to Dinisho National Park. This morning we ride 6 hours to the Bale Mountain National Park head quarters. En route to the park we come across scattered forest dwellers houses and you will see the plumes of many hearths rise from the huts. Today we are unlikely to find many wild animals due to the settlement of the people around the park. However we do enjoy the breath taking scenery and huge indigenous trees such as hygenia Abyssinia and juniper. Skirting spectacular lava flows near the Web Valley we again find forested zones, with the crimson bouquets of hagenias. We have your lunch in Dinisho lodge and in the afternoon walk to Shaya gorge to search for the endemic Menelik bush buck. Night in a gite. 7hrs riding.

Day 10 - 30 November
We rise early in the morning to walk along the Worogona Ridge in search of Bohr and the endemic mountain Nyala. Mount up on your horse to climb the base of Mount Batu, the second highest mountain in Ethiopia at 4377m. Here we come across the breath taking Worogena valley looking as thought it has been carved out with knife. Then we ride down to the gorge from the base of Batu Mountain in Worogena valley. At the top of this gorge is a place where we are very likely to find Bohr and the endemic Mountain Nyala. Overnight in camp. 6 hrs riding.

Day 11 - 1 December
This morning the trail takes us to Gebre Guracha. It is referred to in the local language as Black Lake. It is the home of many endemic bird species, particularly water birds such as Pelican White Collared Pigeon. After arriving the campsite, we can take a walk on the shore of the lake to see admire teh birds and the mazing expereince of seeing the sun sink in the late afternoon and light disappearing as we are far from our ordinary world.

Day 12 - 2 December
Today we ride to the Saneti Plateau, also know as the island in the air. After breakfast we prepare for a day in the cold - Saneti is at an altitude of 4000m and is often shrouded in fog with rare sparking blue-sky. On todays trail towards we are likey to come across the red fox and warthog. We pass through a forest of hagenias and African junipers, our path bordered by yellow flowers and bright red Kniphobias which cover the slopes of the hills. We are on the flanks of the Bale mountains. At 4000m (12 000ft) the air is fresh and clear, with luck an unrestricted view towards all horizons. The most spectacular is the South: the Herenna escarpment, plunges for more than 2000m towards a vast tropical forest extending all the way to Kenya.  Overnight in camp or mountain hut. 6 hrs riding.

Day 13 - 3 December
4WD cars will take us down from the high altitudes, Drive by car from Senatee first to Shashamene, then on to Langano. Night at the hotel.

Day 14 - 4 December
Drive to Addis Ababa.

Day 15 - 5 December
Free day in Addis Ababa. Late evening departure for London.

NOTES - ABYSSINIAN EXPLORER

OMO RIVER VALLEY EXTENSION - 8 days

The South of Ethiopia is inhabited by a large number of fascinating ethnicities. Here we find original social systems, well preserved ways of life and traditions, heavily stressed values, each ethnicity upholding with care the cultural and aesthetic peculiarities which differentiate them from their neighbours, at the same time their brethren and their rivals. By comparison to the North, whose history and civilisation go back to origins in the Christian era, the South remained for a long time inaccessible and uncontrolled by Abyssinian empires, and distanced from Islamic expansion.
We decided to concentrate our tour of 3 ethnic groups in distinct regions, admittedly leaving aside certain things, but thus avoiding touching lightly on too many touristic things. The desire to see all the ethnicities of the South means that one cannot spend more than 30 minutes per stop, during which time one can take a few unrelated pictures, buy some trinkets, and then leave again for long hours in a 4X4….
On this teip we are privileged to spend time with the Karo, Hamer and Konso peoples, with whom we will try to spend several hours of conversation in their shady huts, and to spend days walking with them, in order to learn as much as we can about their ways of life, and to see things from their side.

We Provide: A guide who specialises in the region (and in all Africa and the East), having stayed for long periods at a time there, and who understands some of the languages of the tribes visited.
Respectful attitude towards peoples, with real exchange and interaction.
Stop-over for 3 nights at the Turmi, where the village and its inhabitants become familiar to us (thus we get to know each other!)

ITINERARY DAY BY DAY

Day 14
After Langano we take the road to the South. After Debre Zeit we enter the Rift Valley, that great tectonic fault line which cuts across East Africa. In all this part of Ethiopia, however, the Rift is too vast to be truly perceptible. Rather, the numerous conical volcanoes and the long connecting string of large lakes bears witness to it. Life along this main trunk road is a source of constant spectacle, which makes the day very enjoyable. In the middle of the afternoon we reach the shores of the magnificent Lake Abaya to the east, and beautiful mountains to the west. We are at Arba Minch, one of the principal towns of the south. Check into a comfortable hotel.

Day 15
We pick up the road which rapidly becomes a mere track. At Konso we leave the main road. Having crossed the Konso hills, we leave the farmlands and enter a drier environment, much tougher and wilder, where extensive stock breeding predominates. The people bedeck themselves with jewellery and other decorations – we are indeed in the region of the famous southern peoples. We go along alongside a big escarpment in the direction of Lake Stephanie, then via a lovely valley we pass through the mountains of Turmi, the principal town of the Hamer territory. Night at an organised campsite under canvas on the outskirts of Turmi.

Day 16
A day in Karo country. We leave Turmi first thing in the morning and cross sparse bush country, and after several hours on the road we reach the River Omo. The Omo has its source in the high plateaux of Ethiopia, and never runs dry. It runs into one of the branches of the East African Rift Valley to flow into the immense Lake Turkana via a tortuous delta. We arrive in Karo country, at only 450m above sea level, it is very hot…the ideal time to rest and take stock. We spend the afternoon on foot, discovering the banks of the Omo, and observing the farming practices on the shores of Lake Diba, and getting to know the Karo, with whom we will drink “bunno”, the traditional drink made from coffee husks. Night at an organised campsite near Karo village.

Day 17
A day in Hamer country. Return to Turmi in the morning. We will spend the day with the Hamer people, the biggest ethnic group in southern Ethiopia in the Omo region. It is market day, and all the Hamer people of the region are there. We get the latest news, renew old acquaintances, and watch this tiny world go by. Later in the afternoon we leave for a walk in the bush and alongside dried out river beds bordered by tamarinds and figs. Brightly coloured birdlife and monkeys abound, and everywhere are the flocks of the Hamers at watering holes along the route. Soon we are invited to drink “bunno”. In chatting, in watching each other, little by little we come to understand a little of these Hamer people, warm-hearted, and with so astonishing and so simple a lifestyle. The huts are round, and constructed of natural materials, and all utensils are such as those used for generations; ox hides, pottery, metal, calabashes, millstones…The presence of our guide Francis, who speaks Hamer, is vital. Night in Turmi.

Day 18
In Hamer and Konso territories. Return due east in 4X4. We climb into the Hamer mountains, rwching 2400m, bordering a branch of the Rift Valley at 450m above sea level. We descend from the escarpment following the wanderings of the dried out bed of the beautiful and spectacular River Kajino. In the rainy season this river flows into the marshes around Lake Chew Bahir (formerly Lake Stephanie). The Arbore and Tsamai cultivate a part of this arid landscape thanks to the flooding of the river Woito. We climb again from the bottom of the Rift Valley, and again cross the mountains to arrive in Konso territory at the end of the morning. A ramble in the terraced hills, which support extensive agriculture. We meet the Konsos in their fields and their fortified villages. Night in a very simple local hotel with private bathroom, or under canvas on the land of the locals.

Day 19
Konso territory and Lake Langano. As we have found during the course of our travels, the Rift Valley is a very complex system in southern Ethiopia. The Kenyan Rift, which ends in Lake Turkana, continues thereafter for a further 250km into southern Ethiopia where the river Omo flows. Further to the east is the Lake Chew Bahir (formerly Stephanie) Rift, which divides into two, one of its branches forming the Great Rift, which crosses the whole of Ethiopia, taking in lakesChamo, Abaya and Langano, and ending in the “Afar Triangle” and Djibouti. This is an age-old highway, largely because of the preserve of water, and it is not, therefore, surprising that in our day route should be asphalted. Towards the end of the afternoon we arrive on the shores of Lake Langano, the only lake in which one can swim without fear of contracting bilharzias, thanks to certain mineral properties the water possesses. Night in a good hotel with a beach. Bathing is highly recommended.


Day 20
In the course of our morning return to Addis Ababa we will stop on the shores of Lake Zwai. Unlike Langano, this is a freshwater lake: fishermen and waterfowl are everywhere. We visit Addis in the afternoon, mainly to see the Museum of Ethnography which plunges us for the last time into the world of the peoples of the south. In the evening, transfer to airport, and night flight to Europe.


There is a code of conduct that we must observe; the constant presence of populations for the most part isolated makes it incumbent upon us that we behave with the utmost respect. Certainly southern Ethiopia has its visitors, and such contacts have on occasion brought with them deplorable behaviour, where “photographs for cash” has the only form of cultural exchange. When meeting the people it would be best to keep the camera under wraps in the short term, as it can distance the very people we wish to engage. Only after protracted contact in a village, or with our guides, can we take a few portraits – in exchange for a few coins, to be sure, but the rapport will be different. It is indispensable that you listen to the advice of your guides at all times.

We have chosen not to visit the Mursis, where the famous “plate women” live. These people are frequented by hordes of tourists, cameras at the ready, all come to take a picture. All possibility of real contact is destroyed. The Mursis live far from the places authorised for visiting, and this picture-making business is simply a supplement source of income for all of them, and nothing more.

The cost of this extension is £1,669 per person, single supplement £55

The weight limit for this ride is 13 st/187 lb/85 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.

WHAT IS INCLUDED
All internal flights, all ground transportation using fully insured bus driven by experienced drivers who know the area very well, tour leader from Europe, hotel accommodation on double room sharing, where mentioned, all meals on full board basis outside Addis Ababa and breakfast only in Addis Ababa, professional English speaking local guide who will escort the group throughout the tour, all entrance fees in the above programs, incl. for the Bale Mountain National Park, Museums, Churches, etc., a boat trip on Lake Tana to one church (Ura Kidane Meheret), professional cook service that will provide good European style food, all cooking and camping materials, high quality igloo tents with integrated mosquito net in each tent, chairs, tables, complete expedition material, sleeping mattress made of foam/sponge, the fees for the scouts & guards at each campsite and National Park, riding horse, pack horses for carrying luggage and camping materials and horse grooms, scout fee, and assistant cook, farewell dinner at Crown Hotel of National Ethiopian food along with traditional dances and coffee ceremony, service charge and the government taxes.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
International flights, fees and general tips for photographing etc., drinks (including bottled water), any alcoholic beverages, visa fees, expenses of a personal nature or optional excursions, which are not included in the tours.

FURTHER DETAILS
As we are specialists in our field we have extensive knowledge of all our products from details of accommodation and meals to number/size/type of horses to pace of riding ... and much more.

Should you wish to receive further details of this ride please click here.

more photos | enquiry | availability check

conditions of access  booking conditions print  back  top

sitemap