Northern Historic Tour by Air-Ethiopian Tour

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Hello Mr. Eskinder,
We were so pleased with the care an attention from Highway Tours. Your web site and your prompt and complete responses to our questions put us at ease as we anticipated our tour.
Every anticipation and expectation was more than met.

Ethiopia deserves a greater share of the world's attention.
The rich rewards are so great one forgives the inconveniences of travel in this part of the world.

I was amazed by the vibrant green teff and rice fields, the beautiful mountains with wild flowers, and the smiling and helpful people we met in the hotels and airports.

The guides along the way met us at each airport, escorted us to the hotel and to the various sites we wished to see.

I especially enjoyed the unplanned experiences they provided such as the coffee ceremony with Meleza in the home in Bahirdar, and seeing the bread and injera preparations along the city street.

The boat ride across Lake Tana to the 14th century church was a delightful experience. Seeing the hippos bathing in the head waters at the Blue Nile was an added delight.

In Gonder our guide Getachew was a rich source of history and fascinating stories about the region and the antiquities.

He's a bright story teller.

All along the way the weather was ideal, pleasantly warm.

The Tukul Hotel in Lalibela was so nice with books on birds, history of the area, and novels to exchange.. The excavated churches there were amazing and caused me to repeatedly ponder, "How did they possibly do that ?"

As we left Axum the town was being visited by hundreds of white clad pilgrims coming for the Meskel festival. Many were carrying huge bouquets of yellow Meskel flowers and many wore haloes of greenery on their heads.

It was a sight out of National Geographic.

The Ethnographic Museum in Addis was another highlight as was the National University Museum to see the skeleton of "LUCY".

The concluding dinner and musical at the Abyssinian restaurant was a fitting close to the memorable tour you provided for us. Eating injera with you and Girma while watching the musicians and dancers was an unexpected delight. Thank you for all your efforts on our behalf.

Kay DeWeese
Haleiwa, HI, USA.

Places Visited Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2009:

Addis Ababa, Bahirdar, Gonder, Lalibela, Axum

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8 Days and 7 Nights
The unique Lalibela rock hewn churches, and the medieval Gondarian civilizations show much of Ethiopia's myriad of historical sites.

This is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa with tangible historical remnants stretching back to the ancient Mediterranean civilizations.

Day 1 Arrive Addis Ababa:
A welcoming reception by Highway Tours and transfer to your hotel.

Day 2 Addis Ababa City Tour:
Visit Addis Ababa the third largest city in Africa, a colorful and vibrant capital rich in history. Visit St. George cathedral, natural history and ethnological museums or wander around the large Mercato market. Enjoy some cultural experiences, folk dancing, singing and restaurants.

Day 3 Fly to Bahir Dar:
We take you to Bahirdar from which you can explore the Blue Nile falls and close by the immense Lake Tana with its island monasteries. The 17th century Kibran Gabriel is the most beautiful and atmospheric of the lake monasteries. We also visit Mitsle Fasiledes with its attractive setting and visit Tana Cherkos, most famous for its very beautifully painted temples.

Day 4 Fly to Gondar:
Visit Ethiopian medieval capital Gondar with its large, royal enclosure containing castles, palaces, houses and outbuildings. Fasiladas's bath is still used for the religious ceremony of Timkat (.Epiphany). You may also visit Debre Birhan Selassie one of the country's famous churches.

Day 5 Fly to Lalibela:
At Lalibela you will get an impression of landing in a kingdom centuries behind your own. You will marvel and be immensely impressed by the remarkable rock hewn cave churches built at least 700 years ago.

Day 6 Fly to Aksum:
You will visit the ancient Aksumite civilization, among the greatest ever to exist 2000 years ago. Aksum's astonishing Stelae are striking for their huge size and almost pristine state of preservation. You will see the Tombs of kings dating from the 3rd century and St Mary of Zion church said to contain the famous Ark of the Covenant.

Day 7 Fly back to Addis:
At night enjoy a farewell dinner with Highway Tours.

Prices start from $100 (USD) per person, per day, depending on time of year and whether persons are sharing or non-sharing.

Seasonal and group discounts are also available, as are tours customized to your exact requirements using our Tour Enquiry Form.

Or for more details of this tour or other available tours download one of our brochures at Choosing a Tour Tour Enquiry