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Day 1, ADDIS ABABA: Arrival day.
Day 2, ADDIS ABABA: Today we go on a guided tour around the city, visiting various sites including St George's Cathedral, the site of Emperor Haile Selassie's coronation, as well as the Merkato, East Africa's largest market. (B)
Day 3, BAHIR DAR: Morning flight to Bahir Dar, a pleasant town situated on the shores of Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest lake and the source of the Blue Nile. This afternoon we head out to the Blue Nile Falls, the second largest in Africa. (BD)
Day 4, LAKE TANA: A full day visiting the many island monasteries that lie on Lake Tana. We travel by boat to visit some of the more remote monasteries and churches, most of which date back to the thirteenth century, and return to Bahir Dar for the night. (BD)
Day 5, GONDAR: Morning drive to Gondar, the old capital of Ethiopia. Today Gondar is home to the Royal Enclosure, a collection of superbly preserved castles built in the seventeenth century, and we spend time exploring these. Afterwards we head to Debre Berhan Selassie, perhaps Ethiopia's most beautiful church. (BD)
Day 6, SIMIEN MOUNTAINS: Heading north, we travel to Debark, on the edge of the Simien Mountains National Park. This area is characterised by enormous chasms and gorges, and offers some of the most dramatic scenery in Africa. We take a short trek to Sankaber, where we camp for the night. (BD)
Day 7, GONDAR: This morning we trek for a few hours in the hope of seeing some of the fascinating wildlife that lives in these mountains. We're almost guaranteed to see Gelada baboons, a species that is found nowhere else on earth, and if we're lucky we may see Walia Ibex. Return to Gondar for the night. (BD)
Day 8, LALIBELA: Fly to Lalibela, home to a spectacular collection of churches hewn out of the surrounding rock, so astounding that many believe they are the creations of angels. We visit the churches within the town today. (BD)
Day 9, LALIBELA: Heading out into the surrounding countryside, we travel along dirt tracks visiting some of the churches that lie nearby, all made from the rock and dating back to around the twelfth century. (BD)
Day 10, AXUM: Today we fly to Axum, a once great city that was under the control of the Queen of Sheba. Axum is home to many fascinating tombs and churches and has an unusual collection of stelae dating back to the third and fourth centuries. (BD)
Day 11, AXUM: A full day sightseeing in Axum, including the Church of St Mary of Zion, which is believed to contain the Ark of the Covenant. (BD)
Day 12, ADDIS ABABA: Fly back to Addis Ababa. (B)
Day 13, ADDIS ABABA: After breakfast, take an excursion to Mount Entoto where we see the old palace of Menelik II, the St. Mary's Church and a panoramic view of Addis. The rest of the day is at leisure. (B)
Day 14, ADDIS ABABA: Tour ends. (B)
HARAR EXTENSION: Why not extend your stay in Ethiopia with a short trip to the fascinating walled city of Harar, home to much of Ethiopia's Muslim population?
Day 14, HARAR: You'll fly to Dire Dawa and be transferred to the walled city of Harar, a once important centre of Islamic scholarship. For many years the city was closed to Christians and early explorers were forced to enter in disguise, at their peril. (BD)
Day 15, HARAR: A guided tour of Harar to see the mosques and interesting old architecture of the town. This evening you may wish to go and see one of the most amazing sights in Ethiopia - the nightly feeding of the hyenas that live in the countryside nearby. (BD)
Day 16, ADDIS ABABA: Fly back to Addis Ababa where the tour ends upon arrival. (B)
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