Ethiopia: Omo Valley tribes - Simien Mountains - Lalibela
TRIP FULL
Group of 8 persons sharing: $8,950 pp
Group of 7 persons sharing: $9,450 pp
Group of 6 persons sharing: $9,950 pp
Group of 5 persons sharing: $10,450 pp
Group of 4 persons sharing: $10,950 pp
Single supplement: $1,000
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - it has been existing for at least 2,000 years. The country comprises more than 80 ethnic groups and as many languages. Primarily their shared independent existence unites Ethiopia's many nations. Unique among African countries, Ethiopia has never been colonized, one exception being the occupation by Italy in 1936-41.
Our first stop will be the Simien Mountains National Park, a World Heritage Site, where we will spend 2 days. Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 m. The park is home to some extremely rare animals such as the Gelada baboon, the Simien fox and the Walia ibex, a goat found nowhere else in the world. During our visit we will enjoy easy hikes to stunning lookouts and will concentrate on observing and photographing Gelada baboons. Spending almost all of their time on the ground, geladas are the world’s most terrestrial primates. They are poor tree climbers and spend 99 percent of their time on the ground partly because of their extreme dietary specialization as a grazer. Specially adapted to live high up in the mountains, they use small ledges on the steep, rocky cliffs to escape predators; they also sleep on these edges huddled together in small groups.
The next major stop during our 16 days long Wild Focus Expedition is Lalibela. In 1187, Emperor Lalibela, revered as a saint, was said to have visited Jerusalem and upon return to Ethiopia, attempted to recreate a new Jerusalem. Situated in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia, some 645 km from Addis Ababa,
Lalibela counts eleven medieval monolithic churches that were carved out of rock. These eleven churches are regarded as one of the wonders of the world, are a World Heritage Site and allegedly took 24 years to build "with the assistance of angels". The churches were not constructed in a traditional way but rather were hewn from the living rock of solid monolithic blocks. These blocks were further chiseled out, forming doors, windows, columns, various floors, roofs etc. This gigantic work was completed with an extensive maze system of drainage ditches, tunnels, and ceremonial passages, some with openings to hermit caves and catacombs. The holy city of Lalibela became a substitute for the holy places of Jerusalem and Bethlehem and had considerable influence on Ethiopian Christianity. During our visit in Lalibela we will have unique opportunities to capture images of people carrying out their religious life and daily activities.
Another highlight of our Ethiopia Wild Focus Expedition is the Omo Valley in the South of Ethiopia with various very colorful, traditionally living tribes. The Omo Valley is world renowned for the discovery of many hominid fossils that have been of fundamental importance in the study of human evolution. The Mursi tribe is one of the tribes that we will visit and the women of this tribe are unique because of the large wooden plates inserted into their lower lips - a symbol of beauty and identity. Another tribe, the Hamer, are known for their practice of body adornment and wearing a multitude of colorful beads. Women adorn their necks with heavy polished iron jewelry. The Hamer boys are known for their unique custom of "bull jumping" which initiates a boy into manhood. The female relatives dance during the initiation while inviting whipping from men who have been recently initiated. This strange custom shows support of the initiate and the women's scars give them a say on who they will choose to marry. The Karo people, the smallest ethnic tribe in Ethiopia, differentiate themselves from many of the neighboring tribes by excelling specifically in body and face painting. They paint themselves daily with coloured ochre, white chalk, yellow mineral rock, charcoal, and pulverized iron ore, all natural resources local to the area. The specific designs drawn on their bodies can change daily and vary in content, ranging from simple stars or lines to animal motifs, such as guinea fowl plumage, or to the most popular – a myriad of handprints covering the torso and legs. The Daasanach tribe is a Cushitic group (a group of languages spoken Ethiopia, NE Kenya and Somalia) inhabiting parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and the South Sudan. These people have proved themselves to be a thrifty group with many tribesmen and women wearing their unique jewelry made out of everything from old digital watches to bottle caps. They have created iconic headdresses from bottle caps (of which are quite famous) and earrings from sim cards to name a few. But the most remote and one of the most photogenic people are the Suri tribe. There is no lodge in the area so we will spend 2 nights in a tented camp here. The Suri pride themselves on their scars and how many they carry. Their women insert clay discs into holes in their bottom lip which for them, is a sign of beauty. The larger the plate, the more cows the girl's father can demand in her marriage dowry. They also adorn themselves with beautiful head dresses made of fresh flowers.
We have made special arrangements to photograph these colorful unique people for the last 7 days of our expedition before returning to Addis Ababa for the last night of our trip. Ethiopia will be an adventure that includes historical importance, wildlife and traditional culture. We have taken our time to craft the perfect itinerary that will sate your desire to explore this special country.
