Southern Route by 4WD

Day / Route / Excursions / Hotel / Remarks / Photos
1 / Addis Ababa
Saturday / Flight to Addis Ababa. Arrival to Addis Ababa with evening or night flight. Meeting with company’s representative at the airport. Transfer to hotel. / JupiterorKaleb
2 / Addis Ababa Sunday / Inthemorningshort city tour in Addis Ababa visiting National Museum, with its prize possession – remains of Lucy, 3.5 million year hominid Australopithecus Afarensis. Also included excursion to Entoto, where in 1881 King Menelik tried to build a capital city. Most interesting places to see at Entoto are a church museum near the church of St. Mary and the old house of King Menelik. In the evening dinner at the traditional Ethiopian restaurant with music and dance / Abbay Minch or Summerland / Flight 140, 20:15 – 21:15 /
Addis Ababa, Ethnographic Museum
3 / Addis Ababa – Arba Minch
Monday / Drive from Addis Ababa to Arba Minch by 4WD. On the way we stop to visit Tiya Stele of the 8th c., one of many UNESCO World Heritage sites in Ethiopia.Lunch stop in Sodo, Wellayta. Arrival to Arba Minch late in the afternoon. / Swaynes or Ezana / 475 km, 6 – 7 hrs /
Tiya Stele
4 / Arba Minch
Tuesday / In the morning boat ride on Lake Chamo, part of the NechSar Park. Here you can observe the real huge crocodiles and hippos in the wild, and a lot of water birds, pelicans and others. Lunch in Arba Minch. After lunch excursion to Chencha, village of Dorze people. The highlight of this excursion is a visit to a traditional Dorze house where you can observe how bread is made from false banana and drink locally made vodka. Return to Arba Minch in the evening. / Swaynes or Ezana / To the boat – 20 km, 3 – 4 hrs
To Chencha – 70 km, 3 – 4 hrs /
Lake Chamo
5 / Arba Minch - Turmi
Wednesday / Drive from Arba Minch to Turmi via Karat Konso, Weito, and Erbore. Stop at Erbore to take photos of the Erbore people. Arrival to Turmi. If you are lucky and on that day there is a bull-jumping ceremony in a Hamer village near Turmi, it is possible to attend such ceremony. Rest at the lodge in the evening. / Buska or Turmi / 285 km, 7 – 8 hrs (rough road) /
Weaving in Ethiopia is men’s job
6 / Turmi - Jinka
Thursday / DrivefromTurmitoJinka. On the way we make a stop-over at Key Afar, where every Thursday there is a local market. ThismarketattractsHamer, Benna, Konso, Ari, and many other people of the South Omo. Arrival to Jinka late in the afternoon and rest at the hotel. / Orit or Goh or Eyob / 120 km, 6 – 7 hrs including Key Afar /
Hamer girls
7 / Jinka – Karat Konso
Friday / InthemorningexcursiontotheMagoPark. In this park lives Mursi tribe. It is probably best known in the South Omo Valley, because women of this tribe slit their lower lip and insert a clay or wooden plate, and men fight donga (a stick fight which determines the most eligible bachelors ready to get married). Return to Jinka at lunch time, then drive to Karat Konso. / Kanta / 320 km, 8 - 9 hrs /
Mursi
8 / KaratKonso - Langano
Saturday / Drive from Karat Konso to Langano early in the morning. Langano, one of the lakes of the Rift Valley, is famous because it is one of a few lakes in Ethiopia with beautiful beaches and clean safe water, where you can swim. / Sabana / 385 km, 6 – 8 hrs /
Birds near Lake Langano: superb starling
9 / Langano – Addis Ababa
Sunday / In the afternoon drive to Addis Ababa. Shirt rest at the hotel. In the evening transfer to the airport and flight home. / Jupiter / 200 km, 3 hrs