The essentials of northern Ethiopia

Addis Ababa/Mekele 783 km Domestic flight: 1 h Mekele/ Wukro 55 km Road 1h30

To reach northern Ethiopia quickly, and save yourself a full day's driving, we offer you an onward domestic flight to Mekele, capital of Tigray (ET 160, 8am-9.25am) - the language spoken here is Tigrigna, like that of its neighbors in nearby Eritrea.

Your vehicle will be waiting for you at Mekele airport, so you can settle down in the cobbled streets of this beautiful old town. We visit the Palace of Yohannes IV, a former Ethiopian emperor and native of the area.

Enjoy a leisurely lunch in one of the excellent local eateries.

After lunch, your vehicle finally hits the road again.

Not far from Wukro, an easily accessible visit is planned on this day to ease your acclimatization: the Wukro Chirkos church, dated to the 10th century AD and dedicated to a child martyr. The interior layout is cruciform in architecture, with remarkable capitals and friezes. Modern improvements combine harmoniously with the centuries-old interior rooms. You'll have plenty of time to wander the quiet streets of Wukro if you wish.

Full board accommodation

Overnight at Wukro lodge

https://wukrolodge.com/

Wukro/Hawzien 60km Route 1h

In the morning, you'll visit the church of Abreha Atsbeha, named after the twin kings. Built in the 4th century A.D., it is one of the oldest churches in the country, with its unique arches. Afterwards, we'll head for the Gheralta massif, an astonishing rock made up of a single face, of a shape and size all of its own. The cradle of Orthodox Christianity nestles right here in the rock, where countless churches were built to absorb the faith of countless faithful.

Based on your artistic interests and physical condition, we'll check with the local guide which churches are best suited to the group.

On this day, you'll visit two churches that are sure to leave you with unforgettable memories. As a rough guide, we recommend the following duos.

Easy physical level: Maryam Papaseti & Giorgis Maikado

Moderate physical level : Debre Tsion & Yohannes Maiqudi

Experienced level: Maryam (and Daniel) Korkor & Abune Yemata Guh.

We also recommend that you consult a specialist book to find out which of these churches best suits your requirements.

Full board

Overnight at Gheralta Lodge

https://gheraltalodgetigrai.com/

In the morning, you'll head north via the shortcut of Adwa. Although no commemorative site distinguishes it, this locality is the important site of a great Ethiopian victory over the Italians in the year 1896

The ancient city of Axum is home to the seat of the Queen of Sheba, said to have reigned a millennium BC. Her short-lived union with King Solomon of Jerusalem is said to have given her a son, Menelik, the founder of the royal Ethiopian Menelid dynasty.

The city of Axum was the center of an immense empire, which in its day was the richest in the world and covered a geographical area including present-day Eritrea and Yemen. The city dominated the Red Sea trade route, from which goods were channelled to Europe and the Near East.

The city of Axum remains Ethiopia's religious spiritual center, as it is said to house the relic of the Ark of the Covenant (stolen by Menelik from his father Solomon in Jerusalem),

Various archaeological sites such as the tombs of Kaleb & Gebre-Meskel, the baths of the Queen of Sheba, the Palace of Dongar are scattered around the city, bearing witness to its past grandeur.

Overnight at the Sabean Hotel
http://sabeaninternational.com-ethiopia.com/fr/

This magnificent and impressive route passes through the Simiens and Tsellemti massifs, allowing you to admire the famous Simiens ridges and this breathtaking, vertiginous panorama from the windows of your vehicle. We'll stop to let you immortalize this grandiose spectacle with photos as often as you like. This route also takes us out of the Tigray region (where Tigrigne is spoken, a regional language also derived from ancient Guezh, and shared with neighboring Eritrea), and into the Amhara region, where Amharic - the only official language of the Ethiopian nation - is now spoken. We arrive at your accommodation in the late afternoon.

Full board

Night at Jeramba Hotel

https://www.jerambahotel.com/

The Simiens National Park is a natural jewel that well deserves its place on UNESCO's World Heritage List. This massif lends itself as much to the contemplation of breathtaking natural vistas as to the unique observation of numerous endemic animals (unique to Ethiopia), including the famous Geladas baboons with their "bleeding heart", or the "Walia" chamois if you're lucky. The Austrian government, an Alpine country if ever there was one, has made a major contribution to the creation and management of this listed national park. It cooperated in laying out hiking trails and gathering scientific knowledge specific to the local flora and fauna. This knowledge was then passed on to local Ethiopian guides, who are now proving to be indispensable and invaluable passers-on of knowledge.

You'll experience a spectacular breath of fresh air on the roof of Africa.

The ancient royal capital of Gondar, where we'll spend the night, is less than two hours away

Full board

Overnight at the Goha hotel

http://www.gohahotel.com/

After centuries of itinerancy between various temporary locations, the royal court settled in Gondar in the 17th century, under the impetus of King Fasilidades, which became the national capital. Inspired by the aesthetic influence of the Portuguese father Pedro Paéz, Fasilidades built a magnificent castle here, to which each of his successors added his own construction, castle or private building.

You'll visit these singular edifices, at the crossroads of Europe and Africa, as well as the Fasilidades Baths, which is the main venue for Timkat, the Orthodox Epiphany, on January 19! The morning will be crowned by an excellent lunch at the colorful restaurant "Les Quatre Sœurs", run by these admirable women who will share their consummate art of gastronomy with the whole family. In the afternoon, you'll visit the Debre Birhan Selassie church, whose countless murals and ceiling paintings are renowned throughout the country

Between visits, you'll have plenty of time to wander the ancient streets of this city steeped in history, with its pleasant climate and welcoming people.

In the late afternoon, you'll head for Bahir Dar

Overnight at Solyana Hotel

http://www.solyanahotel.com/

For several decades now, Bahir Dar, located on the shores of Lake Tana, a veritable inland sea, has been the capital of the Amhara region.

Its port is the starting point for a morning cruise on Lake Tana to discover the ancient monasteries of the Zeghie peninsula. In the afternoon, a short drive will take you to the starting point of a short hike in the countryside, culminating in the Blue Nile Falls (always impressive after the end of the rainy season, from September to December inclusive).

This will be an opportunity to verify that, contrary to popular belief, Ethiopia is indeed Africa's water tower. For dinner, you'll have two choices: either an excellent fish restaurant on the shores of the lake, or a traditional restaurant in the city center (with traditional music and dance if the day is right).

Full board

Overnight at Solyana Hotel

http://www.solyanahotel.com/

Bahir Dar/ Lalibela 300 km Domestic flight: 1h

It's the "Chinese Road" that you're flying over today (ET 126, 9am > 9.30am), which finally connects the country's two major axes, hitherto separated, and above all the village of Lalibela with its regional capital, Bahir Dar. Around the 11th century, many Abyssinian Christians went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. As this journey from Africa to the Middle East was particularly perilous (passing through the Sudanese and Egyptian deserts), King Lalibela decided to build a "Black Jerusalem". at the same time, a schism emancipated the Ethiopian Orthodox Church forever from the Church of Alexandria in Egypt. Thus was born Lalibela, a group of troglodyte churches, unique in the world, each with its own particular physiology.

Lalibela's main group of churches, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered one of the world's wonders. Today you'll visit this group of churches under the attentive guidance of your English-speaking guide, who knows every crevice of the rock and will be able to point out the details of the rocks and the meaning of each painting.

Full board

Overnight at Cliff Edge Hotel

https://www.cliffedgehotel-lalibela.com/

Addis Ababa/Lalibela 711 km Domestic flight: 1h

In the morning, you'll head for the Asheton Maryam monastery, where you'll get a bird's-eye view of the city. Situated at an altitude of 3,500m, it was probably founded by King Nakuto Lab, who is probably buried here. On the way to the airport, you can also visit the eponymous church.

As Lalibela is a two-day drive from Ethiopia's capital, we prefer a late-morning domestic flight (ET 121, 13:10 > 14:10).

Your last stopover will be in the capital. Addis Ababa was founded in the late 19th century, when Queen Taitu, wife of King Menelik, saw a green valley from her palace on top of Entoto Hill; Addis Ababa means "New Flower" in Ethiopia's official language, Amharic.

On landing, we'll begin with a brief tour of Addis Ababa: your choice of the National Museum (home to Lucy), the Ethnographic Museum in the former palace of the Negus Haile Selassie (now located in the heart of the university), or a drive to the viewpoint of Entoto Hill, overlooking Addis and home to King Menelik's palace.

A colorful farewell dinner with your English-speaking guide and a member of the board

Courtesy room at Mazeki hotel

http://www.mazekiboutiquehotel.com/

Farewell dinner