Depart Washington Dulles International
Day 1
Arrive to Addis Ababa in morning. Check into Hotel de Leopol. Begin your adventure with a drive up to Mount Entoto. The panorama from the peak is breathtaking. Enjoy a visit to Trinity Cathedral, the largest and most revered of all the churches. Visit the Ethnological Museum, an ideal place to start learning about Ethiopia’s rich ethnic diversity. The museum has an impressive array of religious crosses, triptychs and murals, as well as Haile Selassie’s bedroom and bathroom. Hotel de Leopol
Day 2
In morning, fly to Bahir Dar. Bahir Dar is a pleasant city located on the shores of Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia. There are 37 islands on lake Tana and 30 of them have churches and monasteries of considerable historical and cultural interest. Upon arrival in Bahir Dar, check in to hotel. Enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Tana to visit the 13th century Monastery of Ura Kidane Mihret which is the most famous of the Zege peninsula monasteries with a very beautiful painted maqdas. Later in the day, embark on a city tour of Bahir Dar, encompassing visits to the market, the palace of Emperor Haile Selassie (view point only- as it is not permitted to enter), Weyto Villages and the deacon school at Trinity. Enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Tana to visit the 13th century Monastery of Ura Kidane Mihret which is the most famous of the Zege peninsula monasteries with a very beautiful painted maqdas. Later in the day, embark on a city tour of Bahir Dar, encompassing visits to the market, the palace of Emperor Haile Selassie (view point only- as it is not permitted to enter), Weyto Villages and the deacon school at Trinity. Tana Hotel or Papyrus Hotel
Day 3
In the morning, fly to Gondar. Upon arrival, check into hotel. Gondar was the first capital of the Ethiopian Empire, which began in 1632 with the reign of Fasilidas. In Gondar, there are a dozen castles built by various emperors over the course of 236 years. Visit the royal enclosure containing six castles, a complex network of connecting tunnels, raised walkways and several smaller buildings. Take a tour of the bathing palace of King Fasilidas. Later, proceed to the fascinating Debre Birhan Selassie Church with its walls and ceilings decorated with scenes of Biblical lore and medieval history
Day 4
Fly to Lalibela, described as the 8th wonder of the world, for two days of touring what is considered to be one of the holiest cities in Ethiopia. Start your exploration with the twelve majestic rock-hewn churches. Begin with the breathtaking Bette Giorgis church, carved in the shape of a cross and set apart from the other church groupings. Other churches include Bete Medhane Alem, Bete Mariam, Bete Maskal, Bete Danaghel, Bete Golgotha and Bete Mikael.
Day 5
Today you will visit the church of Yimrhane Kristos. This exquisite church, a masterpiece of Axumit wood and stone construction is renewed for its interior decoration, its beautiful wooden coffer ceiling inlaid with hexagons and medallions with both figurative and geometric motifs. Visit and drive back to Lalibela. In the afternoon, you will visit the remaining rock-hewn churches of Lalibela.
Day 6
You will be transferred to the airport for flight to Axum. Once the center of a great empire, and the seat of learning for the ancient Ge’ez language and literature, Axum is the prime historical site in the North of Ethiopia. Take a city tour of Axum that includes; the Stelae Park, St. Mary’s Church the Sanctuary Chapel which is the repository of the ‘Ark of the Covenant’, the Coronation Yard, Queen of Sheba’s palace ruins, Axum Museum and the quarry where the stelaes used to me made.
Day 7
Take return flight to Addis Ababa. Enjoy day at your leisure. In evening, enjoy a “farewell dinner” where group will have chance to taste various national dishes, and watch dances of various ethnic groups of Ethiopia. Traditional coffee ceremony will also be served. The group will then be transferred to airport for flight to Cairo. Upon arrival you will be transferred to hotel for overnight
Day 8
After breakfast, the tour will begin with a visit to the Egyptian Museum to see the largest artifact collections from pharaonic times, including the unparalleled treasures of the tomb of Tutankhamun- the “Boy King.” You will be able to view toys, jewelry, and the throne, all found in the pharaoh’s tomb across the Nile from Luxor. Enjoy lunch in town. After, you will visit the Old City of Cairo, including the Mohammed Ali Mosque in the Citadel. Enjoy a walk through the bazaar of Khan el Khalili, where stalls and shops overflow with jewelry, copper, brass, carpets and spices.
Day 9
Today you will experience one of the oldest forms of transportation- a camelback ride- to the base of the Giza Pyramids. Examine Cheop’s Great Pyramid, which is 4,500 years old and covers acres at its base. The famous Giza plateau also includes Chephren and Mycerinus Pyramids and the Sphinx, protector of the pharaohs. A visit is included to the fascinating Solar Boat Museum, meant to transport the pharaoh to the afterlife. After, you will tour Memphis, once the capital of ancient Egypt, and the necropolis at Saqqara to see Djoser’s Step Pyramid, the oldest freestanding stone structure in the world.
Day 10
Today you will be transported to the airport for your flight to the upper Nile Valley to Luxor, known as Thebes in pharaonic times. Visit the Karnak Temple complex, built by generations of pharaohs and covering 60 acres, then follow the partially buried two-mile Avenue of the Ram-headed Sphinxes to Luxor Temple. Embark on the H.S. Radamis II, a deluxe river cruiser, for your four-night cruise up the Nile. Attend the Sound and Light Show in the evening at the Karnak Temple.
Day 11
Today you will start the journey by crossing to the west shore of the Nile to the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, the famed necropolis where tombs of 64 pharaohs have been found, including that of Tutankhamun, whose treasures were miraculously intact after 3,000 years. You will have a chance to visit the tomb (not normally seen by tourists). Visits the unique colonnaded temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon before returning to the ship.
Day 12
This morning, the ship sets sail to Edfu for a visit to the nearly intact Temple of Horus, the falcon god, built by Ptolemy III in 0 B.C. After lunch, continue cruising up the Nile past small villages, palm trees, and famers working in the fields much as they did 2,000 years ago- with donkeys and camels. Dock at Kom Ombo to visit the twin temples dedicated to Horus and Sobek, the Crocodile god. The temples are a classic example of Egyptian symmetry and design in construction.
Day 13
You will dock in Aswan, location of the largest landfill dam in the world- the High Dam- which was built to control the annual flooding of the Nile and to provide electricity. Visit Philae Temple, relocated from another island to save it from the rising river waters when the dam was built. View the granite quarry where an ancient obelisk lies cracked and unfinished. Late in the afternoon, visit the International Museum of Nubia which houses statues and monuments from the time of the Pharaohs, as well as Coptie and Islamic treasures. Transfer to airport for return flight to Cairo for farewell dinner..
Day 14
Today you will depart back to the U.S.
For more information and to develop a customized itinerary to meet your needs
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email inquiries to nick@seeyouinethiopia.com
