7 Days - Taste of Ethiopia: Gondar, Lalibela & Community treks

Day notes

Arrive in Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa. Picked up on arrival, transfer to your hotel.

If you arrive early, you may have time to do a city tour and visit the National Museum, Ethnological Museum, St George Cathedral, the Merkato, and other attractions.

Day notes

Picked up early morning from your hotel, transfer to the airport. Board the schedule flight to Gondar. Met in Gondar, transfer to Goha hotel for a quick check in. You may decide to have lunch at the hotel, or you may ask your guide to take you to a local restaurant in Gondar.

Thereafter, spend the rest of the day visiting the famous historical sites in Gondar including; the Royal Enscloser where all the previous Emperors built their castles, Fasiladas Bath, and the Debre Berhan Selassie Church.

In the late afternoon return to Goha hotel where you can sit outside and watch the sunset over the city.

Day notes

Picked up after breakfast, transfer to the trek starting point at the Werkaye Mariam Community lunch stop. After having a local lunch, start your trek to the Mequat Mariam Guest House. This trek usually takes about three hours.

The tukuls (thatched round cottages) are set on a promontory of the Meket plateau with staggering views to the West and South. A small troop of gelada baboons patrol the escarpment, and a troop of vervet monkeys sometimes come up for a visit. Lammergeyers, vultures, buzzards, kites, ravens and many other birds soar over the site, and a flock of white-billed starlings - endemic to the highlands of Ethiopia are reisdent by this guest house cliff.

Mequat Mariam boasts a 'rock bar' , a smooth sheltered ledge that is warmed by the afternoon sun and invites guest to sit with a sundown drink while watching the golden glow at the end of the day as the sun sets over Mount Guna.

Day notes

After breakfast, start the 7 hour trek along the escarpment edges and across the meadows and fields of the Wajela community.

On the way you will stop for lunch at Meskal Mikael. Lunch is usually enjara and vegetable wots, with a coffee ceremony to follow. This lunch spot is also a beautiful place with dramatic views. For several months after the rainy season ends there is a waterfall off the cliffs near here. It's also a great baboon spotting location.

Arrive at the guesthouse in the late afternoon in time to watch the sunset over the highlands.

Day notes

From Wajela, you have a short walk to meet your vehicle and transfer to Lalibela. If you would like to have a longer walk on this day you can walk to Gicha Mender community stop which takes about 2.5 hours. Thereafter you can transfer to Lalibela and visit some churches in the afternoon.

You are booked at your hotel on bed & breakfast basis, so you are free to have dinner elsewhere in Lalibela if you wish. The Ben Abena restuarant is a reputable restaurant within walking distance from Maribela and Mountain View Hotel. It is run by a Scottish lady and is set on the edge of a cliff with panoramic views of Lalibela. It serves both Ethiopian and Western dishes.

Day notes

After breakfast, transfer to Lalibela airport for your schedule flight to Addis Ababa. Connect with your International flight home/ next destination.