Ethiopia fly in safari is a 6 day African safari in Ethiopia. This Ethiopian safari starts and ends in Addis Ababa. This safari tour in Ethiopia takes you to most historic sites in Ethiopia.
About the 6 Day Ethiopia Fly in Safari
Ethiopia fly in safari will tour Lalibela and axum. Lalibela is Ethiopia’s most scenic destination. Axum is popular for the historic obelix. The Ethiopia fly in safari mainly focuses on culture and history. However, you’ll enjoy some of the best Ethiopian scenic tour safari here.
Ethiopia fly in safari is a 6 day African safari in Ethiopia. This Ethiopian safari starts and ends in Addis Ababa. This safari tour in Ethiopia takes you to most historic sites in Ethiopia.
Highlights of the 6 Day Ethiopia Fly in Safari
- Cultural Attractions
- Religious Sites
- Pilgrimage
- Obelix
- Blue Nile
6 Day Ethiopia Fly in Safari Itinerary in Details
Day 1: Bahir Dar
You will be met at Bole Airport or your hotel in Addis Ababa. Our Ethiopia safari rep will brief you on the Ethiopia fly in safari. This is before you board a local flight at 0700hrs to Bahir Dar.
You will be met on arrival at the airport by our safari guide. On a boat, this Ethiopia fly in safari heads for a tour on Lake Tana. You’ll visit a selection of the monasteries hidden on the islands.
There are also other monasteries found on the shores of this sacred lake. You’ll go to the Zege Peninsula to the monastery of Azuwa Maryam. The visit also goes to the monastery of Ura Kidane Mehret.
On the island is the monastery of Debre Maryam. This is found near the outlet of the Blue Nile River. In the afternoon you’ll drive out to the Blue Nile Falls.
This will be for a short hike in the area. You’ll finish the day with a sundowner over the lake. Your overnight will be in Bahir Dar at Kuriftu Resort and Spa.
Lake Tana
Lake tana Rivals the attraction of the Blue Nile Falls. Here there are the thirty-seven islands scattered about on the 3,000-square-kilometre. This is about 1,860-square-mile surface of Ethiopia’s largest body of water. Lake Tana, which gives birth to the Blue Nile.
There are some twenty of these shelter churches and monasteries. These are sites of immense historical and cultural interest. They are decorated with beautiful paintings and housing innumerable treasures.
Lake Tana is the largest lake of Ethiopia. it is located in a depression of the northwest plateau, 6,000 feet (1,800 metres) above sea level. lake Tana forms the main reservoir for the Blue Nile (Abbay) River. This drains its southern extremity near Bahir Dar.
The lake’s surface covers 1,418 square miles (3,673 square km). It has surrounding drainage of 4,500 square miles (11,650 square km). The maximum depth is 45 feet (14 metres).
There are many interesting and historic locations on or around the lake. They include the islands of Birgida Maryam, Dega Estefanos, Dek, Narga and Tana Cherkos. Others are Mitsele Fasilidas, Kebran, and Debre Maryam. We also have the Gorgora, Mandaba, and Zeghe peninsulas. All have fine churches.
Most of these churches were founded much earlier. The actual buildings date from the late sixteenth or early seventeenth centuries. Many have beautiful mural paintings and church crosses. There are also house crowns and clothes of former kings.
Day 2: Bahir Dar – Gondar
You will begin the day on this Ethiopia fly in safari with breakfast. This will be followed by a departure. You’ll drive north to Gondar.
This will be a four-hour drive going through rural villages. You’ll enjoy wonderful insight into the Amhara culture. On arrival you’ll settle in your hotel in Gondar. This is before going out to explore your surroundings.
The sites to be visited include the Royal Enclosure with six castles. There are several other buildings that are worth a visit. Your Ethiopia fly in safari will also visit Fasilidas’s Pool. This pool is still used for Timket celebrations today.
You’ll visit to Ras Gimb Palace Museum and the Debre Birhan Selassie church. They have the most famous ceiling in Ethiopia. Today you’ll spend the night in Gondar at Taye Hotel.
Day 3: Gondar – Axum
You will wake up to an early breakfast before departure on this Ethiopia fly in safari. You will be flying early morning at 0745hrs to Axum.
Our guide will meet you on arrival at Axum. Enjoy the transfer to your Axum hotel. You will spend the day visiting the sites of Axum. This includes the famous obelisks. One was recently erected after being returned from Italy.
There is the archaeological museum and the Queen of Sheba’s Bath. The latter supplies water to Axum year-round. You’ll also visit Ezana’s inscription, King Kaleb’s tomb and King Bazen’s tomb. You cannot finish the royalty visit without the Queen of Sheba’s Palace.
In Axum you can also visit the St. Mary of Zion church. This is where the Ark of the Covenant is kept. It is only men who are allowed to enter the old church.
Unfortunately, you are not allowed to enter the chapel where the Ark is kept. This is a preserve one specially chosen guardian monk. Your overnight will be at in Axum at Sabean International Hotel.
Obelisks of Axum
The Kingdom of Axum was one of the greatest powers on earth. This was from the early 4th century B.C.E until the 10th century C.E.
The town was centered as a trade city between Persia and Rome. The city of Axum flourished in culture, power and wealth.
This was a pagan Kingdom during its early peak. Giant pillars were erected to mark the tombs of important leaders. In the 4th century, the King Ezana solidified the Kingdom’s conversion to Christianity. He stopped all pagan practices, including the erection of burial stelea. This included the 80-foot Obelisk of Axum.
Standing only until the 16th century, an earthquake likely toppled the obelisk. Without any importance in a Christian society it was left in many pieces. Most of these did disintegrate back into sand.
The Obelisk lay in ruin for hundreds of years. This is until it was re-discovered by Italian soldiers. It was during the conquest of Ethiopia in 1935. Brought back in three pieces, the 160-ton stele was taken as loot to Rome, where it was reassembled.
After world war II, the UN ruled that the stele must be returned to Ethiopia. But complications arose almost immediately.
Day 4: Axum – Lalibela
You will have the morning at leisure on Ethiopia fly in safari. You can tour what you did not see in Axum. Your Ethiopia fly in safari will later enjoy a transfer to the airport. This is in time for the 1100 hrs morning flight to Lalibela.
This is the most famous of all the Ethiopian historical sites. You’ll venture out after settling in your hotel in Lalibela. You will tour the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. The tour starts with the Northwestern Cluster of churches.
They include Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam and Bet Meskel. There is also Bet Danaghel, Bet Mikael and Bet Golgotha. At Bet Golgotha it is only men permitted to enter. Evening and overnight in Lalibela will be at Mountain View Hotel.
Day 5: Lalibela
You’ll spend the full day of Ethiopia fly in safari in Lalibela. The morning will be spent on a trip to the church of Yimrehanne Kristos.
It is the most popular of the churches outside of Lalibela. This church is built with layers of wood and granite. It is set in the entrance to a large cavern.
Your Ethiopia fly in safari will return to Lalibela for lunch break. You’ll have the afternoon visiting the South-eastern Cluster of churches. They include Bet Gabriel-Rufael, Bet Merkorios, Bet Amanual, and Bet Abba Libanos.
You cannot complete Ethiopia fly in safari without visiting Bet Giyorgis. It is the most famous Ethiopian church. It was constructed in honor of the patron saint of Ethiopia – Saint George. Overnight will be in Lalibela at Mountain View Hotel.
Day 6: Lalibela – Addis Ababa
You will wake up to your breakfast in the hotel. This is before your Ethiopia fly in safari venture out. You will visit the nearby monastery of Na’akuto La’ab.
This is set on the side of a cliff. This will be followed by a transfer to the airport. You will be there in time for the 1150hrs flight to Addis Ababa. Here you’ll be met and transferred to your Addis Ababa hotel. For those travelling out, it’s time to bid Ethiopia farewell.
———- End of 6 Day Ethiopia Fly in Safari ———–
6 Day Ethiopia Fly in Safari Costs:
What is included in the 6 Day Ethiopia Fly in Safari cost?
- All transfer in and out
- All Domestic flights
- All transport in Addis Ababa, Bahir dar, Gonder, Axum and Laliblea
- Professional English-Speaking guide
- Hotel Room on Double Occupancy basis (i.e. sharing a Double room) including Breakfast
- All entrance fees, local guide fee, scout, and boat fees
- Bottled natural water every day
- Service tax.
6 Day Ethiopia Fly in Safari Price excludes:
- Personal expenses (tips, photo and video fees, phone calls, table drinks, laundry, etc.)
- Meals (lunch and dinner)
- Any other services/expenses not mentioned above.
What to Carry on the 6 Day Ethiopia Fly in Safari
- Light (walking in the night)
- Closed, comfortable shoes
- Sun protection like sun cream, hat
Ethiopia Fly in Safari Destinations
Bahir Dar
Bahir Dar, also spelt Bahar Dar, on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the biggest lake in Ethiopia. It is the third largest city in the nation, after Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, with a population of a quarter of a million.
Bahir Dar is the capital of the Amhara region, dominated by the Amhara people, the Ethiopia’s second largest grouping. Bahir Dar is a clean and well-maintained city by African standards. Even the cheaper accommodation has neat, but basic, services.
Bahir Dar is situated on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile (locally called Abay). Ethiopia fli in safari to Bahir Dar takes you approximately 578 km (360 miles) north-northwest of Addis Ababa, and an elevation of 1,840 meters (6,036 foot) above sea level.
Ethiopia fly in safari makes a stop in a clean and well-maintained city by African city standards. It is popular with national tourists for its lake and comfortable climate. It has become part of the northern tourist loop for its access to historic monasteries.
It is also a jumping off point for Blue Nile Falls and Gondar. Due to the bustling tourism industry, the city has numerous pool halls, bars, fresh juice shops, and restaurants.
Originally the settlement was called Bahir Giyorgis. In the 19th century, Bahir Dar was visited by Belgian, French, British and Italian travelers. They described it alternatively as a village or a town. The Italian traveller Mario Alamanni (1891) estimated its population between 1,200 and 1,600.
Some of the highlights on your Ethiopia fly in safari include the various naturally-beautiful wonders which surround the city. The Blue Nile is one of the main highlights, and in particular, its stunning waterfall 28 km southeast of the city.
Gondar
Gondar (also spelled Gonder) is a historic royal city of Ethiopia, in the northern Amhara region. It was the home of many emperors and princesses who ruled the country. They were in power from the 12th century to the last decade of the 20th century.
They included Suseneos, Fasiledes, Empress Mentwab, Iyasu I, Tewodros II and Empress Taitu. Leading the list of its attractions is Fasil Ghebbi (the Royal Enclosure), containing several castles and palaces from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The 7 day Ethiopia fly in safari takes you to the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region. Gondar is north of Tana Lake on the Lesser Angereb River and southwest of the Simien Mountains.
It has a latitude and longitude of 12°36′N 37°28′E with an elevation of 2133 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by the Gondar Zuria woreda. Gondar served as a strong Christian kingdom for many years.
Gondar previously served as the capital of both the Ethiopian Empire and the subsequent Begemder Province. The city holds the remains of several royal castles, including those in Fasil Ghebbi for which Gondar has been called the “Camelot of Africa”.
The so-called Camelot of Africa, Gondar is perhaps the most immediately impressive town along the historical circuit. It is studded as it is with fairy-tale castles, venerable churches and other substantial European-influenced buildings dating from its 17th- and 18th-century heyday.
You will not be disappointed by the well-preserved castles and palaces that grace Gondar’s stone-walled Fasil Ghebbi.
The lavishly painted church of Debre Berhan Selassie and brooding 18th-century palatial complex at Kuskuam both rank highly on Ethiopia’s list of must-sees.
Historical sightseeing on the Ethiopia fly in safari aside, Gondar is a very pleasant city to explore. It has friendly, laid-back, almost countrified mood.
Axum
The Ethiopia fly in safari will head to the small town of Axum in the Tigray region. This is seen as the holiest city in Ethiopia and is home to the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion.
According to Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church this is where the Ark of the Covenant came to rest. In addition to this place of pilgrimage, the main attraction is what was the main city of the Axum empire.
The name Axum, or Akshum as it is sometimes referred to, may derive from a combination of two words from local languages – the Agew word for water and the Ge’ez word for official, shum.
The water reference is probably due to the presence of large ancient rock cisterns in the area of the capital at Axum. Axum is the site of the historic capital of the Aksumite Empire. It is now a tourist town with a population of 66,800 residents (as of 2015).
The kingdom of Axum really started to take off around 350 CE. Axum had already established some form of dominance over Yemen (then called Himyar) in southern Arabia. It extended to Somalia in the southeast and several smaller tribes to the southwest.
Axum is popular for the stelae which are around 24 metres (78 ft) in height, although one fallen and now broken example is 33 metres (108 ft) in total length and 520 tonnes in weight.
It makes it the largest monolith ever to have been transported anywhere in antiquity. The stelae were likely transported on log rollers from a quarry 4.8 km (3 miles) away.
Axum is notable and for sure you will witness on the Ethiopia fly in safari for its huge and iconic obelisks. It is rumored to have been the home of the Queen of Sheba and is believed by some to house the Ark of the Covenant.
Lalibela
The 6 day Ethiopia fly in safari will detour Lalibela. It is a town in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia. It’s known for its distinctive rock-cut churches dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, which are pilgrimage sites for Coptic Christians.
Carved out of rock, the subterranean monoliths include huge Bete Medhane Alem, and cross-shaped Bete Giyorgis. Many are joined by tunnels and trenches, and some have carved bas-reliefs and colored frescoes inside.
Lalibela is one of the country’s most famous and serene settings, beloved by tourists and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians alike for its concentration of rock-hewn churches.
Lalibela is history and mystery frozen in stone, its soul alive with the rites and awe of Christianity at its most ancient and unbending. An Ethiopia fly in safari does not only go to a World Heritage site, but truly a world wonder.
Lalibela has been billed as sub-Saharan Africa’s answer to Angkor Wat or Machu Picchu. True, Lalibela is not quite as ancient as either of these sites. Its medieval churches improve on both insofar as they are not mute ruins of a half-forgotten civilization but active shrines.
These churches have remained in continuous use ever since they were hand-carved into the pink volcanic ruff underlying the town.
On this Ethiopia fly in safari, you will visit the 11 medieval monolithic cave churches of this 13th-century ‘New Jerusalem’. They are situated in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia near a traditional village with circular-shaped dwellings.
Lalibela is a high place of Ethiopian Christianity, still today a place of pilmigrage and devotion. You can spend a night vigil on your Ethiopia fly in safari here during one of the big religious festivals. You will witness Christianity in its most raw and powerful form.
