Black Kite Tour
Home  »  Historic route by car

Historic route by car

Departure dates:

6th of October 2019, 10th of November 2019, 8th of December 2019, 5th of January 2020,  10th of February 2020, 7th of March 2020,  11th of April 2020, 9th of May 2020, 6th of June 2020, 11th of July 2020,
8th of August 2020, 5th of September 2020, 11th of November 2020,

2 – 4pax = 2113 $ USD per person; single room supp. 275 $

Duration: 13 daysRead more

Price includes:

  •  Hotel accommodation based on double/twin sharing in 3* S hotels
  •  Transfers to/from airport
  •  Meals – half board basis (breakfast and dinner)
  •  4X4 car with driver guide, fuel, insurance
  •  Local guide service in each destination
  •  Scout in
  •  Boat trip
  •  Entrance fees
  •  Local taxes and service charges
  •  24/7 assistance from Head Office in Addis Ababa

Not included:

  •  International flights (country of origin/Addis – Addis/country of origin)
  •  Drinks
  •  Personal expenses (telephone calls, laundry, gifts etc)
  •  Tips to guides and drivers
  •  Personal insurance (highly recommended)

Day 1: Addis Ababa

Arrive Addis Ababa at Bole International Air Port & meet with us for transfer to the hotel. Overnight hotel

 Day 2: Addis Ababa

Today you have a full day city tour in Addis Ababa. Visit the National Museum, where you see the famous fossil Lucy, who was 3.2 million years old, the Ethnographic Museum, Entoto St. Mary Museum, St .Trinity Cathedral church, and Merkato market, the largest open-air market in Africa. Overnight hotel

 Day 3: Bahir Dar

After an early breakfast drive to the city of Bahir Dar. Passing by mt. Entoto through the sululta plain and stop at Jemmal valley for photo. Then proceed to the spectacular scenery of the Blue Nile Gorge, which has a breath taking scenery and better than the Grand Canon according to visitor. Overnight hotel.

 Day 4: Bahir Dar

We drive to the Blue Nile Falls, which is known locally as Tissisat (smoking water) fall: 100 m (328 ft) wide, the water plunges for 45 m (148 ft), giving rise to steam clouds and rainbows. After lunch we will have a boat trip on Lake Tana. There are 37 islands on Lake Tana and 32 of them have churches and monasteries of considerable historical and cultural interest. We visit the monastery church of Ura Kidane Mihiret, which is the best known of the monasteries and has an important collection of religious icons from the 16th to 18th centuries A.D. Overnight same hotel

 Day 5: Gonder

Drive to Gonder, which is 180 kms away from Bahir Dar. Gonder was the first capital city of the Ethiopian Empire, which began in 1632 with the reign of Fasilidas. In Gonder, there are a dozen castles built by various emperors over the course of 236 years. The city seems more European than African. In the afternoon, we visit Fasilidas’ Palace, probably the most impressive of all the castles found in the area and the oldest one! We continue on to the Church of Debre Berham Selassie (Light of the Trinity). The interior of Debre Berham Selassie is decorated with beautiful frescos, cherubs and paintings. Debre Berham Selassie is rumored to once have been the proposed final resting-place of the Ark of the Covenant. Overnight hotel

 Day 6: Debark

After breakfast drive from Gonder to Semen Mounatin National park, which is 130 kms. This is a small market town at an altitude of 2700 meters close to the boundary of the Semien Mountains National park. Corrugated – iron – roofed buildings surround its colorful and busy market area. Before entering the park, you have to register at the park headquarters just outside town. Here, armed scout – one of the park regulations, joins you. Then drive to Sankober for the best view. En route, pass through pretty country, the foothills of the Semen Mountains, with carefully tended field, open pasture with grazing horses, stands of trees and distant rocky peaks. At the high point of the road, there are superb views across the weirdly eroded foothills of the range and you may also be lucky enough to spot you first lammergeyers and gelada baboons of the trip. Overnight hotel in Debark

 Day 7: Axum

Having your breakfast drive to the ancient town of Axum through the chains of the Semen Mountains and the Tekeze river valley. Overnight hotel

 Day 8: Axum

Today you will have a city tour in Axum, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The legends narrated in the Kebre Nagast (Book of Kings) recount how the city of Axum as early as the 10th century B.C was already the city in which the Queen of Sheba resided. It is recounted that the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant to Axum and it remains there to this day, preserved in a sanctuary. Famous long before the time of Christ, Axum was the capital of the long Axumite reign, one of the oldest African empires and represented a crucial connecting-point between Africa and Asia for almost a thousand years. Visit the Granite stone Stele of Axum, The Tombs of King Kaleb and his son King G/Mesekel, The Ezana’s stone inscription, The Queen of Sheba’s palace and Swimming pool, and the Church of Zion, which is the final resting place of the True Arc of The Covenant. Overnight same hotel

 Day 9: Mekelle

After breakfast drive to Adigrate by the Adwa Mountains. On the way visit Yeha Temple, which is more than 2500 years old and small museum in the Church compound. And then drive to Debre Damo, which is the first monastery in Ethiopia and found in 6th C by Abune Aregawi, who was one of the Nine Saints. After lunch drive to Mekele. En route, visit the 4th C rock church of Wukro Cherkos. Overnight hotel

 Day 10: Lalibela

After an early breakfast drive to the town of Lalibela via Sekota(300 kms) to experience the rough nature of road but nice with the beautiful scenery (gigantic, ups and downs landscape) have. Overnight Hotel

 Day 11: Lalibela

Today you have a full day city tour in Lalibela. The city contains 11 monolithic churches that were built in the 12th century and are carved out of the pink granite rock; they have been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the first and the third group of churches, which have seven rock churches. After lunch visit the second group of churches, which have four rock churches. Overnight at same hotel

 Day 12: Kombolcha

Drive 325 kms to Kombolcha through the highlands of Dilb, where you may see the endemic mammal of Gelada baboon. Along the way you will have a chance to take a picture of the beautiful hair style of the Wello people and will have a short stop at Lake Hayk, where you see colorful water birds. And then proceed to Kombolcha. Overnight hotel

 Day 13: Addis Ababa/Departure

After breakfast drive back to Addis Ababa through the tunnel of Tarma Ber, which is 580 meters. On the way, you will have a stop at Gemassa plateau, where you see the Great Rift Valley and one of the Oromo village with their people . Evening after the dinner program in one of the traditional restaurant, transfer to air port for departure. End of the tour.