Danakil Depression via Awash NP, Lalibela, Bahir Dar & Semien Mountain Tour 14 days

Day 1 Addis Ababa - Awash NP

Drive from Addis Ababa to Awash National Park. Visit the whole day the fauna and flora of the park. Such as gazelle, Oryx, warthogs, etc and Avifauna (birdlife) such as catbird, yellow throat birds, etc See the Awash River course that gave the name to the park and bath in the hot spring.

Overnight: Awash – lodges

Day 2 Danakil: Assaita - Lake Afdera

Drive to Assaita one of the principal towns in Afar region. Collect permit papers from tourism office and head to Afdera salt lake: Ethiopians’ unfinished source of salt. Attend Afari people extracting salt, salt caravan. On your way take the pictures of the landscape of sulphur, phosphate etc minerals, blue, white, yellow and other colors in between make it colorful planet on earth.
Overnight: Afdera – camping

Day 3 Danakil: Dodom - Erta Ale

Drive to Dodom 60km base camp, this is the place where you will arrange camels to transport your luggage and water evening start trek to Erta-Ale volcanic lake. At night time the view of the volcanic lake standing on the rim of the well is astonishing breath taking, see the exploding volcano and returns to the well before reaching your leg, again and again , molten lava temperature inside the well is over 3000 degree centigrade.

Overnight: Ertale – camping

Day 4 Danakil: Erta Ale volcano

After you arrive near Erta’ale Stretch your tents and walk in the middle of nowhere only you feel sandy wind in a very hot temperature. In the evening again admire Erta-Ale lake, Earta’ale hell, Erta’ale paradise find a word to describe it the whole day and night.

Overnight: Ertale – camping

Day 5 Danakil: Dodom - Hamedila

Early start trekking back to Dodom base camp meet the car and drive on the way to Hamedale After Camping in the early evening observe the caravan crossing in the moon light

Overnight: Dodom – camping

Day 6 Danakil: Dallol salt mines

Morning excursion to Dallol to visit the salt extraction by the Afar and Tigray people, This day is a special day in your life to sink in -130 meter below sea level surface a place called Dallol. It is the hottest place on earth. On the way surprisingly see half dressed men extracting salts in the desert and visit different colors of minerals bubbling out.

Overnight: Hamedela – camping

Day 7 Berhale - Mekele

Drive to and stop over Barehalie town of Afar tribe. It is the place of market in the region heading to Mekelle town of the Tigray people.

Overnight: Mekelle – hotel

Day 8 Lalibela

Morning drive to Lalibela town of rock hewn churches.

Overnight: Lalibela – hotel

Day 9 Lalibela

Visit half of the 11 rock hewn churches in the morning and half in the afternoon, may be after lunch. Stunning the stones carved to make these monolithic churches in the 12 century, using the tools of that time Entrance for the whole churches for 5 days is 400 birr the most expensive place according to Ethiopians for these the first must see place in Ethiopia.

Overnight: Lalibela – hotel

Day 10 Bahir Dar - Lake Tana

Drive to Bahir Dar town of source of Blue Nile River. The river passes over the waters of Lake tana you can identify it the river path Abay is muddier than Tana on which there are more than 30 islands hosting monasteries and aquatic birds, hippos. Finish the day with the sunset over the lake.

Overnight: Bahir Dar – hotel

Day 11 Gonder

Drive to Gonder town of castles which used as a palace of Kings who ruled Ethiopia’s best time in the 17th century. Fasil ghibie/compound, his swimming pool, and roof paintings of Debre Birhan Silasie church are some of the attractions to be visited the whole day.

Overnight: Gonder – hotel

Day 12 Siemen Mountains

Drive to Debark town and hike to Semien Mountains which is the highest pick in Ethiopia, Campsites of Sankaber to chenek are accessible by car. Game searching of the endemic Walia Ibex, Abyssinian wolf, and bird species in couple of days.

Overnight: Siemen Mountans – camping

Day 13 Siemen Mountains - Bahir Dar

Drive back to Gonder Town and Bahrdar town at night to head to Addis the next day.

Overnight: Bahir Dar – hotel

Day 14 Blue Nile Gorge - Addis Ababa

Drive to Addis from Bahir Dar 525 km. on nth way cross the Blue Nile Gorge and town of Debre Markos known for the honey production.

Overnight: Addis Ababa – hotel