South 12 DAYS TOUR SURMA & WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Arrive at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. Upon arrival, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your reserved hotel. After time to refresh, take a guided city tour of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital and the third highest capital in the world. You will start the tour with a visit to the famous coffee house, Tomoka. Then head to the National Museum, home to one of the world’s most important paleontological exhibits in the world; ‘Lucy’. Visit Entoto Mountain, which overlooks the whole of Addis Ababa. Then visit the Holy Trinity Cathedral Church. As the final resting place of much-loved Emperor Haile Selassie, Holy Trinity Cathedral is one of the country’s most sacred places of worship. The city tour will end with an exploration of the colorful Merkato, Africa’s largest open-air market.

Depart Addis Ababa and drive west towards Jimma through the Gibe River Valley and beautiful landscapes. Jimma, the largest settlement in western highlands, is an important center of coffee production and distribution. Also, Jimma is best known for King Abba Jifar who was the last independent king of Jimma and built an impressive palace. Arrive at Jimma late in the afternoon and transfer to your reserved accommodation.

After breakfast, visit the palace of King Abba Jifar and Jimma Museum. The historical palace of Sultan Abba Jifar, (1853 – 1925), still stands with its architectural beauty. The Museum contains a selection of personal effects of the king and other ethnographic objects of the Oromo and other ethnicities. Then start drive towards Mizan Teferi Town. Along the route, stop at the famous and largest Wush Wush Tea plantation. Arrive at Mizan Teferi and transfer to your Accommodation.

Leave Mizan Teferi and drive further west towards Tulgit the home of Surma (Suri) Tribe known for having a culture of lip-plating and stick fighting ceremony called Donga. On the way visit Bebeka Coffee Planation. With 93-sq-km Bebeka Coffee Plantation is the oldest and largest coffee farm in Ethiopia. Bebeka Coffee Plantation is located in the highlands surrounded by montane vegetation which also acts as a habitat for wildlife, especially for the birds. Explore the coffee plantation from seedling to Coffee beans. Proceed towards Tulgit via Dima. Overnight Camping.

Early morning, transfer to Kibish for a hike to one of the nearby villages of the Surma Tribe. You will visit a nomadic cattle camp (depending on the season) to see the morning ritual of pastoralist Surma with their cattle trying to drink as breakfast the mixture of fresh blood and milk from live cows. In Surma Culture, Piercing and lip plates are important for women, and men are supposed to be fierce warriors as well as cattle herders. The Surma people have a cattle-centered culture; the wealth of a family is measured by the number of animals owned. They use their cattle for milk and blood. Overnight Camping.

This is another day to visit the Surma people and their exciting villages and explore their lifestyle and culture in more detail. If we get into the season of the Donga festival, you will witnesses stick fighting. In Surma culture, after the rainy season when there is a surplus of food, Surma men from different clans gather to fight in battles on Donga sticks and define the strongest. Donga is a kind of rite of passage, the ceremony for the boys to become real men, warriors who, in the event of tribal wars with neighboring tribes, will be responsible to defend the honor of the tribe and preserve their cattle. You will also see body painting on the river bank, where young men apply the chalk onto the bodies of each other. Overnight Camping.

Early in the morning, leave Kibish and drive towards Bonga via Bebeka and Mizan Teferi. You will pass through the small town Dima where you will have a chance to see a local market. After a lunch break at Mizan Teferi, continue drive to Bonga, the capital city of Kaffa which is considered to be the birthplace of coffee mainly because Arabica Coffee is found growing in the wild forests of Kaffa.

In the morning, hike through the forest to the magnificent Barta Waterfall which Stands 70 meters. Along the hike, you will pass through coffee plantations and farms growing various fruits and fragrant spices. Then start drive to Chebera Churchura National Park passing via Jimma. Because of the large span of altitudes, Chebera-Churchura Park covers a lot of different habitats and landscapes. The park is untouched and rich in the wilderness. The topography is unique, highly heterogeneous, hilly terrain, and a few flatlands. The park has a good variety of animals like Elephants, Buffalos, Greater Kudu, Bush Pig, and Giant Forest Hog. Arrive at the park and overnight camping.

After breakfast, excursion inside the park to Meka and Erka Forests. This is the best part of the park to explore the wildlife. The following animals live in this area; African Elephant, Hippopotamus, Cape Buffalo, Lion, and Leopard. Besides, there is an opportunity for birding watching activity. You will be back at the campsite for lunch and a short break. Then you will go for a walk to the hot springs and the waterfall. Overnight Camping.

A full-day scenic drive south via Jimma to Yirgalem town the home of Sidama People and a lovely and tranquil area in which to relax and escape the rat race. Sidama people are blessed with unique geology, traditions, and a UNESCO-recognized calendar. They ate famous for growing sweeter, more acidic coffee beans with appeasing aroma and complex flavors.

Today, first you will visit the coffee farms of the Sidama. Coffee from Sidama is one of the best Arabica coffee in Ethiopia. Then in the afternoon, you will walk through the beautiful cultural villages of the Sidama People. The villages are filled with Enset (False Banana) and Coffee plantations. A Hanafa cultural tourist village showcases the culture and way of life of the Sidama people. You will see the traditional coffee ceremony, preparation of traditional Sidama food, and the ways of life of the local people. Overnight in Lodge in Yirgalem.

In the morning, drive towards Awassa and visit the scenic lake Awassa and the famous Fish Market. Then continue driving back to Addis Ababa. Arrive at Addis in the afternoon and time for shopping. Then you will be transferred to a hotel for a few hours to prepare your luggage and get ready for your return flight back home. In the evening, before your international flight, farewell dinner at Ethiopian Cultural Restaurant. Finally, your driver will take you to Bole International Airport and take your flight back home.