Border Information: If joining in Addis Ababa, you will most likely enter Ethiopia at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. There will be a group meeting at the joining hotel at 6:00pm. Please look out for a note from your tour leader at the reception when you arrive giving more details about this important meeting. The rest of the day before this meeting will be free to explore Addis Ababa and visit the city's many museums - we recommend that you arrive early (or the night before) if you would like the chance to fully explore the sights of Addis Ababa. In Addis Ababa we will stay in a comfortable hotel with good facilities. Hotel for the night: sarem-international-hotel Sarem International Hotel Belay Zeleke Street (around Semien Mazegaja) Addis Ababa Ethiopia Tel: +251 11 126 2088/99 Activity Approximate Cost Visit "Lucy",...

Activity Approximate Cost Visit the Menelik Mausoleum, built to serve as the tombs of emperors and princes Free Explore the fascinating Ethnological Museum, one of the best museums in Africa set in a former palace of Haile Selassie ETB 100 About Addis Ababa: Referred to more commonly as "Addis", Addis Ababa (220 km, approx 7-8 hours) lies amongst wooded hills at an altitude of about 2300 metres, giving it a pleasant climate. Addis has many sights to offer visitors and we have free time to explore the sites. Get a fascinating glimpse into Ethiopia's many tribal groups at the Ethnological Museum, see the stunning fossil collection at the National Museum, and don't miss the chaotic bustle of the Merkato (local market). All manner of arts and crafts can be found in the souvenir shops on Churchill Avenue. Today we will leave Addis ...

Today we will leave Ziway and drive to the stunning Bale Mountains National Park. Estimated Drive Time - 8 hours. We will enjoy 2 full days to explore the National Park. We will keep one day completely free to head out for guided walks - there are several possibilities for routes, including highland routes up the hills and moorlands searching formountain nyalas, or lowland walks through the forest areas to look for Bale monkeys! On the other day we will drive in the truck up to the Sanetti Plateau, all the way to the second-highest point in Ethiopia (the summit of Tulu Dimtu) to explore the primeval landscape and search for Ethiopian wolves. In the Bale Mountains we will stay in dorms in a basic lodge near the entrance to the National Park. Activity Approximate Cost Various walks through the forests, moors, and mountains of th...

Today we will head north to the small town of Awassa, where we will visit the Awassa Children's Project in the afternoon. This is a home for local children orphaned by the HIV epidemic, and we will be shown around and see how public donations and the support of Dragoman goes towards feeding, sheltering and educating the children. After our visit we will head to Wendo Genet, a small town in the hills above Awassa, where we will stay for the 2 nights. Estimated Drive Time - 7-8 hours. We will have a a free day to explore the region, go on an optional walk to some nearby waterfalls, and take a dip in the nearby hot springs. In Wendo Genet we will camp in the grounds of a small local hotel. Activity Approximate Cost Visit the Dragoman-supported Awassa Children's Project, a home for orphaned children from the area Included in Kitty...

Today we will travel to the town of Arba Minch, a small town overlooking Lake Chamo. Estimated Drive Time - 9-10 hours. The next day, we will have a free day for some well-earned rest after the Omo Valley, or to take an optional boat trip on Lake Chamo to the view the crocodiles that reside there, or hire bicycles to explore the scenic area. In Arba Minch we will stay in a basic local hotel. Activity Approximate Cost Take a boat trip on Lake Chamo, a stunning lake with a dense population of crocodiles ETB 450 Visit the fascinating village of Chincha to learn all about the culture of the Dorze people ETB 100 Hire bicycles to explore the stunning surrounds of Arba Minch ETB 200 About Arba Minch: Meaning 'forty springs', Arba Minch takes its name from the streams found between the two Rift Valley lakes of Abaya and Chamo. The to...

Over the next 4 days/3 nights we will be exploring the remote and rarelyvisited tribal areas of the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia. We will keep these days on a flexible itinerary so that we can react to news of special events being hosted by particular villages or tribes; as such, we cannot provide an exact itinerary for these days. However, we will aim to visit various tribal villages in the area, such as villages of the Hamer, the Mursi and the Konso tribes. We will camp in basic campsites on all these nights without possibility of upgrades, and we try to spend at least one of the nights camping in one of the tribal villages (this is not guaranteed to be possible on every trip). Drive times - 4-9 hours each day. Please note that we will be travelling through very remote areas with rough roads and basic conditions on these d...

Today we will arrive in the town of Konso, marking the end of our time in the Omo Valley region. In Konso we will camp in the grounds of a basic lodge. If we have made good time and do not wish to stay in Konso, we may choose to push on to wild camp at Sode Crater, giving us a chance for some short walks in the morning before crossing the Kenyan border. About Konso: In the far south of Ethiopia on the banks of the Sagan river is Konso, gateway to the Omo Valley. The whole way of life in the villages here has changed little over the centuries and old traditions are strongly upheld.

Border Information: Exit Ethiopia at Moyale, enter Kenya at Moyale. Today we have a full drive day across the Kenyan border at Moyale, where we will camp at the town's police station or in a local campsite. Estimated Drive Time - 9-10 hours. About Moyale: The market town of Moyale splits the countries of Kenya and Ethiopia. There is a nice atmosphere that runs throughout the town and more of this can be discovered through exploring.

Over the next two days we will be travelling through the very rarely-visited region of northern Kenya, crossing the infamous Moyale-Marsabit road to the central Samburu region. Both days will be fairly long hard driving, and the road can be incredibly bumpy and challenging, but scenery makes up for this as we travel through the black lunar landscapes near Marsabit and pass mountain greenery, spectacular craters, watercourses, bush country and termite mounds. On the first day of our journey, we will reach the town of Marsabit and will stay in a basic local hotel with shared bathrooms. Estimated Drive Time - 9-12 hours (highly dependant on weather conditions) Please note that due to security issues in this particular area, we will be accompanied by two armed police escorts between Moyale and Archer's Post. Activity Approximate ...

Today we will get up early and enter the Samburu National Reserve, where we will head out for the entire day for game drives in the truck (breaking for a long lunch during the heat of the day). Samburu is a stunning National Reserve and is a great opportunity to spot big game such as cheetah, leopards, lions, and buffalo. The Reserve is also home to other animals rarely seen in the National Parks further south, such as Grevy's zebras, Somali ostriches and gerenuk ('giraffe-necked antelopes'). Tonight we will wild camp in a camping area in the National Reserve - facilities are very basic, but the area is a 5-10 minute walk from Samburu Lodge. Please note that during very wet conditions we may need to use locally chartered 4x4 jeeps rather than our truck to get a good game drive in - in this instance we may make this option avail...

Today we will exit the Samburu National Reserve via a final game drive, to arrive at the small village of Naro Moru at the base of Mount Kenya. Estimated Drive Time - 5-6 hours. On the next day, we will have a free day in Naro Moru to take optional walks around the lower slopes of Mount Kenya, explore the nearby Mau Mau caves, or take an optional game drive in the nearby Sweetwaters National Reserve. In Naro Moru we will stay at a well equipped campsite. Activity Approximate Cost Head out horse riding in the forests around Naro Moru KES 1000 Nature walks around the base of Mt. Kenya, searching for birdlife and Colobus monkeys USD 15 Game driving in the wildlife-packed private reserve of Ol Pejeta Conservancy and Sweetwaters Game Reserve USD 190 Guided walk to the Nayaroi Caves in the foothills of Mt. Kenya, used by the Mau M...

Today we will head through the hills of central Kenya, through the area's beautiful scenery and tea plantations, to arrive at Nakuru. If we make good time on the drive we may have the opportunity to take a walk around the working dairy farm where our campsite is, and to visit a local women's knitting collective. Estimated Drive Time - 7 hours. On the next day, we head into Nakuru National Park for an included full-day game drive in local safari trucks. Nakuru is a beautiful park with a large lake and many forested areas - it is teeming with wildlife and there is an excellent chance to see both black and white rhinos! In Nakuru we will stay at a beautiful and well equipped campsite located on a dairy farm on the outskirts of Nakuru town. Activity Approximate Cost Walk to explore a colonial dairy farm and visit a local women's ...

Today we make our way to Lake Naivasha, a beautiful calm lake in the Great Rift Valley. Here we will have the chance to take an optional boat trip on the lake to spot hippos and African fish eagles, and also to visit the Elsamere Born Free Foundation at the old home of Joy Adamson. In Naivasha we stay at a well equipped campsite on the lake shore. Estimated Drive Time - 3 hours. Activity Approximate Cost Boat trip on the beautiful and serene Lake Naivasha (price for the whole boat) KES 7000 Walking safari in the wildlife-rich Crater Lake Game Sanctuary USD 40 Visit the Elsamere Born Free Foundation at the former house of the conservationists Joy and George Adamson Included in Kitty Explore the beautiful landscape and wildlife of Hell's Gate National Park by foot or by bicycle USD 50 About Naivasha: On the shores of Lake Naiv...

Border Information: If you are finishing in Nairobi, you will most likely exit Kenya at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This morning we will have some free time in Naivasha to relax at the lake, go on an optional early walk in the Crescent Lake Wildlife Sanctuary or hire bicycles to explore the nearby Hell's Gate National Park! After lunch we will make our way to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. We expect to arrive back in Nairobi around 4pm in the afternoon. On arrival in Nairobi you will be dropped at our finishing point hotel. No accommodation is provided for tonight, but we are able to book you additional accommodation in Nairobi. Please ask at time of booking. If you would like to explore Nairobi fully, we advise you spending an extra night here. Possible activities include visiting the Karen Blixen Museum, the ...