Ethiopia Photo Tour
January 21 - February 3, 2025
This very unique and exciting photo tour consists of four parts. First, we will visit the Omo River Valley for an extraordinary cultural experience and outstanding photography. It is truly like going back in time 20,000 years. We will visit the Mursi, Surma, Karo, and Hamar tribes, and you will have up close and intimate portrait opportunities that you’ll treasure forever.
The second part of the trip consists of visiting the Christian north of the country. We fly into Gondar and then drive to the beautiful Simien Mountains. Here we will photograph wonderful landscapes and, in addition, we will have close encounters with wild and exotic Gelada baboons where you can take stunning portraits and even use a wide angle lens because they allow such a close approach.
The third part of the trip is visiting Lalibela, the location of the amazing rock-hewn churches that date from the 11th century. These churches are what's left after the surrounding rocks were cut away. It's brilliant architecture, and along with the Ethiopian priests as models, the photography here is fabulous.
Finally, we will witness and photograph a wonderful horse festival in which the horses are decorated artfully and with brilliant color. It's a lot of fun!
We arrive in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, where you can rest and overnight. If you have enough energy after the long flight, you can visit the National Museum of Ethiopia and photograph the skeleton of Lucy, a hominid that dates from 3.2 million years. The next morning we will take our first charter flight south to the tribal area. The photography on this tour is second to none. You won't believe the incredible pictures you'll be taking, and your friends back home will be incredulous. This is an experience of a lifetime you'll never forget.
Please note: This trip is not for everyone. If you need and expect creature comforts when you travel, do not sign up for this photo tour. Two nights on this itinerary are camping simply because there are no hotels in the tribal areas. It will be very hot and dry. This is the real African bush, and you are far from civilization. That's what makes this experience so compelling. You are provided a tent that can be zippered shut, a mattress on a frame, bedding, and the meals are simple but tasty and well prepared. A bush shower is set up in camp (this consists of a 5-gallon container of warm water that flows through a shower valve in a private enclosed area), and hygiene is a top priority. We will have electricity to charge camera batteries, laptop computers, and a light in the tent thanks to the generators provided by the local tour operator.
Our drivers set up and break down the camp when we change locations.
The dirt and gravel roads in Ethiopia are not good, the dust is ever present, and in this kind of rugged environment, you have to have a sense of humor as well as patience and understanding. In the last several years, Chinese companies have built hundreds of kilometers of paved roads and this is a big relief. Still, many of the roads on which we travel are pretty brutal.
If you are a complainer, if you have a low tolerance for things that don't go your way, or if you don't handle unexpected challenges when you travel well, please do not sign up for this tour.
If this is the kind of tour that appeals to you, however, and you are ready to take the most incredible travel pictures of your life and to experience cultures that few outsiders have the privilege of seeing and photographing, then you'll be thrilled with this photo tour.
You will be required to have medical evacuation insurance (just in case) plus the required vaccinations recommended by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. If you need to stay in touch with business associates, friends, or family back home, you will need a satellite phone. Cell service is available in the cities, but in the bush, a sat phone is required to make and receive calls in many of the areas we visit. A caveat to that is our local guide has a hotspot that usually works, making an Internet connection possible even in tribal areas. Jim has used this and it's consistently good.
There should be no rain during January. The temperature will vary from very pleasant to hot, depending on where in the country we'll be and at what elevation. In some of the tribal areas, high temps could reach 104 degrees F or 40 degrees Celsius at this time of year.
About the charter flights: Charter flights in Ethiopia are expensive, but they save several days of driving on roads that can only be described as brutal. The roads that extend from Addis Ababa south to the tribal areas of the Omo River Valley are to be avoided if possible because it takes two full days of driving on rocky, gravel roads each way to get to the areas we need to go. Your experience in Ethiopia will be much more pleasant with the least amount of wear and tear on you with the addition of charter flights in the itinerary. This makes the trip more costly, and I'm sorry about that because I try to keep my prices as reasonable as possible. However, I feel most people would agree that it's the better option. You will be able to see and photograph a lot more because of the wise use of our time in Ethiopia.
ITINERARY:
Day 1, Tuesday, Jan. 21
Depart from your home city so you arrive in Addis Ababa on January 21 at any time. You will be met by a local representative and transferred to our hotel. Overnight Elilly/Capital Hotel and Spa (4 stars).
Day 2, Wednesday, Jan. 22
After breakfast, we take a morning charter flight to Jinka in the Omo River Valley and then transfer to a Mursi village. The Mursi women are famous for wearing lip plates and painting their faces. The women first started using the lip plates as a way to disfigure themselves so black slave traders would be appalled by the way they look and not take them into slavery. Later it became a sign of beauty and a way to get a husband. Overnight at the Eco-Omo Safari Lodge.
Day 3, Thursday, Jan. 23
We have another photo shoot this morning in a different Mursi village, and then we head toward Turmi. Depending on our time, we will proceed to a Hamar village for an evening shoot of these proud people. They have high cheekbones and make for striking portraits. Jim will bring a large piece of black velvet for those who want to take dramatic portraits using this technique.
The incredible photography in this part of Ethiopia captures the ancient world of people who live peacefully and close to nature in one of the most far-flung, yet beautiful, parts of the world. It is a special opportunity to photographically document their daily lives, capture enthralling portraits, and photograph timeless ceremonies. Overnight Paradise Lodge Turmi or similar.
Day 4, Friday, Jan. 24
After breakfast, we have an early morning shoot at a Hamar village. The Hamar women wear beautiful, colored beaded skins, ornate necklaces and metal bangles around their wrists and ankles. They are famous for their unique hair style which consists of a crown of long dread-lock braids covered in reddish ochre. Next, we drive to a Karo village on an elevated bank of the Omo River. The Karo tribe excel in face and body painting that is practiced daily in preparation for their dances and ceremonies. They pulverize locally found white chalk, yellow mineral rock, red iron ore and black charcoal to decorate their bodies, often mimicking the spotted plumage of guinea fowl.
The men create highly decorated clay hair buns which can take up to three days to complete. Their ornate body scaring, where a cut is made with a knife and ash is rubbed into the wound to produce pronounced keloid scarring, is also a known characteristic of the Karo. Overnight Paradise Lodge Turmi or similar.
Day 5, Saturday, Jan. 25
Today we return to Jinka and take a charter flight to Mlzan, the gateway to the Surma people. Another crew will be waiting for us in the airport and they will transfer us to Kibish, which is Surma territory. We drive to our camp which is about 4 hours on mostly good road, and we visit a nearby village of a people that until 50 or 60 years ago was totally isolated from the outside world. Only because of a government road were outsiders able to visit these unique people. Highly decorated and with the women wearing lip plates, the Surma people make incredible subjects. They are friendly, welcoming, and happy to pose for our cameras. They enjoy seeing themselves on the LCD screen. Overnight in our comfortable campsite.
Day 6, Sunday, Jan. 26
We have another day to photograph a second village with more outstanding portrait potential. Many Surma come to our camp just to watch us because we are pretty strange to them, too. This gives us additional opportunities to take great shots. We overnight in our camp by the river. We will have electricity to charge our batteries and laptops, etc.
Day 7, Monday, Jan. 27
Before breakfast, we visit a Surma cattle camp to witness them taking blood from a cow and then drinking the warm, fresh blood. This is one of their staples; it's how they survive. The cow's puncture wound is patched up and the cow returns to the herd. We then have breakfast and drive back to Mizan where we take a charter flight back to Addis Ababa and overnight at the Capital Hotel and Spa.
Day 8, Tuesday, Jan. 28
This morning we take a commercial flight to Gonder. Here we visit an historic church with exquisite Ethiopian Christian art that dates from the 17th century. We then drive past rural villages and the countryside to reach the beautiful and dramatic Simien Mountains to have up close and personal encounters with Gelada baboons. These remarkable primates accept us as if we were part of their troop, and it's quite possible to use wide angle lenses and fill the frame with individual animals. The males are especially photogenic with their impressive manes and colorful chests. The elevation here is about 10,000 feet, and in the evening and early morning it will be chilly. Overnight in Simien Lodge.
Day 9, Wednesday, Jan. 29
After morning photography of the Simien Mountains and the Gelada baboons, we drive back to Gonder and have an afternoon rest to download images and work on the large number of images already taken. Overnight at the Gonder Hills Resort.
Day 10, Thursday, Jan. 30
Following breakfast, we have a very scenic drive to Enjibara. En route we'll have lunch, and upon arrival we'll check into our hotel and prepare for the incredible horse festival the next day with a cast of thousands! Hotel TBA.
Day 11, Friday, Jan. 31
This day is devoted to photographing the remarkable horse festival presented by the Ages Awi people. All of the horses are colorfully decorated, and you'll be able to take pictures of them rearing, galloping in a stunning phalanx, and participating in sportive competition. The photography is unsurpassed. The horsemen are happy to pose for pictures, and this will be one of the great travel experiences you've ever had. The festival is actually a commemoration of the defeat of the Fascist Italian invaders under Mussolini in the 1930's. The Age Awi horsemen were critical to the war effort in bringing supplies to the soldiers at the front. At the end of the day we drive to Bahirdar and overnight at the Bahirdar Avante Resort.
Day 12, Saturday, Feb. 1
This morning we drive to Lalibela, the most renowned of Ethiopia's historical destinations. It is here where the 11th century rock-hewn churches were built. Eleven churches were built over 23 years and 40,000 people provided the labor. Rock was removed from a plateau and the churches, consisting of bedrock, are what's left after the removal of the rock -- all done with hand tools. Priests dressed in colorful clothes are happy to pose for our cameras. We arrive in Lalibela for late afternoon photography. Overnight Mesena Lodge.
Day 13, Sunday, Feb. 2
After an early breakfast, we have a full day to explore the various churches in Lalibela. Not only are the exteriors of the churches beautiful, but the interiors are decorated with ancient Christian art, and in the low light levels we'll have to raise the ISO setting to capture the mystical scenes. Most probably we'll witness prayer sessions inside with captivating chanting and dramatic window and doorway lighting.Overnight Mesena Lodge.
Day 14, Monday, Feb. 3
After breakfast, we transfer to the Lalibela airport to take a scheduled flight back to Addis Ababa. We have lunch and there is time for last minute shopping before our farewell dinner in the best restaurant with traditional live music and cultural dishes. We then depart Addis for our flight home, knowing we've had the most amazing travel photography ever.
Land cost: $8850.
Plus: Charter and domestic flights within Ethiopia: $2595.
TOTAL cost of this tour including land cost and charter flights: $11,445
Single supplement: $1150
There is an additional fee only if you do not fly Ethiopian Airlines from the U.S. or Europe to Ethiopia. This is a fee required by Ethiopian Airlines when you fly on an Ethiopian domestic flight and you haven't flown with them internationally:
$345 (this is subject to change)
Tour price includes: 13 nights lodging, all meals throughout the tour, all ground transportation in comfortable 4-wheel drive vehicles (or larger minibus), all camping equipment, photography fees to local tribespeople, all tips to drivers, local guides, cook, camp crew, and porters. Also includes photo instruction and critiques on demand.
Charter and domestic flights include: Addis to Jinka; flight from Jinka to Mizan Teferi; flight from Mizan to Addis Ababa; flight from Addis to Gondar; flight from Gondar to Lalibela; flight from Lalibela to Addis Ababa.
Not included: Visa fee, international airfare, alcoholic beverages, travel cancellation insurance, medical evacuation insurance, items of a personal nature, and tip to our primary local guide.