After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport to catch a flight to Arba Minch.

Arrival in Arba Minch and transfer to the hotel for check-in and food at the hotel. After lunch, departure to the village of Chencha, home of the Dorze tribe. In this mountain area there are at least twenty villages in which it is possible to visit, in addition to walking along the paths that connect one village to another, and visiting some of the cooperatives in which men spin and weave garments of cotton, which are reputed to be the best in all of Ethiopia.

Very striking are also its curious “elephant houses”, made of wood and leaves from “enset”, the false banana plant. These houses are very tall and offer a lot of interior space, and are one of the most distinctive traditional structures in Africa.

After the visit, return to Arba Minch.

Dinner and accommodation at the chosen lodge.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for a boat trip on Lake Chamo, where it is possible to observe hippos, many birds and, above all, crocodiles from a very short distance.

After the excursion, continue south towards the small town of Karat-Konso, which serves as the administrative center for the 27 “Konso” villages that are distributed around it. The Konso are known for their intricate cultivation terraces sculpted on the hills of the surrounding mountains, for their fine fabrics and the carved wooden totems with which they decorate their tombs.

In 2011 UNESCO declared 11 of these villages as Cultural Heritage of the Humanity, including in this denomination everything related to its culture; villages, cultivation terraces, rituals, language, etc. An unprecedented merit as it was the first ethnic group in the world to achieve such honors. Arrival and lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, visit one of the nearby Konso villages.

Traditionally these consist of hilltop settlements surrounded by stone walls measuring up to 2 meters in height, which can only be accessed via a limited number of steep trails.

Dinner and accommodation at the chosen lodge.

Breakfast at the lodge and departure to the south, towards Turmi. Today the altitude of the northern and central Ethiopian plateau is definitely left behind, falling into a semi-desert plain, a savannah, dominated by the presence of acacia trees.

The first 75 kilometers, up to Weita, are paved. From this point, the road turns into a dirt track to Turmi. On the way, visit a village of the Tsemay tribe, a semi-nomadic minority tribe, whose villages are very small. The Tsemay are survival farmers and herders. Among others, the main crops of the Tsemany are sorghum, millet, and sometimes cotton.

Further on, there is the town of Arbore, and around it a dozen villages of this tribe, among which one of them will be visited. Arbore women adorn themselves with rich metal ornaments and necklaces and bracelets made from plastic beads, which they also use to adorn their leather skirts. In fact, the beads are one of the main distinguishing features of Arbore and it is easy to distinguish them from other tribes.

In addition, single girls shave their heads completely, which are covered with a black cloth to protect it from the sun. Arbore’s married women grow their hair out, which they braid into tight, short braids. Picnic lunch or at a local restaurant. From Arbore to Turmi it is 75 km of a dirt road, which crosses the Hamer mountains, offering spectacular views.

It is a very attractive section because it is practically a trail that makes its way through the acacias and then runs through the bed of a dry river, offering the sensation of living an adventure.

Dinner and accommodation at the chosen lodge

Breakfast at the lodge and departure towards Turmi.

Upon reaching the town of Geita, instead of taking the path that approaches the Kenyan border, where the Tsemay and Arbore tribes meet (track), continue straight ahead on the paved road that heads west. On the way, you will stop to visit a village of the Bena tribe.

Being a Tuesday, stop along the way to visit the weekly market in Alduba. In this market mainly the Hamer, Bena and Tsemay tribes converge, and it turns out to be a very colorful and authentic market. In addition to the various grains and hair dyes, decorated gourds, traditional musical instruments competing for space with different types of skins and jewelry, as well as many plastic objects such as buckets and brooms are on offer.

Picnic lunch or at a local restaurant. Finally, arrival in Turmi and check-in at the hotel.

Dinner and accommodation at the selected lodge.

after breakfast at the lodge, departure south towards the town of Omorate, about 70 kilometers from Turmi. Here we will cross the Omo river by canoe to visit the Dasenech villages, belonging to the Galeb tribe.

These tribes are the southernmost in the country, and are known for their skin scarification. After the visit, return to Turmi and lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, transfer to the town of Muruelle, from where you will visit the Korcho and Duss villages of the Karo tribe (only around 1,500 members), the smallest group in the Omo Valley. They are related to the Hamers and, like them, are specialists in the art of body painting for special celebrations.

They use chalk, mostly white, and then they paint on their face and body, and they use some white feathers as headdresses, and they wear scarifications all over their bodies. From the Korcho village you can also enjoy a spectacular view over the Omo River.

Finally, I return to Turmi.Dinner and accommodation at the chosen lodge.

After breakfast at the lodge, departure to Jinka. On the way, a stop will be made to visit a village of the Hamer tribe.

The Hamer are a people of strong, attractive complexions, where women and men alike take pride in and take care of their appearance. They usually dye their hair colors, moisturize their skins with oils, and decorate their bodies with necklaces and bracelets on their arms and legs. Then, stop at Key Afer, where we can enjoy the weekly market on Thursdays, attended by tribes such as Tsemay, Ari and Benna.

In addition to the various grains and hair dyes, decorated gourds, traditional musical instruments competing for space with different types of skins and jewelry, as well as many plastic objects such as buckets and brooms are on offer. Picnic lunch or at a local restaurant. Once in Jinka, visit their daily market in the center of town, which is very colorful, and mainly visited by the Aari, the predominant tribe in this area.

Dinner and accommodation at the chosen lodge.

Early in the morning, departure to Mago National Park (40 km, 1 hour), where it is possible to observe animals such as the push-back, dik dik, baboons and colobus monkeys.

Continue to the Mursi tribe (60 km, 1½ hours) known for its body scarification and the use of lip plates among its women. The Mursi of are one of the most eccentric and original branches of the original peoples of Ethiopia, known as Nara Surma. They are transhumant herders of the Nilotic language group, who raise cattle on the high plateaus of the Omo River. The lip plate is inserted in the lip of the woman between 15-20 years.

The process begins 6 months before the wedding with the piercing of the lower lip. Successive stretching is achieved by placing larger and larger plates on the pierced lip. After 6 months of stretching, the lip is so elastic that a plaque can move in and out without difficulty. The plates should always be worn in front of men and can only be removed at private meals, when sleeping or in the presence of other women.

Return to Jinka, and lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, visit a village of the Aari tribe, in the vicinity of Jinka. The Aari are attributed many artistic qualities, since apart from the ceramics they produce, the paintings with which they decorate the walls of their adobe huts are famous, a mainly feminine task.

In addition to drawing different motifs, the paints used also vary, made with materials as diverse as ground coal, battery acid, earth mixed with ashes, red clay, cow dung and water. Such is the dedication of the Aari to decorate their houses that the word to describe “wall paintings” in Ari is “bartsi”, which means “to give beauty”.

Dinner and accommodation at the chosen lodge.

After breakfast at the lodge, visit the Jinka Ethnographic Museum. Lunch at a local restaurant and direct transfer to Jinka airport to take flight to Addis Ababa.

Arrival in Addis Ababa, check-in at the hotel for day use of the room. Free afternoon to rest (the car and the guide will be available to make a purchase or last visit).

Starting at 7:30 p.m., farewell dinner in a traditional restaurant. Finally, transfer to the airport to take the flight back.