12 Day 11 Night  Ethiopia Omo Valley Tribes Cultural  Safari Tour

VISIT OMO VALLEY TRIBES, OMO VALLEY WILDLIFE & CULTURE SAFARI TOUR, LOWER OMO VALLEY PEOPLE TOUR, OMO VALLEY PHOTO TOUR

The 12 Day 11 Night  Ethiopia Omo Valley Tribes Cultural  Safari Tour in the northern part of the country is notable for its historical relics, there are the Omotic tribes of the south who still adhere to ancient animistic rituals. Beaded leather skirts and complementing body painting, feathered headdresses, and dramatic scarification make the Hamar, Bumi, Karo, and Bena people visually outstanding.

Booking for this 12-Day 11 Night  Ethiopia Omo Valley Tribes Cultural  Safari Tour even offers you an opportunity to visit the unusual isolated Mursi tribe whose women wear large clay lip plates symbolizing their worth and beauty. This 12-day Ethiopia Omo Valley Photo Safari Tour itinerary gets travelers off the beaten path with an opportunity to learn about and interact with some of Ethiopia’s most unique cultural groups and beautiful sceneries. The 12 Day 11 Night  Ethiopia Omo Valley Tribes Cultural  Safari Tour itinerary covers many of the tribes in the Omo Valley including the Hamer people (known for their bull-jumping ceremony), Mursi people (known for their leap plates), Karo (known for their body paintings), Dassenech, Ari, Dorze, Tsemai, etc. In addition to the visit to their respective villages, the itinerary is also scheduled to meet the weekly markets at Key Afer, Dimeka, and Turmi. This 12-day 11 11-night Ethiopia Omo Valley Tribes Cultural  Safari Tour is ideal for photographers and culture lovers.

ITINERARY  SUMMARY OF 12 Day 11 Night  Ethiopia Omo Valley Tribes Cultural  Safari Tour

Day 1 – Arrival + Addis

Day 2 – Addis – Tiya – Adadi Mariam – Langano

Day 3 – Langano – Arba Minch

Day 4 – Arba Minch

Day 5 – Arba Minch – Jinka

Day 6 – Jinka

Day 7 – Jinka – Turmi

Day 8 – Turmi

Day 9 – Turmi – Yabello

Day 10 – Yabello – Awassa

Day 11 – Awassa – Addis

Day 12- Addis Ababa, End of trip  

PLEASE NOTE:

THIS PROGRAM CAN BE SHORTEN TO 10 DAY 9 NIGHT | TRAVEL PROGRAM: TOUR TO ETHIOPIA
Day 1. Addis Ababa – Jimma — Mizan
Early morning arrival in Addis Ababa (before 8 am). Drive to Addis Ababa for a short city tour, visiting the Orthodox Church and National Museum with Lucy's skeleton. Lunch in the local restaurant in Addis. Transfer to the domestic terminal to catch the flight to the upper Omo Valley, to Jimma.
Flight from Addis Ababa to Jimma. Departure at 15:15. Arrival in Jimma at 16:20.
Omo River starts here from Jimma
small streams and Gebe River which is one of the Omo River Tributary. After arriving at Jimma, we drive by 4WD jeeps directly to Mizan (215 km, 3 hrs drive).
Late arrival in Mizan. Dinner and overnight at Mizan Kashinin Hotel (The newly built Salayshe Hotel).
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation Kashnin Hotel (The newly built Salayshe Hotel)
Day 2.  Mizan — Kibish — Tulgit
We drive straight from Mizan to Tulgit, Surma area (110 km 3 hrs). On our way to Surma, we'll have to stop to visit the coffee forest of Bebaka which has been listed on a UNESCO UNESCO-registered site. Afterward, we drive straight to Upper Omo Valley, where we meet the Surma tribe, one of the isolated tribes of the Omo Valley. The tribe originally came from Uganda due to the slave trade, and they were settled in South Sudan. In the early 18th century, they began living at the Ethiopian border.
After reaching Tulgit we'll camp at the Camp site. After lunch, we start exploring the Surma culture. We will visit one of the Surma villages to get to know their unique cultures.
Overnight at campsite in Tulgit.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: camping in Tulgit
Day 3.  Surma area
Early morning hike to one of the nearby villages or nomadic cattle camps of Surma people where we'll have the chance 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.
After sharing this unique culture we'll be back to have breakfast and we drive to another Surma village at Kibish we'll visit there another big village. We camp in Tulgit.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: camping in Tulgit
Day 4. Surma area. Donga stick fighting festival
Early morning visit to Surma village to explore their lifestyle and culture in more detail.
If we get into the season of the Donga festival, we will certainly witness stick fighting. Every year, 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 (and prove) real men, warriors who, in the event of tribal wars with neighboring tribes, will be ready to defend the honor of the tribe and preserve their cattle.
We will also witness body painting on the river bank, where young men apply the chalk onto the bodies of each other.
Dinner from the chef and overnight camping at Tulgit Surma.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: camping in Tulgit
Day 5. Kibish – Yangaten (Nyangatom tribe) — Karo tribe
In the early morning, we drive through Omo Park to the village of Yangaten and visit the Nyangatom (Bume) tribe (250 Km in, 6-7 hrs). The Nyangatom live on the west bank of the lower Omo River. Their territory extends to the Kenyan and South Sudanese borders and also to South Sudan itself. Like most tribes in the area, they are – as they claim – surrounded only by enemies: to the south are the aggressive Turkana, to the north the Surma, and to the east across the river — the Dassanech. The Nyangatom were the first tribe in the Omo Valley to use automatic weapons (AK-47) which they obtained from Toposa, their cousins from South Sudan just across the border. They use machine guns to guard their precious cattle against thieves from neighboring tribes and also to fight tribal wars. Herds of cows are their most valuable property. Other tribes don't like the Nyangatom (mainly because they fear them) and call them pejoratively the Bume, which translates as "stinking". They say themselves that Nyangatom means "a yellow gun", or also "elephant eaters", make your choice ... They are indeed fierce warriors which is supposedly demonstrated by their custom to scar their chest; one scar for each killed enemy.
Rather short driving (38 km, not more than 1 hr) to Kolcho, the village of Karo people on the eastern bank of Omo River where we stay overnight camping.
Karo is famous for their intricate face and body painting practices, which they apply on their heads and torso before major events and at the weekly markets. Karo is the smallest tribe of the Omo Valley (about 1,500 people in total) and the only tribe in Omo that remains in the Stone Age. Lacking metal melting skills, they skillfully handle a Kalashnikov rifle. In its origin, language, and traditions, the Karo are somewhat close to Hamer and Benna.
Dinner and overnight in tents, camping in the village.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: camping in Karo Kolcho village
Day 6.  Karo tribe — Dassanech tribe — Hamar tribe
We start early morning. Morning visit to Karo people. Drive (115 km, some 1,5 hours) crosses the Omo River at Omorate and transfers to the village of the Dassanech tribe who live at the southern bank of the Omo River.
There is an opinion that the Dassanech tribe has a short history. People in the tribe are connected not by kinship but by a common place of residence. Exiles from tribes living on the northern shore of Lake Rudolph were united to survive in these harsh conditions. For this, some other rival tribes call them Geleba, which means "homeless". Dassanech are traditional pastoralists, but in recent years began to move to a semi-nomadic way of life. When formal boundaries were established between African countries, it turned out that the lands of Dassanech were divided between Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Kenya. The highest expression of male beauty is the vulgar transverse scars across the entire chest and back, resembling crocodile skin. Such scars are inflicted on the body of the warrior who showed himself heroically in battle, who killed the enemy in the course of tribal cattle raids. During the ceremonies men apply to the body clay and the contents of a cow's stomach - not completely digested cattle food. Dung is taken from the stomach of a slaughtered cow. Dassanech men at the Dimme ceremony, declaring their daughters ready for marriage, after the ritual genital mutilation of the girls, cannot imagine their appearance without leopard skin and a magnificent headdress of ostrich feathers. The skin symbolizes the strength and wealth of the family and a hint at an expensive ransom of the bride, and ostrich feathers identify the father's belonging to a particular clan.
Proceed to Turmi area (70 km, 1 hour) and visit Hamar village. Hamar are distinguished by the fact that their women wear leather skirts decorated with shells, several copper bracelets on their hands, and heavy iron necklaces around their necks, symbolizing their social status, and their hair is colored with ocher and animal fat. Men, in case of victory over the enemy or a dangerous beast, fix the hairstyle with clay and decorate it with ostrich feathers. This hairstyle is carefully guarded — the Hamar sleep with a special borkotos chair under their neck. Search if there is a Bull-jumping ceremony – the main ritual of the Hamar men, which is a rite of passage - entering adulthood, that is becoming a man.
Visit Hamar village and stay overnight at the lodge in Turmi.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner Accommodation: Turmi Emerald Lodge
Day 7. Turmi — Dimika — Arbore tribe
After spending the night in the Turmi Emerald Lodge we will drive first to attend the colorful market of Dimika (28 km, 30 min drive). At this market, most of the Hamar tribe people gathered for weekly market day. For this tribe market is not just buying stuff and selling goods - it's also a meeting place for them, so most of the women are dressed well. Young boys will be looking for women as their love companions.
Afterward, we'll seek another adventure to witness. We drive straight from Dimika to Arbore tribe (95 km, 1.5 hrs).
The arbore tribe inhabits the shores of Lake Chew Bahir in the southern part of the Omo Valley. Arbore borrowed a lot from the tribes of the Omo Valley, as well as from the tribes inhabiting the Konso Highlands. The most notable in their appearance are black veils, which are mandatory to wear for unmarried girls. A clean-shaven head is a sign of the beauty and innocence of its owner. Massive aluminum jewelry, as well as sandals made from used car tires, are widespread Arbore decorations. Arbors look very special and for sure are the desired models for photographers.
Visit Arbore village. Stay overnight in tents near the Arbore village.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: tents near the Arbore village
Day 8. Arbore tribe — Benna tribe — Jinka
In the morning we'll drive straight to Benna from Arbore (160 Km, 2,5 hrs).
We will visit the village of the Banna tribe. Banna – the closest relatives of the famous Hamer, but less visited by tourists. Banna is one of the most beautiful and distinctive tribes of the Omo Valley with a settlement territory north of Turmi and east of Mago Park and Mursiland. The population of Banna is about 45000. Banna is mostly Sunni Muslim. However, many elements of traditional beliefs – animism – have survived until nowadays. They believe that natural objects have a soul. Banna speaks Omotic languages.
Most of the Banna tribe bull jumping happens on Friday. Today afternoon we try to catch and witness the Bull jumping ceremony – the main ritual of the Banna men, which is a rite of passage - entering adulthood, that is, becoming a man. The future man must four times run over the backs of 10-20 cows and bulls. Contester performs the ceremony naked, which symbolizes the childhood that he is going to leave. After completing the rite, the young man is considered a maza - now he has the right to marry. Failure to pass this test makes the boy an outcast, a failure, and deprives him of any opportunity to be successful.
Proceed to Jinka (62 Km, 1 hr). Overnight at Jinka Eco Omo Lodge.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Jinka Eco Omo Lodge
Day 9. Jinka — Mursi tribe — Bodi tribe
In the morning we'll drive straight to the Mursi tribe (70 km, 2 hrs).
We devote half a day to the study of the Mursi culture. The Mursi women, like their Surma cousins, live on the other bank of the Omo River and are famous for their large round (and not only) lip plates worn by women. There are several theories of the wearing of lip plates: disfiguring to prevent enslavement by Arabs in antiquity; protection against the penetration of evil spirits into the body through the mouth; determination of social status, showing the amount of cattle that the groom must pay as a dowry for the bride owning the plate.
Mursi are unsurpassed masters of scarification. The scars on their bodies symbolize social status and past merits. The scars are created by using a razor blade and camel thorn. To achieve a bulge, an ash or a fly larva is planted in the wound, which, among other things, eliminates all possible infections.
Afterwards, we drive (some 35 km, 50 minutes) to the area of Bodi tribe.
The women of the Bodi tribe are famous for their graceful beauty. Men, on the other hand, are very plump, with big bellies. The fatter a man is, the more attractive he is to women. Every year in June, the tribe chooses the most prominent member of the tribe, the most obese man. Representatives of the stronger sex who want to take an honorable position in society must be unmarried. Preparation for the event lasts from 3 to 6 months. During this time, men are on a high-calorie diet based on cow's blood and milk. This nutrition doubles, in some cases triples, body weight. Bodi people have many cows, so they can provide food for the whole family. Thus, a fat man in the Bodi tribe is a symbol of well-being. November is not the month when Bodi men are fat, but they start preparing.
Evening arrival and meeting Bodi. Photography, dinner, and overnight camping.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: tents in camping
Day 10.  Bodi tribe — Jinka — Addis Ababa — Return flight
Early in the morning, we'll have a chance to stay up for the morning photo at Bodi tribe. afterward, we'll have a quick breakfast from our chef. We leave Bodi for Jinka (110 km 3,5 hrs) to take the afternoon flight to Addis Ababa (departure at 14:15). Arrival in Addis Ababa at 15:35. Transfer to the international airport terminal and take an international flight back home late in the evening or the night.
Meals: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation: tents in camping
* The order of visits and excursions can be modified according to local conditions (i.e. state of roads, market days, ceremonies, etc.). If some visits and/or tours cannot be done due to external conditions, they will be replaced when possible.
* The participant of the expedition to Ethiopia must be motivated to be respectful to the culture of local tribes, be aware of the objectives of the trip and possible program changes depending on weather conditions, security conditions, and any other reasons, be able to adapt to the new environment and culture.

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