10 DAYS OF ADVENTURE AND HISTORY IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST CONTINUOUS CIVILIZATIONS
Quick Facts
Length of Trip: 10 days
Cities: Addis Ababa, Gondar, Lalibela, Mekele, Danakil Depression
Season: April
Budget: $-$$
Day 1: Arrive in Addis
Arrive in Addis. Depending on when you get in, take a city tour in the afternoon or just head out for dinner before departing the next morning.
Breakfast: Savor (located behind Habesha 2000, 10 minutes from airport) serves American and Ethiopian style breakfast. Great omelets, pancakes, and gelato.
Dinner: Abucci is a great Italian restaurant. Its pricier than most places in the city but has great pasta dishes. Call ahead to reserve a table because it can get busy. Closed Sundays.
Stay: Addisinia Hotel ($85/night per double room)- 10 minutes away from the airport with free airport shuttle. Really nice rooms, especially for the price. The manager was great and arranged a taxi for us to/from lunch and dinner.
Day 2: Addis to Gondar
7:45-8:45am: Morning flight from Addis to Gondar. On arrival, we were picked up by Simean Land Tours, who arranged a 2-day tour of Gondar and the Simien Mountains. Email: tesfahundere@yahoo.com to build your customized itinerary. We managed our own accommodation, but relied on Tesfahun’s team for airport pickup, city tour, transport to Simien Mountains with all park fees, permits and guides included. They were organized, very reliable, and provided an all-around great trip!
City Tour of Gondar- visited Fasil Ghebbi, Fasiladas' Bath, and made a stop at Dashun Brewery. The city is pretty small so you only need 2-3 hours before breaking for lunch.
Lunch: Four Sisters has great Ethiopian food and really lovely staff. We enjoyed a traditional Ethiopian fasting plate.
After lunch, we drove 2 hours to the Simien Mountains. This is when having a driver and guide is crucial for a smooth trip. They will stop at the park center to pay the fees and hire a guide and scout. You must take a guide and scout into the park with you so they join you in the car. The scout who joined us was great, but they carry old rifles so it can be very off-putting. We were glad to have a driver with us as translator and guide.
Stay: Limalimo Lodge ($180/night for triple room) is an amazing boutique hotel at the edge of the park. While many people stay at Simien Lodge, which is in the park so would have saved some driving time, Limalimo was so fantastic we have to recommend it. It was still being finished while we were there, so I can imagine it’s even more beautiful now. All meals were included (a delicious, combo of western and Ethiopian dishes) along with sodas, water, and local beer/wine. The hotel is committed to sustainable tourism and community engagement.
Day 3: Simien Mountains
Continued our tour the next morning to drive into park and do several walks to see Gelada Baboons (incredible!) and the amazing landscape. Had a picnic lunch that the hotel packed for us.
Tip: Bring or ask for some extra food to share with your guide and scout. They also rely on tips so it’s nice to pack an envelope to give them each when you drop them off at the office on your way out.
After our day in the park we began the long drive back to Gondar.
Stay: Goha Hotel ($115/night for triple room) had decent but small rooms (we tried to do a triple which was a tight squeeze). The restaurant and bar areas are really nice with a pool overlooking the city.
Regrets: If we had more time it would have been amazing to spend another day in the park to get in a full-day hike before returning to Gondar.
Day 4: Gondar to Lalibela
9:15-9:45am: Fly directly from Gondar to Lalibela. Arrange for your hotel to pick you up at the airport. All of the hotels have booths inside the airport so it is easy to find them. Drive 45 minutes to Lalibela town.
Lunch: Ben Abeba is a Gaudi style restaurant overlooking the escarpment with great food and a variety of options. We ate here twice during our trip! It’s a bit confusing to find, but we met one of the staff members on the walk there who showed us to the restaurant.
Tour the Lalibela churches. We arranged the tour through our hotel which made the planning simple. It was $30 for a day tour of the churches. We met him at the front desk after lunch and had him show us to the churches’ entrance. There is a $50 entrance fee to the churches that is good for 48 hours so don’t lose the slip because you can return to see more the next day. You can see all the churches in 3-4 hours; definitely use a guide or you’ll miss out on the incredible history.
Pro-tip: Wear socks and shoes you can get on and off easily. You have to remove your shoes before entering all of the churches.
Dinner: Seven Olives, we ate here at night but heard it’s a lot livelier at lunch time.
Stay: Lalibela Lodge ($75/night for triple room), a simple but lovely hotel at the edge of town so it is quiet and has some nice views. Breakfast is included and they have a small restaurant if you don’t want to venture out.
The hotel has hosted some well known guests including former U.S. president George W. Bush
Day 5: Lalibela
If you can arrange to be in Lalibela on a Sunday or religious holiday, it is a really unique experience. The churches are filled with people and you are welcome in to see the services.
There are a handful of day trips from Lalibela if you have time. We opted for Asheten Maryam and drove out of town so it was an easier walk to the monastery. We arranged this through our hotel as well.
Stay: Lalibela Lodge
Day 6: Lalibela to Mekele
All day drive from Lalibela to Mekele. There are no direct flights from Lalibela to Mekele so our tour company for the Danakil Depression hired a van to drive us. Cost $50/person. It took over 10 hours to make the winding drive through some rough roads. While it was a great way to see more of the country, I think we would all opt to fly and connect through Addis as it would have saved a lot of time (and nerves!).
Tip: Start early! You do not want to be on the roads after dark so make sure they come early in the morning and budget extra time for unexpected delays.
When we got to Mekele, the driver brought us to the ETT offices to get an itinerary for the next few days. After confirming our departure time, they dropped us at our hotel for the night.
Dinner: Karibu Kitchen is a good spot for pizza and some rice dishes Bring jackets so you can sit outside and enjoy the nice garden area.
Stay: Planet Hotel, having tried a few hotels while in Mekele for work, I think this one is definitely the nicest option. We booked through Expedia for a discounted rate of $75 per double room. The rooms were very spacious.
Day 7-9: Danakil Depression and Erta Ale
Anyone up for an adventure must have this on their itinerary! We used the popular, affordable tour company Ethio Travel and Tours (ETT). They offer 2 and 4 day packages, but I emailed about a 3-day tour because it fit best with our itinerary and they were able to put together a group. The 3 days was the perfect amount of time so I recommend asking for that option.
Day 7
ETT picked us up from our hotel around 7am and we departed for the Danakil Depression. They take a group of landcruisers and we were 3 people so had a car to ourselves with the driver.
Drive to the checkpoint where the tour company pays the entrance fees and picks up the police that must accompany you into the Depression.
Continue into the Depression to see the sulfur and salt flats. Truly the most incredible place we’ve ever seen! The sulfur looks like something from another planet. The salt flats have been mined for hundreds of years. The miners pack their salt on the backs of camels camels to make the long trek back to town.
Out of this world, the sulfer fields at the Danakil Depression
Overnight: ETT arranges for you to sleep at a home a couple hours from the checkpoint. They give you mats and you sleep on the floor so bring 1) sleeping bag liners and 2) something to use as a pillow. It’s not as hot out there so bring pants and a jacket for the overnight.
Day 8
Depart late morning from the home and begin the drive to Erta Ale lava lake. These are some of the worst roads in the world, especially if it has rained, and for the last few hours you’re driving over volcanic rock. We made periodic stops to fix flat tires and drag cars out of the mud- this is why they only travel in large groups.
After a short rest at the army outpost, you begin the hike in early evening to avoid the heat. It’s about 3-4 hours to the top and was much more difficult than expected. Bring a small backpack for this portion of the trip as you’ll have to carry your own belongings for the night and bring a headlamp for the hike in the dark. Luggage stays in the cars parked at the outpost; camels carry your mats. Stop frequently and drink lots of water.
Overnight: Sleep on the mats in the open air or in one of the huts at the edge of the crater. Unfortunately, the night we were there it poured, making it pretty miserable if we’re honest (but still worth the incredible experience of seeing the active lava lake!). We had prepared for the heat, but were freezing the whole night. Pack jackets, pants, and take the sleeping bag from ETT in case the weather turns.
Day 9
At sunrise visit the lava lake once more before departing on the hike down. Stop for lunch at the outpost and pack up for the drive back.
Drive back from Erta Ale to Mekele. Due to the rain the night before it took 3 times as long to get out of the area. The trips are unpredictable so make sure you have granola bars and water with you.
Overnight: Spend the night in Mekele or like us, take a late flight back to Addis at 7 or 9pm. We wanted to shower before getting on the flight, so ETT showed us a hotel where we could pay $20 for a room before they picked us up for the airport.
Stay: Addisinia Hotel, picked us up from the airport and we stayed here again before flying out around 10:30am the next morning.
Day 10: Depart Addis
Two of us continued on to the Seychelles for 3 days (direct flights from Addis on Ethiopian Airways!) for some beach time before returning home. We stayed on the main island to avoid any further travel. It’s a great destination to add on to your trip given the proximity to Addis (3-hour flight) and the ease of planning travel there. It was beautiful, but the entire island is built for tourism so everything was very overpriced.
Helpful Hints
Planning
1) Use a tour company. Why?
If you arrive on Ethiopian Airways, you get 50% of all domestic flights. However, this discount is only accessed through a travel agent. You have to use a tour company for Danakil Depression and it is much less stressful if you use one for the Simien Mountains as well so you have an informal translator to hire the scout and guide. We used a different company in each location, but some can arrange the whole trip.
2) Negotiate everything.
We negotiated all hotel and tour prices (except park fees- do not try to do that). If you see the hotel is cheaper on Expedia and send them the receipt or screen shot, they were willing to lower the price to have you book directly with them.
All tour guides will quote you significantly higher prices at the outset. Don’t be shy to offer up a budget. They’ll work with you to see what can be arranged. Get everything that will be included in the price listed out in an email because it varies by quote. Most hotels and tour companies will include airport shuttles in their rates.
3) Confirm all tours. Get a local sim card or borrow phones along the way to confirm all tours once you’re in country. This is especially necessary for any drivers as their plans change frequently.
4) Budget for tips
When budgeting for your trip, make sure you include tips. Our guides and drivers worked incredibly hard and we relied on them for everything.
Packing List
Bring cash: especially once you leave Addis, most restaurants, tour guides, and some hotels won't be able to run a credit card.
Clothing: it can get chilly at night in Addis so bring jeans and some nice shirts if you're going out for dinner. You’re going to want warm gear (think long johns and fleeces, maybe even a hat if you go in winter) for the Simiens at night, but it gets pretty warm during the day. Danakil is the hottest place on earth so go for shorts and a tank top there.
Essentials for Danakil:
- Hat to block the sun
- Scarf to protect your neck
- Electrolyte tabs (Clif shotblocks and Gatorade were our life savers to rehydrate)
- Granola bars
- Music + podcasts for the long drives
- Sleeping bag liner for camping (rent sleeping bags from ETT but the liners definitely make it more comfortable)
- Headlamp for hiking at night
- Small fans to help beat the heat
- Hiking boots or good sneakers
Security
You can walk around during the day comfortably and during the evening if there are men in the group. Don’t recommend running or walking around alone, especially once you leave Addis.
Getting around
Work with your hotel to find a reliable taxi in Addis. Most don’t speak English so ask the driver to wait for you or make sure a pick-up time has been confirmed. Message us if you want the number of a trusted driver! In Mekele and Lalibela use the bajaj (tuk tuks) to get around quickly.
Eating
Addis has some great restaurants. My favorites are Abucci (Italian), Sishu (burgers), Hhan Kuk (Korean barbeque) and pretty much any Ethiopian restaurant.
Nightlife
If you have time in Addis or Mekele there’s a ton of nightlife. Try to visit one of the cultural houses (Habesha 2000 or Abbisinia). It may sound cheesy, but these are actually very popular with Ethiopians so they don't feel too touristy. It’s a great way to see more of the diverse cultures in the country through dance, music, and great food.
Airlines
Pro-tip: If you arrive on Ethiopian Airways, you get 50% of all domestic flights. Cost out the difference, but if you’re doing a lot of internal travel this usually makes sense because they can be pricey (Ethiopia airlines is the only domestic airline). In order to access this discount, you’ll need a travel agent to book the flights for you and pay on arrival in Addis. We found the itinerary we wanted online and asked Ethio Travel and Tours to book it for us.
Don’t miss
We debated whether or not to visit the Danakil Depression- Would it be miserable? Could we handle the heat? It turned out to be the absolute highlight of our trip and there’s no place like it. Definitely worth roughing it for a few days to see this incredible place. However, the conditions are rough so make sure to use a trusted tour guide, go in a big group, and come prepared.
More on Ethiopia?
Only have a weekend? Don’t worry 2-3 days are sufficient for Lalibela, Bahir Dar, or to stick around and explore Addis. Not interested in visiting Danakil? Substitute that part of the trip with a visit to Axum or the rock-hewn churches in Tigray up north. ETT can arrange those tours as well.