ETHIOPIA BY HELICOPTER
ITINERARY
Day 1, 2 & 3: Addis Ababa
Helicopter flight from Mogwooni in Nanyuki to Addis Ababa via Isiolo Airport to clear customs.
Spend the day taking in sites around Addis.
Fixed-wing charter flight for Addis to Gambela, Benishangul-Gumaz and back to Addis
Sheraton Hotel, 3 nights.
Day 4: Dire Dawa
Helicopter flight to from Addis to Dire Dawa. Road transfer to Harar and a visit to Jijiga.
Harar, 1 night.
Day 5 & 6: Lalibela
Helicopter flight from Dire Dawa to Lalibela via the church of Yemrehana Krestos.
Visit the rock hewn churches of Lalibela.
Lalibela, 2 nights.
Day 7, 8 & 9: Gheralta
Helicopter flight via the Tekeze Dam to Gheralta. Vist the Rock Churches, take a morning flight to the Danikal Depression and,
visit the ancient town of Axum.
Gheralta Lodge, 3 nights.
Day 10 & 11: Simien Mountains
Fly from the Tigray region gaining altitude to the Simien Moutanins.
Hiking in the National Park, with Gelada Baboon and other unique wildlife.
Lima Limo Lodge, 2 nights.
Day 12, 13, & 14: Addis Ababa
Flight to Gondar for a day trip and on to Addis.
Sheraton Hotel, 3 nights.
Day 15: Transfer to the airport for your international flight home.
End of Safari
2nd to 4th November 2025
ADDIS ABABA
Addis Ababa is the fourth largest city in Africa - a melting pot of cultures and a bizarre combination of past and present - Italian Fascist buildings sit alongside luxurious high rise hotels; priests in medieval robes mix with African bureaucrats and wandering minstrels singing songs that are centuries-old.
We will stay at the Sheraton Hotel for the duration of 3 nights, a comfortable hotel with all the amenities you will require.
5th November 2025
HARAR
Harar, a city in eastern Ethiopia, is renowned for its rich history and cultural heritage. Known as the “City of Saints,” it is home to numerous mosques, shrines, and vibrant markets. Harar's ancient walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, showcases a labyrinth of narrow alleyways, traditional Harari houses, and unique architecture.
The city is famous for its blend of African and Islamic cultures, reflected in its traditions, art, and cuisine. One iconic aspect of Harar is the "Hyena Men," who have a long-standing tradition of feeding wild hyenas by hand.
Harar's colorful atmosphere, historical significance, and welcoming community make it a fascinating destination for travelers seeking to explore Ethiopia’s diverse cultural tapestry.
6th to 7th November 2025
LALIBELA
Ethiopia’s holiest city & center of pilgrimage, with 12th and 13th century monolithic churches.
Intended to be a ‘new Jerusalem’ following the capture of the Holy lands by Muslims, the rural town of Lalibela is an ancient world with medieval 12th and 13th century rock- hewn churches, hidden crypts and dimly lit passageways, carved from solid granite, a millennia ago. Today, it is not only the physical structures that remain frozen in time, but a place of pilgrimage for many of Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christians.
The church pictures is the 900 year old church of Bet Giyorgis is located on the western side of the cluster of 11 churches that were commissioned by King Lalibela. It was the last one to be carved, and was done so with amazing geometrical precision from a single piece of volcanic rock, 40 feet into the ground in the shape of a Greek cross. Although plain on the inside, there is a curtain that shields the Holy of Holies, in front of which usually stands a priest displaying scripture and paintings.
MEZENA HOTEL
8th to 10th November 2025
TIGRAY
The Tigray region of northern Ethiopia has particularly spectacular landscape - red stratified mountains and sharp peaks that rise from the plains.
Very little is known about the origin of the 120, or so, churches carved into the rock and cliffs, or their architectural history. Local tradition attributes most of the churches to the 4th century Aksumite Kings, Abreha and Atsbeha.
Access to the churches involves some interesting hikes up the steep (and sometimes sheer) cliff faces. Inside many of the churches are colourful frescoes - hundreds of years old. The priests who live on these mountains follow a simple life that revolves around the Orthodox Christian calendar.
DANAKIL DEPRESSION
More than 100 metres below sea level, the Danakil Depression is peppered with colourful sulphurous springs, acid lakes, active volcanoes and giant salt pans.
Some of the hottest temperatures known to man are found here in the Danakil Depression. Unlike anything else on this planet, this extraordinary place is located on a geographical fault within the Great Rift Valley, at the Horn of Africa.
GHERALTA LODGE
11th to 12th November 2025
SIMIEN MOUNTAINS
Thousands of years of erosion has worn down the Ethiopian plateau and created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. At 4,543m, the Simiens are Ethiopia’s highest range.
The jagged peaks and deep valleys are home to rare and endemic wildlife including the Ethiopian wolf, Gelada Baboon, and the Walia Ibex - a wild goat found nowhere else in the world. Also found here is the lammergerie (bearded vulture) - a massive vulture with a wingspan of up to 3 metres, with a distinctive diamond-shaped tail and black moustache. Its old name of ossifrage (or bonebreaker) relates to its habit of dropping bones from great heights onto rocks beneath - bone marrow is its favoured source of food.
The Gelada are a species of Old World monkey found only in the Ethiopian Highlands. Typically seen in large troops, these baboon-size animals are the last surviving species of ancient grazing primates. Their long heavy coats help them withstand the cold temperatures. They have a distinct red chest patch, that has earned them the name of ‘bleeding-heart baboon’.
LIMALIMO LODGE
12th to 15th November 2025
GONDAR CITY
The fortress city of Gondar was founded in the 17th Century at the foot of the mighty Simien mountains. In 1632, Emperor Fasilidas proclaimed that Gondar would become the Empire’s new capital, and for the next 250 years, the Kings ruled from here. In the heart of the city lies the ancient remains of ‘Fasil Ghebbi’ (Royal Enclosure), with castles, palaces and churches.
SHERATON HOTEL
END OF SAFARI
PILOT: JAMIE ROBERTS
Born in Kenya’s Rift Valley, Jamie was brought up on the remote shores of Lake Baringo with his 5 siblings. He enjoyed an amazing free childhood surrounded by nature, and appreciating all that Kenya’s wilderness had to offer.
In 1993 Jamie established Tropic Air - now a leader in the East African aviation sector, offering a broad range of aviation services.
Jamie is an experienced fixed wing and rotor wing pilot, with extensive natural history knowledge and a joyful infectious spirit.
In addition to pilot-guiding helicopter safaris, Jamie is competent at flying cameras, and is proud to have had David Attenborough on board, during the making of BBC’s ‘Africa’ series.
Tropic Air is based in Kenya, and offers a broad range of professional air services using helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Areas of operation: 16 African countries, covering more than 10 million square kilometers: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo, Chad, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.