ETHIOPIA BY HELICOPTER
ITINERARY
Day 1: Addis Ababa
Arrive in Addis Ababa. Take in the big city and meet your helicopter and pilot for the week ahead.
Sheraton Hotel, 1 night.
Day 2 - 3: Lalibela
Fly north to Lalibela following the Blue Nile Gorge.
With an expert local guide, we will explore the ancient monolithic churches.
Mezena Hotel, 2 nights.
Day 4 - 6: Tigray
Fly via the spectacular Tekeze River. Ancient churches in the Gheralta mountains. Simien Mountains, Town of Aksum and Stellae stone monuments.
A day trip to the Danakil Depression, salt pans, the sulphur springs and the Afar people.
Gheralta Lodge, 3 nights.
Day 7 - 8: Simien Mountains
Flying via the church of Yemerehana Krestos, to the Simiens.
Hiking in the National Park, with Gelada Baboon and other unique wildlife.
Limalimo Lodge, 2 nights.
Day 9: Addis Ababa
Fly to Addis via Gondar to vist this ancient city.
Sheraton Hotel, 1 night.
Day 10: Transfer to the airport for your international flight home.
End of Safari
DAY 1
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, a comfortable hotel with all the amenities you will require.
DAY 2 - 3
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
DAY 4 - 6
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.
AKSUM CITY
Aksum is a historically significant city in northern Ethiopia, renowned for its rich cultural heritage and archaeological treasures. It was once the capital of the Aksumite Empire, one of the great civilizations of the ancient world.
Explore the impressive stone obelisks, towering monuments that reflect ancient engineering prowess. The largest obelisk, over 24 meters tall, dates back to the 4th century AD. Visit the revered Church of St Mary of Zion, believed to house the Ark of the Covenant, making it a pilgrimage site for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. The church's architecture and sacred relics offer insights into Ethiopia's religious history.
GHERALTA LODGE
Founded and run by Enrica and Silvio Rizzotti, this little piece of Italy in the heart of Tigray has long set the eco-luxury bar in Ethiopia. Boasting extraordinary vistas of the sharp, imposing peaks of the Gheralta range, the lodge is beautifully built with local stone, wood and thatch in a traditional Tigrayan style, blending effortlessly with the wild, rural setting.
DAY 7 - 8
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
Limalimo Lodge is an eco-friendly lodge nestled at the edge of the Simien Mountains National Park, offering stunning views of the dramatic landscapes. The lodge features comfortable accommodations that blend modern amenities with traditional Ethiopian style, ensuring a cozy stay amonghst the mountain terrain.
DAY 9
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
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.