ETHIOPIA BY HELICOPTER
ITINERARY
26th November: Addis
Explore the street markets and museums, and enjoy an evening in the traditional song houses.
Sheraton Hotel, 1 night
27th November: Lalibela
Fly to Lalibela via the Blue Nile gorge.
Visit some of the ancient monolithic churches including St George and Yemrehana Krestos, in the company of a local guide.
Sora Lodge, 1 night
28th November - 1st December: Gheralta
The next destination is Gheralta in the Tigray region, flying via the spectacular Tekeze Gorge. Visit the ancient churches in the mountains including an optional thrilling hike to Abuna Yemata - the church in the sky! Take a morning heli excursion to the Danakil Depression. Experience life in a Tigray village. Spend a morning flying through the valleys and over the peaks of the Simien Mountains in search of the Gelada Baboon and other unique wildlife and finally take a short flight to the historical town of Aksum.
Gheralta Lodge, 4 nights.
2nd December: Addis Ababa
Fly to South over a mosaic of farmland back into Addis.
End of Safari
26th November
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.
SHERATON HOTEL
Sheraton Hotel Addis is centrally located offering world-class hospitality and modern amenities. The perfect place for the first night on safari.
27th November
LALIBELA
The market town of Lalibela is set in the mountainous region of Amhara at 2,200 meters, where 80% of the people are engaged in subsistence farming. Teff, a tiny golden highly nutritious grain, is grown abundantly and farming methods are old-age, typically using ox-drawn ploughs and their produce is taken to market by donkeys. Adding to the charm of Lalibela are the quaint double storey homesteads called ‘tukuls’ – with windowless walls made of mud and wattle, and the roof of thatch.
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 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.
YEMREHANA KRESTOS CHURCH
Yemrehana Krestos Church is a remarkable medieval rock-hewn church located in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, near the town of Lalibela. Believed to have been built in the 11th century during the reign of Emperor Yemrehana Krestos, the church is noted for its unique architectural style, which features a combination of traditional rock-hewn techniques and intricate wooden craftsmanship.
The church is carved into a mountainside and is distinguished by its charming interior, adorned with vibrant frescoes and distinctive columns. Until 20 years ago, this church was only reachable after an arduous journey by foot or mule. Located 12 miles northeast from Lalibela, the Yemrehana Krestos church lies within the western side of Mount Abuna Yosef.
SORA LODGE
Sora Lodge offers spectacular views of the Asheten Mariam Mountain, the valleys and countryside villages around Lalibela. All rooms have a large private veranda facing east, providing views of the sunrise, while the sunset can be watched from the common verandas facing west. The lodge is perfectly located to explore the ancient town.
TEKEZE RIVER
The Tekeze River has created one of the world’s deepest canyons – over 2000 feet in places. The most striking turquoise blue river flows through this spectacularly beautiful, dramatically eroded and barren landscape.
28th, 29th, 30th November & 1st December
TIGRAY
The Tigray region of northern Ethiopia has particularly spectacular landscapes - 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 which are believed to be 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 and 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.
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’.
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.
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.