Tour Description
Ethiopia has a number of festivals, many of them unique. Ethiopian festivals are colorful, fascinating and are all year round. Both traditional and religious festivals are celebrated by its diverse ethnic groups with their picturesque native lives in their most rustic settings.
Timket (the feast of Epiphany), falling on 19th January, is the greatest festival of the year, followed in importance by Meskal (Finding of the true cross) on 27th September. Easter is the most solemn of festivals but the Ethiopia New Year (Enkutatash) falls on 11th of September in the Western calendar. Genna (Ethiopia Christmas) is celebrated on 7th January. Among the traditional and religious festivals mostly visited by locals includes: Kulubi Gabriel, Sheikh Hussein, Gishen Mariam, Axum Tsion, Sof Omar, Erecha and Ashenda. Crowds pray for health, for a new baby, for a special favor or a good harvest, or to give thanks for wishes already granted.
The following festival tour programs covers major religious festivals in Ethiopia combined with historic route attractions and WUB ETHIOPIA TOURS is ready to take you to such unique, exquisite religious chants and jubilation places.
Tour Program
Tour Code: WET-401
Tour title: Historic Route with Timket Festival in Gondar
Duration: 7nights & 8days
Transportation: Flight and Surface driving
Day1. Arrive to Bole international airport and transfer to hotel. Depending on the time of your arrival make Addis Ababa city tour including National Museum where you will see 3.4 million years old hominid (Lucy) ,historical Trinity Cathedral Church and Ethnographic museum, which chronicles Ethiopia’s rich cultural diversity. Overnight hotel
Day2. Addis Ababa-Lalibela
Fly to Lalibela - the home for 12 rock hewn churches, UNESCO registered and Ethiopia’s top tourist attraction. After check in to hotel and short break, visit the first group of the stunning churches of Lalibela, which is hewn out from single rock with superb architecture. Overnight Hotel
Day3. Lalibela
Morning after breakfast drive to the beautiful Yemrehane kiristos cave churches through the magnificent views of the Lasta landscape. In the afternoon, after lunch, visit the remaining second and the third group of the churches of Lalibela. Overnight Hotel.
Day4. Lalibela-Axum
Morning short flight to Axum - the earliest capital of Ethiopia and after check into your hotel, visit the Archaeological museum of Axum, the famous stele park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the church of St. Mary of Tsion which is believed to be the last resting place of the original Ark of the Covenant, the palace and tomb of King Kaleb and Gebre Meskel (6th Century AD), and the ruin palace of the Queen of Sheba (9th Century BC). Overnight Hotel
Day5. Bahirdar and lake Tana Monasteries
Morning flight to Bahirdar and make a boat trip on Ethiopia’s largest water body - Lake Tana (3,600 Km Sq) to visit the medieval period island monasteries of Ura Kidane Mihret (14th Century AD) and Azwa Mariam (14th Century AD). Afternoon, after lunch break, visit the Blue Nile Falls, one of the most spectacular falls in Africa, 400m wide when in flood and dropping over a sheer chasm more than 45m deep. Overnight hotel
Day6. Drive to Gondar
Morning drive to Gondar and in the afternoon visit the Royal Enclosure containing the ruins of 17th century palaces of king Fasiladas, queen Mentewab and different other buildings, and beautiful Debrebirehan Selassie Church which is famous for its ceiling and wall paintings. Late in the afternoon attend the most colorful religious celebration of the eve of Timket (Epiphany) which is held to memorize the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. Overnight Hotel
Day7. Attend Timket Festival in Gondar
Early in the morning at about 5:00, attend prayers and religious music with a fascinating priest dance; then have a quick breakfast and participate the celebration on which the replicas of Ark of the Covenant will be accompanied back to its respective churches with the same dancing and singing. Overnight Hotel
Day8. Fly back to Addis Ababa
Morning after breakfast transfer to airport and fly back to Addis Ababa. Afternoon after lunch break enjoy souvenir shopping and participate in the farewell dinner in famous Ethiopian traditional restaurant .Then transfer to airport for departure.
The founder of WUB ETHIOPIA TOURS private company is an experienced tourism expert who has been working in tourism institutions for more than 25 years. In one of Ethiopian languages, in Amharic the word “Wub” means; Stunning, Wonderful, Beautiful, etc.
