Ethiopia-Kenya Cross-border starts from Addis traversing through rich diverse cultural expeditions, scenic road trips and wild game in their natural habitat.
Day 1: Addis Ababa – City Tour
Meeting in Addis airport by Mara Expeditions staff and transfer to your hotel. City tour downtown. Then to the Entoto Hills, with a stop at the Coronation Church of Menelik II. Lunch is at the hotel. Visit the Mercato and the Piazza. In the afternoon, visit the National Museum and the Trinity Cathedral, where the mausoleums of Haile Selassie and his wife are. Finally, visit the cathedral museum. Dinner and overnight
Day 2: Addis Ababa – Ziway – Shashemene – Awassa
An early departure to visit the rock church of Adadi Maryam (Lalibela-tradition), dating as early as the 13th century. Visit the stelae field of Tiya (a Unesco World Heritage site); certainly, the burial site is over 700 years old. Stop at Lake Ziway, via Arsi Negele (stop at Stelae group), to Shashemene, where we visit the Rastafari community. Arrival in Awassa, dinner and overnight
Day 3: Awassa – Nechisar – Arba Minch
Visit the fish market in Awassa, near the lake. Then to Chencha for the visit to a Dorze village. Lunch is served en route. Arrival at Arba Minch (which means 40 springs). Short game drives in Nechisar National Park and a stop at the “Bridge of God” separating Lake Chamo and Lake Abaya. Boat trip on Lake Chamo to see hippos and crocodiles. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Arba Minch – Konso – Jinka
Visit a crocodile farm on the shores of Lake Abaya. Around noon, arrive at Karat Konso. Visit a village of the Konso-people. Farmers build their fortified villages on a hilltop. Later on, visit Gesergyio, the so-called “Ethiopian New York”. On our way to Jinka, visit Ari- and Tsemai villages. Finally, arrive in Jinka and visit the South Omo Research Centre, the local ethnographic museum. Dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Jinka, Excursion Mago National Park – Mursi Tribe
A whole-day excursion in Het Mago National Park with a picnic lunch. One of the most remarkable visits on our trip today is the village visit to the Mursi tribe. Dine and stay overnight.
Day 6: Jinka – Key Afer – Turmi
We cross the territory of the Hamer tribe, one of the most known tribes in the Omo Valley. Visit the weekly market and lunch Key Afer. Visit another tribe, – Bana-settlement. Finally, drive to Turmi for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Turmi Excursion Karo- And Dassanech-Tribes – Murelle
Day excursion to visit Omorate, the Dassanech tribe, on the western shore of the Omo River (crossing the river by boat). Picnic lunch. Then to Murelle, where they visit a Karo village, with a spectacular view of the Omo River gorge. Dinner and overnight
Day 8: Murelle – Koobi Fora (Kenya)
We are on our way to Kenya now. After the crossing of the border, we have our picnic lunch. Further to Lake Turkana, the biggest lake in the Rift Valley. Arrival in Koobi Fora and Sibiloi National Park, where the prehistoric excavations discovered by Richard Leakey in the sixties of the last century. This site can truly be called “the Cradle of Mankind”. Dinner and overnight
Day 9: Koobi Fora – Sibiloi National Park – Lake Turkana
A full-day excursion with a game drive in Sibiloi National Park. Furthermore, visit the Petrified Forest with a picnic lunch. Dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Sibiloi National Park – Loyangalani – Lake Turkana
If possible, we take the lake road to Loyangalani and El Molo. If not, we would rather take the inland road. Picnic lunch is served along the way. Arrival in Loyangalani. Dinner and overnight
Day 11: Loyangalani (Lake Turkana)
A whole day visiting the region. Visit a Turkana village. The Turkana are pastoralists like the Samburu but some are also fishermen. After lunch, we embark on a boat trip on the lake if the weather permits. At El-Molo Bay, visit the El-Molo tribe, Kenya’s smallest tribe (less than 500 people). Dine and stay overnight.
Day 12: Loyangalani – Chalbi Desert – Kalacha
Today we cross the Chalbi desert, similar to an expansive barren salt pan. Arrive at Kalacha around noon so that lunch can be served. Visit a Gabre-settlement. Dinner and overnight
Day 13: Kalacha – Marsabit
Departure for Marsabit with lunch en route. Visit some “Singing Wells” from the Borana people. Probably, visit to a Rendille-village. Marsabit is the local commercial centre for more than ten tribes living around. And Marsabit National Park is a green garden of Eden, compared to the desert we just crossed. Dine and stay overnight.
Day 14: Marsabit – Samburu National Park
Drive to Samburu National Reserve, and lunch will be served upon arrival. Game drive in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight
Day 15: Samburu National Park
A whole day with game drives in Samburu. Picnic lunch served en route. Later in the afternoon, an optional visit to a Samburu village. Dinner and overnight.
Day 16: Samburu – Nanyuki – Nairobi
We cross the equator at Nanyuki and have a picnic lunch before driving back to Nairobi. Dinner and overnight at Karen homestay.
Day 17: Nairobi
Visit the Sheldrick Centre to see the elephant orphans, and then the Karen Blixen museum. Lunch at Karen Blixen. Panoramic city tour and visit to the National Archives. Transfer to the airport or connection to the next destination.
Options are, of course, many and varied, and in many cases, we can be flexible about the itinerary for accommodation facilities and the extension of the safari destinations.
