Vast Ethiopia Tours

04/05/2024

Fasika (Ethiopian Easter): 55 days after Lent in mid-April
Try some of Ethiopia’s nest vegetarian cuisine, such as lentils, split peas, garbanzos, fruit, and a variety of vegetable stews accompanied by injera ( atbread made from teff) during the Easter fast. On the eve of Easter, go to mass and light candles for loved ones. The next day, families give gifts. Easter is especially colorful in the holy cities of Axum and Lalibela. https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

02/05/2024

27/04/2024

Coffee & Culture
Be part of the ceremony
‘Buna’, coffee in Amharic, is a centerpiece of Ethiopian life. Ages ago, the coffee tree was discovered in Ethiopia and changed the world forever. In today’s Ethiopia, coffee continues to play a role in its economy and culture. This off-the-beaten-track tour takes travelers to the southwestern region of the country where high quality coffee is grown for export. Visit a large coffee plantation in the region of Jimma, a former kingdom with its own striking history. Depending on the season, see how coffee is picked and sorted, and learn the about the coffee production value chain. Next, drive on to the rarely-visited region of Gambella, where you spend two days with the Nuer and Anuwak tribes who have been sharing the land around the Baro River for centuries! https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

24/04/2024

Religious Holidays

Include a religious festival in your itinerary and make this fascinating country truly come alive. Learn about ancient doctrine and traditions, follow a holy procession through town, and watch the faithful sing and pray all night long under a blanket of stars. You will see why these holy days are the heartbeat of the Ethiopian people. Far and wide, Ethiopia is rife with shrines and holy places allowing you to see how the devoted and pious clergymen across the country have safeguarded their traditions from modernity. People still arrive on foot, music is still heard through a drum, meat is still cooked over an open re. It is an orquestra of love and patience. With a bit of planning around the religious calendar and with our expertise, we can help choose the right festival for every traveler and nd a way for you to get lost in these wildly popular celebrations.
Lidet (Ethiopian Christmas): January 7th
Witness the patience and elation of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians as they break fast at midnight and celebrate with a spectacular mass of song and joyful church music. The holiday evokes pure bliss with feasting and drinking. Lalibela is a special place for Christmas.
Timket (Epiphany): January 19th
Follow a the holy procession of priests, deacons, and Christians through the streets one day and wake early the next to splash in the holy waters, when believers commemorate Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan. For Timket, Gondar is the most famous, and Axum and Lalibela are good options.
Fasika (Ethiopian Easter): 55 days after Lent in mid-April
Try some of Ethiopia’s nest vegetarian cuisine, such as lentils, split peas, garbanzos, fruit, and a variety of vegetable stews accompanied by injera ( atbread made from teff) during the Easter fast. On the eve of Easter, go to mass and light candles for loved ones. The next day, families give gifts. Easter is especially colorful in the holy cities of Axum and Lalibela.
https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

15/04/2024

Bird Spotting
The Pursuit of Rare Birds
Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most proli c bird watching destinations with over 800 listed bird species and at least 16 endemic species, making it a must-visit for any serious birder.
Bird populations swell in the drier months, from November to February, and our specialized guides will uncover the best spots for twitching the following: sh eagles, amingos, storks, orioles, among others. The endemic Wattled Ibis, Rouget’s Rail, and Blue-winged Goose await your lens. Our most successful birding itineraries concentrate on Ethiopia’s Southern regions, the Great Rift Valley, and the Bale Mountains. All birding tours are guided by members of Ethiopia’s Wildlife and Natural History Society, making the identi cation of dozens of birding sites efficient.
https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

05/04/2024

Bale Mountains
As an area of natural beauty and ecological importance, the Bale Mountains will treat visitors to spectacular views, including old growth forests, crystalline streams, and alpine landscapes. Trekking through the Bale Mountains takes hikers though meadows and thick forested valleys rich in colorful ora. The Bale range is seen as one of Ethiopia’s most important sources
of biodiversity and has become a classic destination for trekking tourism. Hikers stay in comfortable Bale mountain Lodge and have the opportunity to interact and learn how these Oromo communities live in concert with the surrounding forest. https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

04/04/2024

Tigray Churches
High on a cliff
Standing on the airy deck of a sandstone tower 200 meters above the ground,
you may come to realize what a band of Syrian monks saw and found in the craggy mountains of Gheralta, a majestic valley of red rock in the northern region of Tigray. With sweeping views of the desert below, it’s easy to understand how praise and devotion to the creator could become their primary preoccupation. Combine history and culture with a hefty dose of trekking to visit the half-dozen churches sheltered by nature, and wonder at the paintings and books, treasures that have survived the ages and are still being used today! https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

01/04/2024

Lalibela Churches
The Bedrock of Faith
The legend says the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela were built by angels. After a few days wandering through the tunnels, from church to church, you can see why. In fact, King Lalibela commissioned these houses of worship directly into the basalt bedrock in the 12th century, out of sight from invadors on the horizon. Over 800 years later, Lalibela is the site of the world’s most amazing feat of medieval architecture and the churches continue to attract believers on a daily basis and provide a singular backdrop for any of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church holidays.
https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

29/03/2024

The Southern Culture Route

The Southern Culture Route takes travelers to the heart of Ethiopia’s most diverse tribal lands in the Omo Valley to witness animist cultures that strike a chord with the true African experience. Ethiopia has more than 80 ethnicities living within its borders, all speaking different languages with different customs, and the journey through the Omo Valley brings you closer to those tribes who for centuries have lived in isolation from the rest of the world.
An adventure unlike any in Africa, you will see rsthand the way these tribes live, dress, eat, and socialize. You will also experience some of their most intimate customs and ancient ceremonies, acts of courage and passion taht seem to defy modernity. You will realize that these tribes are now tethered to global tourism and wonder how over the next decades, the Karo, Hamer, Erbore, Surma, and Mursi will face decisions on how to carry their people forward in a changing world. Here today, the traveler can still catch a glimpse of the past.
We strive to treat these tribes as well as their lands with respect and use local tour associations that bene t the entire tribe or village. A delicate balance of respect, development, and preservation is necessary to preserve what has already existed for so long.

27/03/2024

Danakil Depression
Walk through the rainbow of geology
No matter how long you have been traveling the world, nothing compares to the geological journey into the Danakil Depression. The Danakil is located in the northern part of the Great Rift Valley and home to some of the most astounding terrain in the Horn of Africa. Over 100 meters below sea level, this inverted world of rock and heat is harsh yet beautiful. Despite
the average temperatures of 40° Celsius, the Afari people have survived through a nomadic existence and a local economy based on salt trading. Go to Dallol, where a volcanic explosion has created a crater of mineral pools that have painted the landscape a vivid palette of greens, oranges, yellows, and reds. Climb over surreal salt formations, and trek through the night to Erta Ale volcano. Sleep near the massive crater and peer into an active lava lake boiling in its caldera. These are the places that make Ethiopia more than just history and culture!
https://www.vastethiopiatours.com/danakil-depression/

25/03/2024

Simien Mountains National Park is the largest national park in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, its territory covers the highest parts of the Simien Mountains and includes Ras Dashan, the highest point in Ethiopia. It is home to a number of endangered species, including the Ethiopian wolf and the walia ibex, a wild goat found nowhere else in the world. The gelada baboon and the caracal, a cat, also occur within the Simien Mountains. More than 50 species of birds inhabit the park, including the bearded vulture, or lammergeier, with its 3-metre (10 ft) wingspan.[3]! https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

24/03/2024

The Northern Historic Route:
Once the longest-running monarchies in the world, the Ethiopian Empire, led by its own King of Kings, ruled the highlands of Ethiopia for hundreds of years, drawing its legitimacy from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, an ancient faith that became a state religion in the 3rd century. The historic route is a journey through Ethiopia’s dramatic history that allows travelers to imagine the past and enjoy the highland culture intimately linked to their religion. https://www.vastethiopiatours.com/spiritual_roots/

24/03/2024

23/03/2024

The Dorze people Renowned for their cotton weaving, called Shammas. And their distinctive house towering beehive shaped structures made from woven thatch. You will see how they weave their huts textiles and the cultivation and production of the false banana tree from which the Dorze make their traditional Bread (kotcho).And you could also try how to make Kocho.
https://www.vastethiopiatours.com/ancient-tribes/

21/03/2024

Abuna Yem’ata Guh | Tigray Region | Ethiopia

Situated at a height of 2,580 metres (8,460 ft), it has to be climbed on foot to reach. It is notable for its architecture, dome & wall paintings dating back to the 5th century.

15/03/2024

25/10/2023

01/08/2023

27/07/2023

Standing on a cliff edge looking at where the Blue Nile is just a trickle, watched by a gelada baboon on a distant rock and staring over miles upon miles of some of the most beautiful countryside I’d ever seen, one thought struck me: why is there hardly anyone else here? Ethiopia is stunning to l....

30/06/2023

https://twitter.com/historyinmemes/status/1673837658995322885?s=46&t=SQB3E0HUfCMIvCCnpJLBFA

“Ethiopia's 'Abuna Yemata Guh' is arguably the most inaccessible place of worship on earth and has to be climbed on foot to reach. Located in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, this ancient rock-hewn church stands atop a vertical cliff, perched at an elevation of around 2,580…”

28/06/2023

21/06/2023

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2017/7/5/pilgrimage-to-ethiopias-12th-century-iconic-churches/

The World Heritage site draws visitors and pilgrims with its monolithic churches carved into the ground.

16/06/2023

Hiking high above the plains in northern Ethiopia may be (literally) a balancing act, but Rachael Dove finds the steep climb is more than worth it

16/06/2023

18/04/2023

𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬!

Gherlata Lodge has been part and parcel of tourism in Tigray and makes tourism in this part of Ethiopia full of wonder. As tourist service facilities resume operations in the region, Gherlata Lodge is a place to behold.



📸 : Nicole Cieri

16/04/2023

Fasika (Ethiopian Easter): 55 days after Lent in mid-April
Try some of Ethiopia’s nest vegetarian cuisine, such as lentils, split peas, garbanzos, fruit, and a variety of vegetable stews accompanied by injera ( atbread made from teff) during the Easter fast. On the eve of Easter, go to mass and light candles for loved ones. The next day, families give gifts. Easter is especially colorful in the holy cities of Axum and Lalibela.
https://www.vastethiopiatours.com

29/03/2023

Are you ready to traverse and clamber to 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬?

The tour program that touches Lalibela, the Semien Mountains National Park, Gehralta & Danakil depression is a dream adventure for any traveler to Ethiopia.

Planning is realistic now to visit the spellbound attractions in northern Ethiopia, better known as 'the historic route tour'.

Plan your Ethiopia trip now!