Tigray, Danakil & Epiphany Lalibela

Departure by international flight to Addis Ababa

Arrive in Addis Ababa at, 11:40 a.m. vlocal uelo to Axum. Check-in at the accommodation.

Axum City Photo Tour

Axum was the ancient capital of Ethiopia and the cradle of its civilization. It is famous for its obelisks and stelae, some of which are more than 2000 years old, measuring up to 33 m in height. Here you will also find the ruins of the baths and the palace of the Queen of Sheba, and the tombs of King Kaleb and his successors. Its archaeological museum is undoubtedly the best in Ethiopia. But if something catches the attention and curiosity of those who visit the area, it is the church of St. Mary of Tsion, where legend states that the Ark of the Covenant is located, once the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Israel, Menelik I, brought it from Israel.

We begin our visits to the impressive churches of Tigray, carved in rock and characterized by being carved into the slopes of precipices, taking advantage of caves or located on top of high rocky peaks.

In the morning we will drive to Gheralta, with the intention of visiting some of the most significant churches in the area such as Bete Johannes, Wukero cherkos or Abreha Asbeha Temple.

This morning we will set off again for Gheralta. We will continue to visit the rock-cut churches. Today we will focus our tour on visiting and photographing two of the most impressive: Abuna Yemata Guh and Maryam Korkor, of different styles, but just as beautiful and striking.

To visit Abuna Yemata Guh we will have to make a short excursion walking until we reach the Gheralta massif. Once there, like in an Indiana Jones movie, climbing up the sandstone rock with the help of our guides, we will reach our goal. A short, narrow corridor flanked by a precipice will lead to the door of the grotto. What you see inside is indescribable, magnificent frescoes that only contemplation takes your breath away.

To get to the church of Maryan Korkor we will also have to walk for a short stretch, its location between the rocks makes it impossible to access by car and that its beauty is preserved intact.

*We also have the option of churches closer to us,- a physical level for all audiences

Let’s change the scenery, our goal for today will be to reach the summit of the Erta Ale volcano “smoking mountain”, a volcano located in the Danakil Desert, in the Horn of Africa, in the region of the Afar depression, northeast of Ethiopia.

We will travel by 4×4 to Dodem/Kusrewad, the base camp from which we will start the ascent to the volcano. There we will collect the necessary permits and in addition to the military, local guides and cooks who will accompany us on our adventure. The first part of the tour will be done with camels, and in the afternoon we will begin on foot the three-hour ascent that will take us to the top of the Erta Ale volcano.

The Erta Ale is 613 meters high, with a crater 1 km in diameter, and inside it is a lava lake of about 150 meters.

We will spend the night camped at the top, next to this wonder of nature.

Night in Camp, full board

After breakfast, we will start our journey towards Hamed Ela, a village in the Dallol area that is 92m below sea level. We will fully immerse ourselves in the Afar region, where we will meet and photograph its inhabitants.

As we descend, as we enter the desert plain, we will see noticeable changes in the landscape. Thisis where the Dankile depression begins, a place below sea level.

This is one of the most inhospitable regions in the world, but also one of the most spectacular, full of striking colors provided by the sulfur springs.

On the way we will photograph long caravans of camels going to the salt mines and others leaving the Danakil with their camels already loaded.

After a long day in which we will have taken hundreds of photographs, we will sleep camping in Hamed Ela.

Night in Camp, full board

Today we will dedicate the day to an excursion to Dallol (116 meters below sea level, one of the lowest places in the world).

The spectacle that nature offers in Dallol is practically indescribable. Numerous sulfur springs, volcanoes, geysers, acid pools, vast salt flats, and colorful, mineral-laden lakes dot the place. Volcanic activity heats the water in the springs, bringing sulfur and iron to the surface, leaving yellow, green, and orange deposits. For centuries, locals have walked with camel caravans to extract salt by hand from this Ethiopian stronghold whose landscape looks extraterrestrial.

In addition to the thousands of photos we will take of this dreamlike landscape, we will take advantage of the excursion to interact and photograph the Afar in their daily lives: how they prepare their traditional bread, how they travel or interact.

Our tour will also take us to Lake Assale, with waters with such density that it prevents you from sinking, and covered with a thick crust of salt that is exploited as a mine by the Afar. We may see how they extract the salt bars and load them onto the camels, and we can photograph the camel caravans transporting the salt to the markets. A photograph that will remain forever in your retina.

We will return to Hammed Ela and from there we will head to Mekele, passing through the town of Berhale, a village on the edge of the Danakil depression, a stop for camel caravans bringing salt from Lake Assale to the markets of Mekelle. We will continue on our way until we reach the Tigrian highlands, a privileged place to take a photo of the Danakil depression.

We leave the desert area for good and drive to Lalibela through a fascinating mountain landscape. Ethiopia will now surprise us with a steep path through its high peaks, an ideal place to admire and photograph African nature and the daily life of the peoples we will cross.

In the morning, after breakfast, we will visit and photograph the first group of the eleven monolithic rock-cut Churches.

Lalibela, the ‘New Jerusalem’, is believed to have been built around 800 years ago by King Gebra Maskal Lalibela, a powerful 12th-century Ethiopian monarch. This city was the capital of his kingdom, but today it is a small rural town.

Although rock-carved churches are found in other parts of the world, those in this area of Ethiopia are particularly interesting, not only because of the wonderful architecture, but also because they are not a crowded tourist attraction, but they are still a sacred place and a Christian pilgrimage where you find many hermits in their white robes studying and reading the Bible.

Carved beneath the earth’s surface on huge basalt rocks, they display extremely skilled workmanship and have been classified as one of the wonders of the world. Each church has a unique architectural style and all are magnificently carved. There are 11 rock-cut churches, of which the most impressive is Bet Giorgis, carved in the shape of a Greek cross and exceptionally well preserved.

In the afternoon we will continue to visit the churches of La Libela. We will attend the celebration of the eve of Timket (Epiphany) in the church of Bete Giorgis, the most impressive of the 11 churches of Lalibela.

Today is the big day and we will get up early so as not to miss any detail. Timkat (Epiphany) is an ancient Ethiopian Orthodox Christian tradition that commemorates Christ’s baptism in the Jordan. It is celebrated through the same rites that were used in the fifth century and that have survived history. It will be like attending and photographing a medieval ceremony.

Early in the morning, around 6:00 am, we will attend the celebrations and rites of the Epiphany; the blessing of the water, the prayers and songs of the priests… A magical atmosphere that will last until the early hours of the afternoon.

Afterwards we will move to the city to photograph its frenetic activity on this holiday.

Today we return to the capital of Ethiopia, we will arrive in Addis Ababa in the early afternoon in time to do the last minute shopping, before the farewell dinner in which we will enjoy the best food and traditional dances. From there, we will transfer to the airport.

Arrival and disembarkation at Madrid airport, End of our Photo Tour to Northern Ethiopia.