Addis Ababa

Day 1 starts with a half-day city tour of Addis Ababa, including its museums, churches and the Mercato, reputedly the largest market in Africa.

National Museum of Ethiopia

The oldest museum in Ethiopia, its most famous exhibit is "Lucy", the 3.5 million year old skeleton whose discovery in 1974 demonstrated that bipedal hominids evolved much earlier than previously thought. The museum also holds many other palaeontological and archaeological artefacts, as well as ethnographic and modern art displays.

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Built to commemorate Ethiopia's emancipation from the Italian occupation, the cathedral is an important focal point for the Ethiopian Orthodox church. As a place of worship, it is considered second only to the Church of Our Lady Zion in Axum (where the original Ark of the Covenant is believed to be held).

Mercato Market

Reputedly the largest market in Africa, the Mercato is the commercial hub of Addis Ababa. A close-knit grid of streets crammed with stalls, kiosks and shops, you can buy virtually anything here, but be prepared to negotiate!

Tiya

On day 2, you will leave Addis Ababa early in the morning and head towards Butajira, stopping on the way at the mysterious stone stellae field of Tiya. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, nobody really knows who carved the stellae, or the meaning of their mysterious symbols.

Arba Minch

From Butajira, it is a long but scenic drive through fertile countryside to Arba Minch, where you will stop for the night.

Chamo Lake

In the morning, you will take a boat trip on Lake Chamo to see the famous "crocodile market" - a stretch of sand where enormous Nile Crocodiles like to warm up in the sunshine. Sightings of hippos are also common on the lake.

Dorze Village

In the afternoon, you'll take a drive up the hillside to the highland community of Dorze. The Dorze people are famous for their skill as weavers and on a tour round the village, you will see some of their products. Even their houses are woven from bamboo. You can try your hand at spinning thread, and find out some of their many uses of the enset (false banana) plant. From there, you'll return to your hotel in Arba Minch, where you'll stay a second night.

Konso

Leaving Arba Minch, the tour continues southwards, past Lake Chamo to Karat-Konso. The Konso Cultural Landscape, which includes 42 villages and surrounding farmland, is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are around 250,000 people living in this area, mostly in hill-top villages surrounded by high stone walls. Konso farmers use a sophisticated system of stone terracing to retain moisture and prevent erosion of the hillsides. The area is also famous for the waka (carved wooden funerary statues) that dot the landscape. The Konso people are thought to have lived in this area for at least 400 years and they speak a language belonging to the Cushtic family.

From Karat-Konso, the journey continues, stopping on the way to see a village of the Tsemai people, who live around the Woito River. The Tsemai practice slash-and-burn agriculture, as well as animal husbandry. The spiritual leader of the Tsemai is the bogolko, who prays for rain, good harvests and the health of children. The Tsemai are considered as magicians by some people in surrounding urban areas, but they are also known as one of the most peaceful peoples among the ethnic groups of the Omo Valley.

Key Afer

If it is a Thursday (market day), you may choose to visit the local market at Key Afar, rather than the Tsemai village.

Jinka

At the end of the day, you'll then continue on to Jinka, where you'll spend the night.

Mursi Village

From Jinka, you'll spend the morning exploring a village of the Mursi people, who live in an almost inaccessible area between the Mago and Omo rivers, and are famous for the clay lip-plates traditionally worn by women. There's controversy over the origins of the lip-plates, with theories ranging from disfigurement to discourage slave-raiders to a sign of beauty. Both men and women practise scarification and cut their hair very short, often with patterns shaved into it. Men traditionally wear only a blanket tied at one shoulder, and women, a similarly-fashioned goat skin. The Mursi have a reputation for being aggressive and the men carry a Donga (large stick) for fighting. Ceremonial fights are also performed. Cattle are the Mursi's most prized possession. They're used in virtually every social relationship, including in marriage, as a dowry paid to the bride's father. They provide milk and blood, which form an integral part of the Mursi diet.

Jinka

In the afternoon, you'll have the choice of visiting the Jinka museum, or a village of the Ari people. The Ari people, who live in the fertile lands surrounding Jinka, predominantly practice settled agriculture and produce a variety of cereals, pulses, root crops, fruit and vegetables, as well as the cash crops coffee and cardamom. In rural areas, you may still see Ari women wearing traditional dresses made from the leaves of the false banana plant, and draped with colourful beads and bracelets. At the end of the day, you'll return to Jinka, where you'll spend a second night.

Turmi

Leaving Jinka, the tour continues south to Turmei, passing through an area occupied by the Hamer/Bana people. In the morning, you will stop off either at a local market (if it is Tuesday or Saturday) or at a Bana village. In the afternoon, you'll either visit a traditional Hamer village or, if you are lucky, witness the Hamar's famous bull-jumping ceremony, which takes place when a Hamar man comes of age. He must successfully leap over a line of 8-20 cattle 4 times if he is to be allowed to marry, have children, and own cattle of his own. In the village, Hamer women wear elaborately decorated goat skins with beaded necklaces, bracelets and waistbands, usually black and red, with the number and type of necklaces worn denoting their marital status. Women decorate their hair with clay and butter and twist it into small braids. Men wear a clay cap which is painted and decorated with feathers and other ornaments. Overnight at a hotel in Turmei.

From Turmei, you will visit a village of the Dassanech people. The Dassanech tribe, living around Omerate, is not strictly defined by ethnicity but has absorbed a wide range of different people over time. The Dassanech are divided into eight main clans, each of which is believed to have special powers over different things such as water, crocodiles, snakes, diseases, drought, eye infections, scorpion bites and muscular problems. Members of the same clan are forbidden from marrying (or even dancing with) each other. Both men and women of the Dassanech adorn themselves with beads and bracelets.

Turmi

In the afternoon, you may be lucky enough to see a Hamar Bull-jumping ceremony, or visit the Hamar village if you saw the bull-jumping ceremony on the previous day. At the end of the day, you'll return to Turmei, where you'll spend a second night.

Arba Minch

From Turmei, it is a scenic drive back to Arba Minch, where you'll stop for the night.

Awasa

From Arba Minch, you will continue the journey back north, passing through fertile countryside. The roadsides are often lined with villagers selling fresh, seasonal fruits. Your final destination for the day will be Hawassa, a pleasant lakeside town where you will spend the night. Views over the lake at sunset can be spectacular.

Fish Market at Awassa Lake

In the morning, you will see Hawassa's famous fish market, before departing north for Addis Ababa.

On the way from Hawass to Addis Ababa, you will stop for a tour of Abiyata-Shala National Park, where flocks of up to 50,000 flamingos gather.

The tour ends with dinner at a cultural restaurant in Addis Ababa, where you can see traditional dances from around the country while sampling various Ethiopian dishes.