Langano

We meet you at your place of stay in Addis Ababa and start today’s drive of 235 km south of Addis Ababa to south to Lake Langano. The first stop today is at an outlook to enjoy the great scenery of the Ethiopian part of the Great East African Rift Valley. It is best known for its beautiful lakes and abundant birdlife. Then crossing the Awash River and driving 12 km on dirt road, visit the ancient and still in service church of Adadi Mariam which is chiseled out of a single piece of rock in the 13th Century AD by the famous King Lalibela who carved 11 more churches in the Northern Ethiopia. Next, drive 42 km and visit the Stelaes (huge grave stones) at the Cemetery site - the Stelaes of Tiya is one of Ethiopia’s sites listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Here you will visit beautiful carved stone grave markers erected between the 12th and 14th Century AD in honor of important local heroes (warriors). After lunch at the town of Butajira, drive 90 km further to the Rift Valley Lake of Langano where you will enjoy swimming, bird watching, water sports, and the beautiful sunset over the lake. Along the way, visit one of the villages of the Oromo people to interact with locals, and learn their way of life.

Adadi Maryam

Adadi Mariam is a subterranean rock-hewn church similar to those of Lalibela. This church is unique as it is the southern-most church of its type, and stands alone – no other rock-hewn churches are in the area. It has been surmised that King Lalibela ordered the construction of Adida Mariam for his visit to southern Ethiopia. The site dates to the 13th century, but is still an active site of worship.

Tiya World Heritage Site

Tiya is among the most important of the roughly 160 archaeological sites discovered so far in the Soddo region, south of Addis Ababa. The site contains 36 monuments, including 32 carved stelae covered with symbols, most of which are difficult to decipher. They are the remains of an ancient Ethiopian culture whose age has not yet been precisely determined.

Lake Shala

After breakfast, drive for 15 minutes to the Abiyatta Shalla Lakes National Park and walk for half an hour to see Ostriches, Gazelles, Warthogs, and different lowland bird species. Then, drive 5km to a viewpoint to see the great view of the twin lakes of Abiyatta and Shalla. Lake Shalla is the deepest lake in Ethiopia and it is a breeding ground for the seasonal flamingos. If the tour is between September to June, continue driving further to visit the Natural Hot Spring waters where locals use the waters to get healed from skin diseases. After lunch stop at the Rift Valley Lake of Langano, drive 40 km north and take a boat trip of about an hour on the Rift Valley Lake of Ziway to see families of hippos and a number of birds such as great white pelicans, Marabou Storks, African Fish Eagle, Sacred Ibis, Hammer Kops, etc. Finally, drive back to Addis Ababa via the crater lakes of Bishoftu.