A Short Morning Flight Takes You To Gondar And A Warm Welcome To The Old Mountain Capital Of Gondar, And Transfer To Your Hotel. Gondar Has A Rich History With Its Beautiful And Strategic Mountain Setting, The 17th-Century Capital Was Once The Crossroads Of Several Major Caravan Routes, And Was Also Occupied By The Italians During World War II. The Art Deco Buildings Surrounding The Royal Enclosure With Its Medieval Castles And Churches Are A Reminder Of This Heritage. This Afternoon, Explore Gondar’s Castles And The Church Of Debre Berhan Selassie With Its Iconic Ceiling Of Painted Angel.

Early morning we drive from Gondar to the park headquarters in Debark. The 100 km journey will take around 2 hours. At the headquarters we will arrange our permits to the park and pick up our scout. After that we will drive for another hour before we start our first day introductory walk. This first hike is an easy one along the northern edge of the escarpment with nice viewpoints over the foothills and plains of northern Ethiopia. You will encounter gelada baboons along this hike.

We Follow The Northern Escarpment Eastward, Before We Descend A Little Into The Kaba Valley. After That We Climb Up Before We Reach Gich Abyss And Continue Over A Narrow Ridge To A Cliff Where We Have A Spectacular View Of The Abyss Towards The Simien Foothills. We Also Find A Large Waterfall Here, Where The Jinbar River Plunges 500 m Into The Abyss. We Proceed For About Two Hours And Have Lunch At The Jinbar River. After Lunch you will Walk To Gich Camp Which Is A Good Area To Look For Lammergeyer And Thick Billed Raven. After A Relaxing Afternoon, We Will Take A Short Hike Up To Kedadit To Enjoy Sunset Plus The Gorgeous Shaded Landscapes Down To The Cliff Side Towards The Eastern Direction And Return To The Camp For Dinner.

Walk From Gich Camp We Stroll Through Endless Fields Of Giant Lobelia Before We Reach The Towering Cliffs Of Imet-Gogo (3926 m). Here We Will Spend Some Time To Absorb The Superb Views Over The Mountain Valleys Below And Strange Shaped Domes In The Distance. After That We Descend Into The Jinbahir River Valley. The Trail Follows The Edge Of The Escarpment, Which Is Completely Vertical For Several Hundred Meters. We Climb To A Summit Of 4070 m Where We Will Have Lunch. After Lunch We Descend To Chennek For About Two Hours Along A Steep Trail. From Chennek Camp There Are Spectacular Views In All Directions And Opportunities To Spot Walia Ibex In The Late Afternoon Or Early Morning.

On This Day The Character Of The Trek Is More Uphill And Downhill. It Is A Bit Tough While Climbing Up And Easier While Descending, But Far From Sheer Cliffs. From The Top Of Mt. Buwahit (4430 m), We Will Have The Opportunity To See The Highest Mountain In Ethiopia, Ras Dejen (4543 m), As Well As Decent Views Of Mt. Buwahit Itself. It Takes Around 5–6 Hrs Round Trip, Then Drive Back To Gondar (Approx. 5 Hrs).

Fly To The UNESCO World Heritage Site Of Lalibela – The Jerusalem Of Ethiopia, And Africa’s Own ‘Petra’. In A Fitting Finale To Your Ethiopian Adventure, Explore The Monolithic Red-Hued Churches Carved Into The Rock. Your Guide Will Lead You Through The Network Of Crevices And Tunnels Linking Each Of The Churches, Still In Use Today.

Today Your Guide Takes You To The Eastern Group Of Rock-Hewn Churches: Smaller In Size But No Less Impressive, With Intricate Carvings And Dark Tunnels To Explore! Travel Further Afield To The Nakutelab Rock-Hewn Church, Built Into The Side Of A Hill In A Natural Cave. End The Day With A Traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony In A Local Home.

Morning flight back to Addis Ababa. End of tour.