Tour Overview & Highlights

DANAKIL DEPRESSION

Otherworldly landscapes & adventure

ETHIOPIAN FOOD

Shared feasts & incredible flavours

Upcoming Tour Dates

• 31st October – 12th November 2026 BOOK NOW

From £3,995* (per person)

• Deposit: £500 (non-refundable)
• 2nd Payment: £3,195 (due 62 days before the departure date)
• 3rd Payment: $230 (local payment, paid on arrival)
• Internal Flight: £130 approx. (booked and paid separately – but included in price above)

* subject to current USD to GBP exchange rates

* payment plans available

What’s Included

• 12 nights’ accommodation (twin share basis)
• 12 breakfasts, 12 lunches & 11 dinners
• Rock My Adventure group leader & local guides
• Comprehensive pre-departure information & support
• All activities & park fees as per the itinerary below
• All transport for included activities
• Tips for local guides

Why Travel With Rock My Adventure?

I’ve spent the last 17 years exploring Africa, building genuine local friendships, discovering hidden places and creating the kind of adventures I always wished existed.

Every Rock My Adventure itinerary is personally researched and designed by me, inspired by the friendships I’ve built and the local people who’ve welcomed me into their homes and communities over the last 17 years.

Whether I’m travelling with the group or one of our trusted Rock My Adventure leaders is hosting the adventure, our goal is always the same: to help you experience Africa beyond the tourist trail through genuine local connections, unforgettable wildlife encounters and the kind of moments money simply can’t buy.

I’d love for you to experience it too.

Helen x

Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Ethiopia

Arrive in Addis Ababa and transfer to your accommodation for the night.

In the evening, we’ll come together for our first group dinner – complete with a cultural dance show – the perfect introduction to Ethiopian culture.

Your Rock My Ethiopia Adventure starts here.

• Meals: Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Welcome Dinner with Cultural Dancing Show

Day 2: Southbound: Flight to Jinka & Honey Wine Welcome

After a relaxed breakfast, we’ll head to the airport for a morning flight south to Jinka, arriving in time for lunch.

After lunch, we’ll begin the scenic drive to Turmi (around 3 hours). The journey starts on smooth tarmac before turning into dirt roads that wind through rural countryside and villages.

In the evening, we’ll enjoy a traditional dinner and an introduction to Ethiopia, the Hamar people, and our ethical approach to travel in the South Omo Valley.

Later, we’ll head to our guide’s mother’s home to taste tej – Ethiopian honey wine, said to be the best in town – and toast to new friendships and the days ahead.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Lodge (Ensuite)
• Activities: Hamar Dinner, Tej Tasting

Day 3: Play, Cook & Learn with the Hamar

This morning, we’ll meet the local Hamar family we’ll spend time with throughout the week and enjoy our first Hamar buno (coffee). We’ll learn about children’s roles in the community and play traditional games – plus a few fun icebreakers of our own.

At lunchtime, we’ll join our guide’s mother for a hands-on Ethiopian cooking class. Learn how to make injera, prepare beyonetu sauces, and take home recipes and spice packets to recreate the experience later.

In the afternoon, we’ll visit a Hamar farm to learn about traditional agriculture and survival skills – from making fire with sticks to slingshots and spear throwing. Expect plenty of laughter and friendly competition.

We’ll also meet a Hamar elder fortune teller and learn about fascinating belief systems, from protecting villages from drought to dealing with wrongdoing. Everyone has the chance to have their fortune told in a truly unique way.

As the sun sets, we’ll head out for a short hike to a scenic viewpoint before dinner in town. Later, we’ll visit a local drinking spot to hang out like the locals.

By the end of the day, you’ll stop feeling like a visitor and start feeling like part of the village.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Lodge (Ensuite)
• Activities: Hamar Tribe Immersion (Games, Cooking Class, Farming, Fortune Teller, Spear Throwing), Sunset Hike & Viewpoint, Local Drinking Spot

Day 4: 24 Hours Living with the Hamar Tribe

Today is all about immersion.

Those who wish can take part in a 24-hour digital detox (optional), handing over phones and stepping fully into Hamar life, where time is told by the sun and social media doesn’t exist.

In the morning, we’ll choose between learning traditional jewellery-making or wood carving under the trees. Create your own piece or commission a local artisan while learning about the cultural meaning behind each design.

In the afternoon, we’ll join a Hamar family to prepare and share lunch. Help grind grain, pick moringa leaves, and make traditional coffee from husks (an alternative meal is available if needed).

Later, we’ll see how Hamar honey is collected from hives in the trees and sample fresh honey alongside bokolo (roasted maize), if in season.

Tonight, we’ll experience a village sleepover – either camping in a tent or sleeping traditionally on a cowskin inside (or outside) a Hamar house – your choice!

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Camping/Traditional Hut (Bedding Provided)
• Activities: Hamar Tribe Immersion (Jewellery Making, Cooking, Honey Collection, Village Sleepover)

Day 5: Market Day & Bull Jumping Ritual

Wake to the sounds of village life and share morning buno with a local family – a key social ritual. Afterwards, we’ll return to freshen up, enjoy breakfast, and retrieve phones if you joined the digital detox.

We’ll visit the weekly Gaba Rorro Market, one of the largest in the region. Take on a fun Hamar language challenge before browsing local produce and handicrafts.

Lunch is shared with Kuna, a Hamar woman living in town, who will tell her inspiring life story.

In the afternoon, if timing allows, we may witness the powerful bull jumping ceremony, a coming-of-age ritual marking a boy’s transition into manhood. You may have seen this on Bruce Parry’s ‘Tribe’ documentary series.

As evening falls, we’ll enjoy dinner set on the riverbed – romantic, beach-style vibes in the heart of the Omo Valley.

If the bull jumping takes place, we’ll join the village for Evangadi night dancing, celebrating the jumper’s achievement.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Lodge (Ensuite)
• Activities: Morning Buno, Gaba Rorro Market, Lunch with Kuna, Bull Jumping Ceremony, Riverbed Dinner, Evangadi Night Dancing

Day 6: Terraces & Textures: Konso, Dorze & Arba Minch

We’ll start the day with pull, a traditional southern Ethiopian breakfast and a group favourite.

Departing early, we’ll travel to Konso (around 4 hours), passing through changing landscapes along the way. On arrival, we’ll explore the Konso people’s extraordinary stone terraces and fortified settlements, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over lunch, we’ll learn about their carved wooden statues, traditional games, and unique social systems.

Continuing on to Arba Minch, we’ll stop in the Dorze Highlands to visit their iconic beehive-shaped houses, learn about traditional weaving, and sample kocho (made from enset, or false banana). This community-owned cultural experience often ends in lively dancing – joining in is highly encouraged.

In the evening, we’ll enjoy a fresh fish dinner in Arba Minch.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Lodge (Ensuite)
• Activities: Pull Breakfast, Konso Settlement & UNESCO World Heritage site, Dorze Highlands Cultural Experience (Beehive Houses, Traditional Weaving, Kocho, Dancing)

Day 7: Lake Life & Lazy Boats: Arba Minch to Hawassa

We’ll set off early for a scenic drive north through the southern Rift Valley (around 4.5 hours), passing banana plantations, roadside villages, and volcanic lakes.

Arriving in Hawassa in the afternoon, we’ll settle into lakeside life and enjoy a private boat trip on Lake Hawassa. Keep an eye out for hippos, African fish eagles, and local fishermen using traditional methods.

The rest of the afternoon is free – stroll the palm-lined streets, snack on pineapple or dates, relax by the lake, or unwind at the resort.

In the evening, we’ll enjoy grilled tilapia at a lakeside restaurant before heading into town to sample Hawassa’s surprisingly swanky nightlife.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Lake Hawassa Boat Trip

Day 8: Into the Highlands: Bale Mountains

We’ll begin the day with a visit to the Hawassa fish market, followed by the freshest fish breakfast imaginable.

From here, we’ll head east, climbing steadily into the highlands. The scenic 4-hour drive passes through Shashamane and Dodola, with views of farmland, eucalyptus forests, and Oromo villages along the way.

Arriving in Dinsho, the headquarters of Bale Mountains National Park, in the afternoon, we’ll be welcomed by local guides before heading out on a gentle forest walk. Wander among juniper and Hagenia trees, with chances to spot mountain nyala, Menelik’s bushbuck, warthogs, and colourful highland birds.

In the evening, we’ll enjoy dinner and gather around the campfire, toasting marshmallows before settling in for the night.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Camping (Bedding Provided)
• Activities: Bale Mountains Forest Walk

Day 9: Sanetti Plateau & Harenna Forest

We’ll set off early for the surreal Sanetti Plateau, one of Africa’s highest roads and most otherworldly landscapes, rising above 4,000 metres.

We’ll spend the morning searching for endemic wildlife, including the Ethiopian wolf, giant molerats, and soaring lammergeiers, pausing for warm drinks while taking in the vast moorland views.

In the afternoon, we’ll descend dramatically into the lush, misty Harenna Forest. Explore ancient trees, wild coffee plants, and keep an eye out for rare primates such as Bale monkeys and colobus monkeys.

The day ends with a warm dinner and a final night in the highlands.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Camping (Bedding Provided)
• Activities: Sanetti Plateau Safari, Harenna Forest

Day 10: From Mountain Air to Lake Life

We’ll wake to crisp mountain air and enjoy breakfast before beginning the descent from the Bale highlands. Watch the scenery change as we travel through different ecosystems and rural villages.

Continuing through the Rift Valley toward Lake Langano (around 4.5 hours in total), we’ll stop for a picnic or roadside lunch along the way.

Arriving in the afternoon, we’ll relax and enjoy some free time by the lake – swim, walk along the shore, or simply watch the sunset over the water.

The day ends with a relaxed lakeside dinner beneath the stars.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Lodge (Ensuite)
• Activities: None

Day 11: Lake Langano: Rest & Recharge

We’ll enjoy a slow start to the day with breakfast by the water, followed by a free morning to swim, go birdwatching, or stroll along the shoreline.

This lake is renowned as Ethiopia’s only bilharzia-free lake, making it ideal for swimming, kayaking, and relaxed time on the water, as well as horse riding, hiking trails, and nearby hot springs.

In the afternoon, there’s the option to visit Munessa Forest and a nearby waterfall in search of colobus monkeys – or simply unwind with a book in a hammock and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

As evening falls, we’ll come together for sunset drinks, dinner, and a beach bonfire by the lake.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Lodge (Ensuite)
• Activities: Munessa Forest, Beach Bonfire

Day 12: Ancient Stones & Return to Addis

After breakfast, we’ll begin the journey back north toward Addis Ababa. En route, we’ll stop at the Tiya Stelae, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring mysterious carved stone pillars marking ancient burial grounds.

Continuing through the Rift Valley, we’ll stop for lunch and coffee along the way before arriving in Addis Ababa by late afternoon.

In the evening, we’ll head out for dinner at one of the city’s excellent restaurants. Those with energy can explore Addis nightlife – from live jazz and traditional dance houses to buzzing local bars.

• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Tiya Stelae

Day 13: Exploring Addis/Departure Day

Start the day at Shiro Meda, Addis’s famous textile market, browsing handwoven clothing and vibrant fabrics.

Then head up into the Entoto hills to visit Entoto Maryam Church and enjoy panoramic views over the city.

Spend the afternoon in Entoto Park, choosing your own adventure – hike forest trails, try ziplining or archery, go horse riding, relax with coffee and views, or indulge in a massage.

In the evening, enjoy dinner at a cultural restaurant, famous for its energetic live music and traditional dance performances.

Those flying out will transfer to the airport after dinner, while guests continuing on the Danakil extension will return to the hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite) – For Extension Guests Only
• Activities: Shiro Meda Textile Market, Entoto Park & 1 Activity, Dinner with Cultural Dancing

Day 14: Addis to the Danakil: Semera & Salt Lakes

We’ll take an early morning flight to Semera.

From here, we’ll depart in a 4WD convoy and head into the Danakil Depression. Along the way, we’ll stop at Lake Afdera, a salt lake lying below sea level, to see traditional salt extraction.

Arriving in the salt desert area in the afternoon, we’ll take time to relax after the long drive.

At sunset, we’ll visit the spectacular Lake Asale salt flats, where mirror-like reflections stretch to the horizon.

Tonight, we’ll camp under the stars in the open desert.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Camping (Bedding Provided)
• Activities: Lake Afdera, Lake Asale Salt Flats

Day 15: Dallol – One of Earth’s Extremes

We’ll set off early for Dallol, one of the lowest places on Earth at – 125 metres.

We’ll explore the surreal hydrothermal landscape of colourful mineral formations, acid pools, and salt mountains. Along the way, we’ll visit Afar salt miners as they cut salt blocks and load them onto camel caravans – a tradition unchanged for centuries.

In the afternoon, we’ll begin the return drive toward Semera.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Dallol

Day 16: Departure Day

We’ll take a mid-morning flight back to Addis Ababa, arriving around lunchtime.

The afternoon is free to rest, recover, or shop at a local artisan cooperative. You may choose to explore nearby sights or simply enjoy some well-earned downtime after the Danakil adventure.

In the evening, we’ll head out for dinner at a rooftop restaurant and bar before we transfer to the airport for our flights home, or you can stay on and continue your Africa travels from there.

If you need any support with your pre or post-tour Africa travels, please don’t hesitate to contact us. It’s all part of the Rock My Adventure service.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: None
• Activities: Farewell Dinner

Cost: £650

Inclusions

• 3 nights accommodation (twin share basis)
• 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners
• Rock My Adventure group leader & local guides
• All ground transport
• Tips for local guides
• Lake Afdera
• Dallol
• Tiya Stelae
• Lake Asale Salt Flats
• Tips for drivers & crew

Exclusions

• Local flights to/from Samera (approx. £250)

Essential Info

What’s Not Included

• International & local flights
• Airport transfers before and after the tour (we’re happy to arrange these for you)
• Visas (where applicable)
• Travel insurance (required)
• Vaccinations, antimalarials and personal medications
• Drinks and meals not listed in the itinerary
• Optional activities and associated transport
• Tips for hotel staff, porters and optional activity guides (at your discretion)

Trip Notes

• The price is based on twin/double occupancy.
• This trip is one of our ‘Exploratory’ trips, meaning it’s our very first time running a group tour to this incredible country!
• We’ve crafted an exciting itinerary based on thorough research and local connections, but as with all great adventures, a spirit of flexibility and openness is essential.
• This experience is perfect for travellers who are adventurous, laid-back, and excited to embrace the unexpected!
• You will need to book 1 local flight (or 3 if doing the Danakil extension) in Ethiopia, we will advise on this. The local flights are usually cheaper if you book your international flights with Ethiopian Airlines.
• We include almost everything, so aside from your trip costs and flights, the only thing you need to pay for is 1 dinner, drinks and souvenirs!