Tribes of Omo

What's included?

Guides, transportation, accommodation, breakfast, water.

Private Trip

Cost: from $3318 per person based on two people sharing.

 

An extraordinary journey to meet the tribes of the rural Omo Valley and experience a way of life rich with celebration, heritage, and ritual. 

Begin with the highlights of bustling Addis Ababa, then journey south for a change of pace, where life centers around the Omo River. In this fertile landscape live the eight tribes of the Omo Valley, a population of approximately 200,000 people. These are some of the oldest cultures in Africa, each distinct with their own traditions and techniques, developed over centuries to survive and thrive in this challenging environment. Alongside discoveries of fossils and stone tools, the valley tribes tell the story of humankind.

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Addis City Tour

Visit Mount Entoto, Shola Market, Holy Trinity Cathedral and Lucy in the National Museum. Learn a few words of Amharic over lunch at one of our favorite spots in the city.
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Omo Valley

Addis to Arba Minch

Drive into the fertile and pastoral south, stopping for lunch, coffee & photos along the way to Arba Minch in the Omo Valley.
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Omo Valley

Lake Chamo

Look out for hippos and crocodiles on Lake Chamo this morning. Meet one of the 12 Dorzena tribes, famed for their unique elephant-shaped huts.
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Omo Valley

Konso & Turmi

On the way to Turmi, explore the Konso 'paletas'. Each hill is strategically chosen for and further defended by encircling walls of stone.
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Omo Valley

Dassanech & Hamer Tribes

Cross the Omo by boat to the villages of the semi-nomadic Dassanech, living in six small villages along the river. Meet the Hamer in the afternoon, known for their bull jumping initiation ceremony and 'evangadi night dance'.
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Omo Valley

Karo Tribe & Market Day

Famous for their face and body painting and elaborate hairstyles and headdress, the Karo tribe live along the shores of the Omo River. Drive on to Jinka, stopping at a local market.
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Omo Valley

Mursi Tribe

Perhaps the best known tribe are the Mursi. Known especially for the clay lip-plates and donga stick fighting, the Mursi live in one of the most isolated regions of the country.
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Omo Valley

Jinka to Addis

The Ari are one of the more modern tribes in the Omo Valley. Spend the rest of the morning in R&R before the return flight to Addis.

Diary

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A Tailored Journey

Please complete the form below with as much detail as possible: whatever you can tell us will help us build a trip just for you. Perhaps you’re keen to try injera, wander the markets in Addis or visit the tribes of the Omo Valley? Maybe seek out Ethiopian wolves or Gelada baboons in the mountains, or explore Lalibela’s astonishing rock-hewn churches? On a family vacation or a round-the-world trip? Whatever it is, we’ll go further together.

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