Ethiopia with Luxury & Style (12 Days): A Sample Itinerary

ID #: DT-E-12-9-27-10-BESI

DavidTravel Itinerary Highlights include:

Explore Ethiopia's untouched landscape during a comprehensive, independent journey visiting some of the world's highest - and most stunning - vantage points, from the jagged Simien Mountains to the rainbow-frocked Blue Nile Falls. Rich with ancient history, this lush land gives way to cave churches, soaring cathedrals and the locale where the Biblical Ark of the Covenant is said to be kept.

• Observe Ethiopia through the eyes of an experienced local guide, who enriches your understanding of this fascinating culture

• Stop at a former Beta Israel village, where you meet some of the remaining Ethiopian Jews

• Visit Ethiopia's most famous locales within a single itinerary, including the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Axum, the Simien Mountains and the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela

• Partake in an authentic coffee ceremony in Lalibela, one of Ethiopia's longest-standing customs

Overview:

Ethiopia features some of the highest and most stunning places on the African continent, such as the jaggedly carved Simien Mountains, and some of the lowest, such as the sulphur fumaroles and lunar-like landscape of the Danakil Depression. It is also one of Africa's greatest cultural destinations, with no fewer than eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the mystical rock-hewn churches of Lalibela.

Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never to have been fully colonized (with the exception of a five-year occupation by Mussolini's Italy) and so retains a unique culture, has its own script and language (Amharic) and maintains a strong sense of national identity. Years of totalitarian abuse at the hands of the Derg socialist military regime (1974-1991), drought, famine and continuing border disputes with Eritrea have taken their toll, but Ethiopia survives as an ancient and fascinating destination.