Special packege tour for "Meskel"(Finding of the True Cross )

Sept. 1, 2011 - PRLog -- MESKEL FESTIVAL AND HISTORIC ROUTE
Elmi Ethiopia Tours offer a wide variety of tour packages for Individual and Group travelers, where you can also join groups. Our tour packages are:-

Fixed Date Tour package for 2011 – 2013
Regular Tour package 2011-2013
Tailor-made tours up on request according to your needs, request and time most convenient for your while matching festivals, events and markets days.
We are very confident and flexible to develop and customize tour programs to suit your own areas of interest and dates coinciding with religious festivals, events and market days in tribal villages.

FROM SEP 25 TO OCT 04, 2009
10 DAYS AND 9 NIGHTS PROGRAM

Day 1, Sep 25,2011: Arrive in Addis Ababa a warm welcome at the airport, and then transfer to your hotel. Morning will be free. Afternoon, start your sightseeing tour of Addis Ababa, starting your tour from the Trinity Cathedral, visit to the National Museum (archaeological and historical), which has the best collection of Ethiopian antiquities and archeological discoveries, including the famous oldest hominid “Lucy”; then drive up to Mt. Entoto, the highest part of the capital, where you will have a panoramic view over the town of Addis Ababa; a drive down to the biggest open air market in East Africa called Mercato. Overnight Hotel.

Day 2, Sep 26, 2011: morning mousum of Menlilik the II at the church of Beata Mariam, then drive to Ethnographic museum in the courtyard of Addis Ababa university, then drive back your hotel, afternoon walk to the Meskel Square where you will bump into huge street festival of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, Meskel festival commemorates the finding of the very cross on which Jesus Christ of Nazareth was crucified in Golgotha in the fourth century by Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine. The celebration of Meskel recognizes the presence of the true cross at the Mountain of Gishen Miriam monastery in Ethiopia, and also recognizes Empress Helena’s road to finding it. After a mass song and prayer there will be a big bon fire for the commemoration of the Meskel festival. Overnight Hotel.

Day 3, Sep 27, 2011: Around 05:00 hrs, drive to the airport to fly to Bahir Dar Around 07:00-08:00 am, arrive at Bahir Dar after a 55 minutes’ flight. Drive to Tana Hotel for check-in. drive to Tisissat (45 minutes) to get to the water fall, which is 35km away from Bahir Dar. At Tisissat, you get a chance to see the “smoke of the Nile” from the usual vantage points. Board on boat to cross Lake Tana. En route, you will visit the churches of UraKidanemihret, Mehal Zege Georgis and Aswa Mariam Late in the afternoon, you will arrive in back Bahir Dar- at around 17:00 hrs- you might get a chance to see the very stunning sun-set from the boat. Overnight and dinner at Tana or summer Land Hotel.

Day 4, Sep 28, 2011: Morning transfer to airport to Fly to Gonder and transfer to Goha Hotel. Start visiting the 17th century capital of Ethiopia: Gonder. Sites to visit include: the castle compound (UNESCO World Heritage Site), King Fasiledes’ Bath, the Debre Birhan Selassie (The light of Trinity) church with wonderful murals, Qusqam church and Mentwab palace. Later, drive to the Jewish village called Welaka, 6Km away from Gonder. Overnight will be at Goha Hotel.

Day 5, Sep 29, 2011: Make a day Excursion to Semin Mountain, Drive to Debark in the morning, 100Kms from Gonder, the Headquarter of the Semien Mountains National Park. Proceed to Sankaber, 37Kms farther, which is your first trekking starting spot, 3250 ms above sea level. Spend the day trekking around the camp sites. Lunch will be served by lunch boxes on top of the view point; here you will see some endemic Ethiopian Birds like wattle Ibis, and some mammals like the Gelada Baboon. Around 15:00hrs, you will drive back to Gonder. Overnight Goha Hotel.

Day 6, Sep 30, 2011: Early in the morning, drive to the airport to fly to Lallibela in the morning and then transfer from the airport to your hotel. The airport is 26 Km from the hotel- it will be a half-an-hour drive. After check-in, start visiting the rock hewn churches of Lallibela. Today tour will be the first group of churches (the grouping is according to their geographical location): Bete Medhane Alem, Bete Mariam and Bete Meskel. Return to your hotel for lunch at 12:30 AM, and continue touring the rest of the first group of churches after 14:00 AM. Return to your hotel at 17:30 AM. Overnight will be at Roha and Tikul Guest Hotel.

Day 7, Oct 1, 2011: Early in the morning make a mule excursion to Asheten Mariam church, where you will the semi-monolithic church which was hewed out by the nephew of King Lalibella, then back to Hotel for lunch afternoon visit the remaining churches in Lalibella by the 2nd group of the rock hewn churches of Lallibela: Bete Emanuel, Bete Rafael and Gabriel, Bete Mercury’s and Aba Libanos. Continue your tour from the stunning Bete Giorgis, which was hewed out with the Greek cross, then walk back to your Hotel. Overnight will be at Roha or Tikul Guest Hotel.

Day 8, Oct 2, 2011: At 07:30, transfer to the airport to fly to Axum and then transfer to your hotel, which is 10 minutes drive from the airport. Sightseeing in Axum, a town steeped in more than 2500 years of history, from the palace and tomb of King Kaleb (6th C, AD). You will also visit the extraordinary Stella’s records as a world heritage site (WHS) and the tomb of king Remhay (1st to 4th C, AD). Visit the church of St Mary of Tsion (17th C, AD), in which is deposited the Arc of the Covenant. Return to your hotel for lunch. Drive out of the town to Gonder, 4 Km away, where you will walk up to see the rock-carved lion and palace from where the Stella's were hewn- some still lie there, unfinished one too. From here we can visit the palace of the queen of Sheba, and other archaeological sites. The day’s wandering ends at the small but amazing museum. Return. Dinner and overnight will be at Yeha or Remhay Hotel.

Day 9, Oct 3, 2011: At 10:30, drive to the airport to fly to Addis Ababa and arriving at a hotel in Addis at 4:30. Lunch will be Addis Ababa, and the rest of the afternoon will be freely spent at the hotel. In the evening at 19:30, meet in the lobby and then drive to the traditional restaurant, where you will enjoy traditional Ethiopian music performances at your fare well dinner. Overnight Hotel.

Day 10, Oct 04, 2011: transfer out to airport to fly back to Home.

Elmi Ethiopia Tours PLC is one of the most well established tour company in Ethiopia combine every services to give you the very best of Ethiopia. Our Company has a team of excellent driver/guides with its own fleet of vehicles which are fully equipped.

Please contact us for more information.
www.elmitourethiopia.com

Elmi Tour makes your money go further!

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Elmi Ethiopia Tours is one of the leading, highly reliable company established by well qualified and knowledgeable Ethio-Japan tourism professionals based in Ethiopia. In full understanding of the demands of the Asian, European and American tourists for long-haul destination of Ethiopia.
Our experienced and knowledgeable staffs are ready to respond to your inquiries and exert maximum effort to ensure you will have an enjoyable holiday with us.

We have an experienced team of bilingual and multilingual guides who are adaptable, flexible, and knowledgeable about the various and specific attractions of the country as described in a tour itinerary.