Imagine an ancient, Christian and powerful African city, that was in the heart of a great power that matched the Roman Empire and whose culture, religion, remnants and monuments still stand today; welcome to Axum. The history of Ethiopia dates back millennia and much of it is revolves around the far northern town of Axum, considered Ethiopia’s HOLIEST CITY. Definitively once the center of a great empire and ancient civilization, the city packs over 2500yrs of history in her little space. As one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Africa, it is from whence the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon and started Ethiopia’s long relationship with first Judaism then Christianity as well as the Solomonic Dynasty which ruled the country until the 1980s. Celebrated as home of the original Ark of the Covenant, Axum is the foremost historical and religious site in Ethiopia, home of the magnificent St. Mary of Zion Cathedral, headquarters of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as well as the Sanctuary Chapel considered the repository of the biblical ‘Ark of the Covenant’, the Royal Museum, the Coronation Yard, the Stelae Park, the Tombs of Kaleb and his son GebreMeskel, the Ezana Stone, the Queen of Sheba’s Palace ruins and her massive Bath pool as well as the Axum Archaeological Museum.

Today, the city attracts thousands of tourists who come to marvel at the remnants and monuments left behind by her ancient civilizations the most awe inspiring of which are the 3rd and 4th century Stelaes found in several parks around the town. These ancient and massive blocks of sculpted granite stone that were allegedly pagan tomb stones, are mind boggling for their sheer size (the biggest, The Great Stele, believed to have fallen and broken during raising, is 33m tall and 520tonnes!), the incredible quality of artistry, and that they are made from solid granite, potentially the hardest and most brittle natural stone on earth!. Other major landmarks include the ruins of the original St Mary of Zion Cathedral believed built by Emperor Ezana in the 4thC, replaced with the old cathedral built by Emperor Fasilides in 1665 and later the magnificent new cathedral, built by Emperor Haile Selassie in 1955. The adjacent Chapel of the Tablet is believed housing the biblical Ark of the Covenant brought here by Menelik I. Together, the ruins, the two cathedrals and the Chapel are considered the holiest site in Ethiopia and a place of pilgrimage for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. Other attractions include the ruins of the Queen of Sheba's palace (probably buried beneath the 4thC Ta'akha Maryam and 6thC DungurDalaces), her massive bath pool, King Bazen's Tomb (considered one of the oldest structures in Axum), the Ezana Stone (documents the Emperor’s conversion to Christianity in 350AD), the Archaeological Museum, Ethnographical Museum and several architecturally interesting monasteries.

Lalibela is a northern Ethiopian town most famous for her monolithic rock hewn churches dating back to the late 12th-C and early 13th-C AD and still being used today. Ethiopia was one of the earliest nations to adopt Christianity, converting her synagogues to churches through a treaty in the middle of the 4th-C AD. Built during the reign of Ethiopian King Saint Lalibela; he attempted to build a new Jerusalem as his capital after the Israeli Jerusalem was captured by Muslims in 1187, they are a marvel to behold and an absolute engineering and architectural feat accomplished. The churches are divided into three sections with a Northern Group comprising BieteMedhaneAlem (House of the Saviour of the World), Biete Maryam (House of Miriam/House of Mary), Biete Golgotha Mikael (House of Golgotha Mikael), BieteMeskel (House of the Cross), BieteDenaghel (House of Virgins); the Western Group comprising BieteGiyorgis (Church of Saint George) and the Eastern Group comprising BieteAmanuel (House of Emmanuel), BieteQeddusMercoreus (House of St. Mark), Biete Abba Libanos (House of Abbot Libanos), Biete Gabriel-Rufael (House of the angels Gabriel and Raphael) and BieteLehem (House of Holy Bread); and a little further the monastery of Ashetan Maryam and the YimrehaneKristos Church. Lalibella remained the capital of Ethiopia until the 13th-C but to date remains one of Ethiopia's holiest cities and a center of pilgrimage. The churches are a part of everyday life in Lalibella and are still used.

Further afield, the Yimrehane Kirstos Church is an exquisite masterpiece of Axumite wood and stone architecture located in a mountain ridge at the peak of AbunaYosep. Renewed for its interior decoration, the walls are sub-divided vertically with recessions and projections. Other significant churches include the Bete Gabriel, BeteMarqorios, Bete Emmanuel, and Bete Aba Libanos churches.

Gondar is considered the Royal Capital of Ethiopia. Founded by Emperor Fasilides in 1636, it is famous for its many ancient churches and castles built by Emperor Fasilides and his descendants. Proceed to the fascinating DebreBirhan Selassie (The Enlightening of Trinity) with her wonderful murals as well as the Qusquam Church and the Emperor Fasilides Bath Pool which every year on 19th January (or 20th during a leap year) is scene of the beautiful Ethiopian Epiphany (Timkat) celebrations when Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate/commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John on the River Jordan.

ETHIOPIA’s Simien Mountains National Park, lying at the center of a triangle between Gondar (110km), Lalibela and Aksum, 870km north of Addis Ababa in northern Ethiopia overlooking the Tekeze River valley in the Amhara region. The national park encompasses the northwestern side of the Simien Mountains, a unique massif ranging from 1,900m to the RasDashen peak, at 4,533m the highest in Ethiopia. They are remarkable as one of the few spots in interior Africa where snow regularly falls. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, her 412km² of wild and stunning undulating plateaus, precipitous cliffs, deep valleys and steep gorges often dubbed the Grand Canyon of Africa are home to some very rare, unique and endemic wildlife species such as the Ethiopian Wolf (the rarest canid in the world and Africa’s most threatened carnivore), the Gelada (also called the bleeding heart Baboon), the Caracal (a unique wild cat) and the rare Walia Ibex of which only 500 members remain in the world; over 180 species of birds including 5 endemic to Ethiopia and a further 12 endemic to Ethiopia and Eritrea; the remarkable red-billed chough, many raptors and vultures including the endangered Lammergeier; Pallid Harrier, Augur Buzzard, the Wahlberg’s, Verreaux, African Hawk Eagle, Rufous-Breasted Sparrow-hawk, Fox Kestrel, Cape Eagle Owl, the Martial Eagle, Abyssinian Owl and the Bearded Vulture, one of the largest and most spectacular birds in the world with an over 2.5m wingspan which can often be seen soaring alone at staggering heights and high speeds (over 130kph) along the cliffs and rocky outcrops. The park is also renowned for her incredible biodiversity with over 1,200 species of plants 3 of which are endemic to the Simien Mountains as well as stunning scenery; the BuyitRas section of the mountains is considered the wildest and most magnificent landscape and stunning scenery; they are also Ethiopia’s foremost hiking and trekking destination.

Bahir Dar sits on the shores of Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile, one of the two major tributaries of the mighty River Nile and whose upper sections are considered holy by orthodox Ethiopians. Her major tourism attractions include the theUraKidaneMihret Monastery and Church.Founded in the 14th-C by St. BetreMariyam, the monastery with its beautiful murals each depicting a specific biblical story cum teaching is one of the Convent of Mercy complex and arguably the most beautiful and famous of the Zege peninsula monasteries.

The Blue Nile Falls is a magnificent waterfall on the Blue Nile River which originates in Lake Tana in northern Ethiopia and is the larger of the two tributaries that form the mighty River Nile. Situated 30kms south of the City of Bahir Dar and the lake itself, the breathtaking falls, also known as the Tis Abay (the great smoke, in Amharic) comprises four major streams that plunge 45m over canyon cliff in one of the most breathtaking displays in Ethiopia. Although the falls can substantially shrink in the dry season, it can also reach a staggering 400m wide in the rainy season! The upstream regulation of Lake Tana and on-going construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance hydro-power Dam has affected the volume and reduced the extremes, but it is still a marvel to be behold and quite totally amazing especially during the rainy season. Downstream of the falls sits the oldest stone bridge in Ethiopia, dating back to 1626 in the reign of Emperor Susenyos. The falls’ canyon is also significant for ecologically separating the Lake Tana from the rest of the Nile which has contributed to the evolution of the lake’s endemic fauna.

The dry and arid south-western fringes of Ethiopia bordering Kenya and South Sudan are a mind-boggling cultural melting pot and renowned assome of the most authentic cultural tourism destinations in the world.Lying along the Omo River in the Great Rift Valley and popularly referred to as Omo Valley, they are inhabited by incredible tribes-people who seem to live in an archaic time warp; their traditions, culture and customs frozen in time and not changed in over five centuries. In the areas surrounding AWASA and KONSO, the Hamer tribe in Dimeka village both near TURMI, Jinka, Dassanech tribe in Omorate and Arba Minch, the Karo tribe in Korcho village, the Mursi tribe near Mago National Park, JINKA town, ARBAMINCH toward Langano and Addis Ababa. Guests are able to visit their villages and local market places to marvel at their intricate body art, dress-code (or lack of) and especially the Hamer tribe bull-jumping ritual that is a rite of passage for young boys. The main markets are every Saturday in JINKA, Sunday and Monday in KONSO and every Monday in DIMEKA for the Hamer’s bull jumping. The local area also includes Awash National Park, Bale National Park, Nechisar National Park, Lake Chamo, Mago National Park and Lake Langano that are habitat to incredible nature, adventure and species of wildlife.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city (means the new flower) is a modern and well developed cosmopolitan city of 10m with nice boulevards, a world class airport, a tram and high class hotels and restaurants. Her major landmarks include the Ethiopia national museum, the Holy Trinity Cathedral where Haille Selassie’s remains are entombed, the African Union HQs and numerous other diplomat missions, local foods market and crafts centers, a vibrant night life.

Genna, the Ethiopian Christmas is unique and colorful annual religious festival celebrated everywhere in Ethiopia on 7thJanuary. But it is especially special at the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, where thousands of pilgrims come from all over the country to participate in the colorful midnight mass where priests chant and dance along to rhythmic drum beats.

We invite you to experience this unique century-old religious festival with the warmest of welcomes. It is your chance to be part of an authentic religious experience unlike any other and to leave with enduring memories.

The Meskel is an Ethiopian Christian festival celebration every year on 27th September and one of the most colorful in the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar. Meskel is a Ge’ez language world meaning Cross and Meskel is a celebration to commemorate finding the true Cross of Jesus Christ. Celebrations include the lighting of a large bonfire (called Demera) in a ceremony reminiscent of Roman Empress Elena’s order to Jerusalem to light a Bonfire following a revelation in her dream. The smoke rose to the sky then returned to earth at the exact spot where true cross was buried. The event is attended by large gatherings of colorfully dressed adherents (as is common in Ethiopia) singing traditional religious hymns with accompanying bonfires as well as different entertainment shows organized by youths from the church and schools. The procession begins previous evening or on the material morning then firewood is piled into a pyramid shape and decorated with daisies then lit. Charcoal from the fire is used to mark the faithful’s foreheads with the ‘sign of the cross’. Beliefs around Meskel consider it marks the final forgiveness of sins and that a part of the true Cross was brought to Ethiopia and is kept at one of the churches. It is a beautiful event to witness while on tour in Ethiopia.