12 Days Ethiopia Road trip on 25th March to 5th April 2016 Departing on Good Friday 25th March. HIGHLIGHTS: The Beauty of Ethiopia! Memorable Night Life in Hagere Maryam, Shashemene, Addis Ababa, Awassa, Dilla, Yirgachefe, Yabello and Moyale. Lake Awassa Beach & Boat ride, Bathing at the healing natural hot springs, Ethiopian World Federation HQ, Teddy Dan’s home(United States of Africa artiste), Special night out in Shashemene, Traditional Dances from Northern Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, Traditional Honey Beer, The Lion of Judah Monument, Circle of Life Restaurant, Menelik Museum, Towns/Cities: Moyale Ethiopia, Yebello, Hagere Maryam, Dilla, Yirga Chefe, Awassa, Shashemene, Addis Ababa. Yirga Chefe Town is internationally known as Ethiopia’s coffee Capital and we even have Yirga Chefe coffee in the US as a brand. We’ll stop here for a special coffee break. OVERNIGHTS IN; Isiolo, Addis Ababa, Shashamane, Awassa, Yebello, Hageremariam and Yirgachefe. ITINERARY Day 1. Marsabit, Camp. Day 2. HagereMariam, Hotel Day 3. Awassa, Hotel Day 4. Shashemene, Hotel Day 5. Addis Ababa, Hotel Day 6. Addis Ababa, Hotel Day 7. Addis Ababa, Hotel Day 8. Awassa, Hotel Day 9. Yirgachefe, Hotel Day 10. Yebello, Hotel Day 11. Marsabit, Camp Day 12. Nairobi. Days 1 & 2: Transit through the unexploited lands of Northern Kenya which offer the most beautiful and scenic part of this country. The vast unoccupied land makes you realize just how big Kenya is. On the way we pass the Buffallo Springs, Shaba, Losai and Samburu, National reserves as well as Marsabit National park. Our first night is spent camping. Further north we drive through the inhospitable and unforgiving Dida Galgallo desert that was for many years a treacherous stretch to the overland travelers between Cairo and Nairobi before the road was tarmacked. Leaving the semi arid northern Kenya we drive up the Moyale hills and cross into Ethiopia driving through the panoramic Oromia region after which we start climbing to higher altitude before eventually arriving at the vibrant countryside town of Hagere Maryam (St.Mary) where we put up for the night at our hotel and get our first experience of an Ethiopian night experience. Day 3: Today we drive further north through Yirgachefe town which is home to the World’s best coffee and we have a special Ethiopian coffee break here with an opportunity to buy coffee beans. Their coffee is so popular that even in the US some restaurants have Yirgachefe Coffee on their menu, and may restaurant chains including starbucks source their coffee from Yirgachefe. The coffee here is also used to blend other coffee from the rest of the world. We also have an opportunity to have local interaction with the Gedo people living around here before we drive through the cosmopolitan town of Dilla and later arriving at Awassa. Awassa or Hawassa is home to Lake Awassa and is the biggest city south of Addis. A very welcoming city with beautiful Ethiopian people who are friendly to visitors and you can enjoy a walk in the city and do little shoppings as well as a walk along the paved walkways of Lake Awassa shores. We also have a boat ride excursion here as an optional activity, where you’ll see the beauty of Awassa from the lake as well as assorted water birds and hippos during the ride. Later in the evening, the Awassa nightlife awaits you, we will go out and have some fun and at our own time come back to the circle of Life hotel with has a nature theme making it a special place for the nature lovers. Days 4 & 5: Just 28 Kms north of Awassa we arrive at the vibrant Shashemene town, home to the repatriated Rastafarian community mainly from the Caribbean islands, USA and the UK. The 1955 Land grant by His Imperial Majesty Haile Sellassie 1 was given to the Ethiopian World Federation (EWF) offering 500 Hectares of land for those Black people who wish to come back home to Africa and settle back. The EWF formed in New York by black people in Diasporas had been a fundraiser organization for Haile Sellassie’s war against the Italian invasion. Here in Shashamene Jambo African Adventures enjoys a special and exclusive hosting by the EWF into the community, allowing us to have some very special access and interactions with the people. For this reason, we will be officially received by the President of the Ethiopian World Federation, Ras Reuben Kush who will ensure that our activities here are successful. We will learn a lot of exclusive African history and get to demystify the Rastafarians and understand their lifestyle, culture and faith. We will also have a special visit to the home of Teddy Dan and his private art gallery, an international Reggae artiste and friend who repatriated back to Africa and lives in Shashamane. Teddy Dan’s most popular song is “United States of Africa” and he also runs a local children’s sports foundation that we will also visit. Our Ethiopian guide, Biruk will also arrange for a family meal at his parent’s house in the outskirts of the city so we can get the real local experience. We also have an included bathing opportunity at the healing Wondo Genet natural hot springs where the locals come for therapeutic and healing powers of the natural springs. In addition, there is also a swimming pool with hot water from the springs where you can enjoy a swimming session. We sleep at the Haile hotel in centre of the CBD and enjoy the various nightlife spots around. Days 6 & 7: Leaving Shashemene we drive 250kms to Addis, with the last 60 kms of a toll gated Expressway that is the only real highway in East Africa with no speed humps, Zebra crossings or animals on the road. We therefore have a very fast and comfy drive on this stretch to Addis where we will enjoy traditional song and dance as well as the nightclubs. During the day we have historical city tour to Menelik Museum, Haile Sellassie Mueseum, Lion of Judah Monument among others and also time to do some shopping. Days 8 & 9: We leave Addis and start our transit journey back with a night at Awassa for the second time, followed by another night in the interesting town of Yirgachefe where we might also be able to visit a coffee factory or farm. Days 10 & 11: From Yirgachefe we drive south to the town of Yebello, lying on the route to Omo valley where we have a cultural tourism circuit. From Yebello we have a drive to Moyale border where we will put up for the night at Bekele Mola hotels. Day 12: On this final day we have a long transit drive back to Nairobi arriving late evening with lots of memories and Ethiopian Lifetime experiences. Ksh 55,000 Per Person, all inclusive. Includes; Transport in an Overland truck, fuel, crew, Guides, Camping Equipment, Cross Border Charges, All Meals and Budget Hotel accommodation Ksh 10,000 booking fee. Used to secure bookings with our ground suppliers. (Non Refundable) Balance by 10th March 2016. CALL: +254720651000 for bookings enquiries-David. Mpesa payment (+254720651000) Bank Deposit, cash or Cheque; Jambo African Adventures Ltd, NIC Bank, A/c No: 21200007510, City Centre Branch. Nairobi. Email Confirmations to david@jamboafricanadventures.com