Ethiopia Stopover: Addis Ababa & Lalibela

Upon arrival, you will be met by Goway's local representative and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy a short rest before heading out on your tour of Ethiopia's capital city - Addis Ababa "New Flower". Drive to Entoto Hills - the best introduction to Addis Ababa. Mt. Entoto is the highest peak in Addis Ababa reaching 3,200 meters above sea level, giving the opportunity to enjoy stunning views over the city and the surrounding area from the summit. This was also home to the first settlement in Addis Ababa where Emperor Menelik II resided and built his palace in 1887. It is a historical place which offers a unique glimpse into the history of Ethiopia's distinct culture. In addition to its historical significance as one drive up the hill there is an appreciable drop in temperature and the air is filled with the scent of the Eucalyptus trees which line the road. On the way up the roadside stalls offers fresh Ethiopian coffee. Also, if you have an interest in Ethiopian traditional clothes, a stop can be made at Shero Meda Market. Here you'll find a wide variety of beautiful fabrics, shawls, scarves, dresses, tops and jewelry. After lunch, visit the Ethnographic and The National museum. The Ethnographic Museum, with its two main sections covering local crafts and on regions and people, is an ideal place to start learning about Ethiopia's rich ethnic diversity. The museum has an impressive array of religious crosses, triptychs and murals, as well as Haile Selassie's bedroom and bathroom. The National Museum, which ranks among the most important museums in sub-Sahara Africa. The Highlight of this museum is the the fossilized hominid Lucy, which is over 3.5-million-year-old.

After early breakfast transfer to the airport for your flight to Lalibela. Upon arrival, you will be met by Goway's representative and transferred to your accommodation. Today, visit the first group of six churches lies in rock cradles, one behind the other: Bet Golgotha, Bet Mika-el, Bet Mariam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danaghel and Bet Medhane Alem. Bet Medhane Alem, the largest, is built like a Greek temple. In a corner are three empty graves symbolically dug for biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After lunch, you will visit the second group of the rock churches. The south-east cluster of churches is more irregular in design than the north-western cluster. Several of the individual churches in this cluster are thought to have been secular in origin, and some predate the reign of King Lalibela by five centuries. The churches in the south-east cluster include Bet Gebriel-Rafael, Bet Abba Libanos, Bet Lehem, Bet Emanuel, and Bet Mercurios. According to legend, Bet Abba Libanos was built overnight by Lalibela's wife, Meskel Kebre, who was assisted by a group of angels. Finally visit Bet Giyorgis, possibly the most elegant and majestic of all the Lalibela churches, lies somewhat isolated in the southwest part of the village on a sloping rock terrace. It can only be reached through a tunnel. Lalibela is noted as The "New Jerusalem" - a town for internationally renowned rock hewn churches known as 'Eight wonders of the world', physically praised from the rock in which they stand, these towering edifices seem to be superhuman creation in scale workmanship and concept. At the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries, King Lalibela of the Zaghwe dynasty built a series of rock hewn churches in this spot, calling it New Jerusalem.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast before transferring to the airport for your flight to Addis Ababa.

After lunch, you will have time to visit the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which was built to commemorate the country's liberation from Italian occupation. It is also the burial place for many famous people and once the largest Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral.

Experience an evening of cultural dances and traditional meals with a drink of Tej, a type of wine made from Honey. Your tour concludes by being transferred to the airport to take your flight back home.