Ethiopia historical trips

Ethiopia Historical Tour Packages

Historical Tour Packages in Ethiopia:

Ethiopia is probably the country in Africa if not in the world with most ancient history and discoveries. The most important unbelievable Ethiopia historical tourist attractions such as ancient steles, monuments, rock-hewn churches and castles are located in north Ethiopia. The ever-changing, colorful and fascinating landscapes of the northern Ethiopia leave you impressed. We only see a fraction of the greatest historical landmarks once existed on the earth. Fortunately, many of the historical landmarks of Ethiopia that we have today have survived incredible circumstances ranging from warfare, national disasters and just from extremely old.
Our Ethiopia historical tour packages take you to:

  • The rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela which took its name after King Lalibela who built it and revolutionized architecture in Ethiopia and the world by constructing this unbelievable rock-hewn church. Most Ethiopia tours suggest this sightseeing. At Lalibela, one will have a chance to see one of the finest examples of the greatest architectural achievements of its time. Lalibela is the most famous place of interest of all the other Ethiopia tourist attractions.
  • Axum where the first Ethiopian kingdom, the Axumite Kingdom was founded in north Ethiopia some 3,000 years ago and one can see ancient historical churches and some of the most important archaeological sites ever discovered in the world’s prehistory.
  • Bahir Dar which hosts historical artifacts and objects dating back to 750 years in its monasteries on Lake Tana.
  • Gondar which was home for most of Ethiopian past emperors. The most important attractions in this place are the 17th century Castles of King Fasiladas and other icon rich monasteries.
  • The Wall of Harar to see the largest concentration of mosques in a single place in the world, historical museums, one of the most hospitable people in Ethiopia, the colorful markets of the city and the hyenas of Harar and the "hyena men" who feed them and who are famous and one of the "musts" for any visitor to the old walled city. This sightseeing is located in east Ethiopia unlike the above ones. If you are nature lovers and history enthusiasts, we hope our Harar and Lake Wonchi tour packages meet your interests.

Ethiopia historical tours 

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Ethiopia historical tours: A two day trip to Lalibela 

Tour code

PETHT 01

Tour overview

Well, Churches rose to the sky in Europe, in 12th century Africa they were being carved out of the ground. In the highlands of central Ethiopia in the 12th century, King Lalibela, a new king from a new dynasty built a new holy capital. He built 11 monolithic churches by carving down into the rock using primitive tools. Lalibela is a religious state, spiritual center that would rival Jerusalem. These churches were unique in their construction. They embody an ideal typical of the century to remodel nature to match a vision. Today, Lalibela’s legacy lives on in the physical splendor of the churches and their traditions of their guardian priests. Churches with no wood, no cement and no mud---you can not find anything like this in the rest of the world. On holy days priests carry on their heads replicas of the tablets of the Ten Commandments.

The first European to describe Lalibela, Francisco Alvarez, came to the holy city of Lalibela between 1521 and 1525. Travelers have tried to put into words their experience, praising it as a “New Jerusalem”, a “New Golgotha”, and the “Christian Citadel in the Mountains of Wondrous Ethiopia”. The inhabitants of the monastic township of Roha-Lalibela in Lasta Woreda, province of Wollo, dwelling in two-storied circular huts with dry-stone walls, are unable to believe that the rock churches are entirely made by man. They ascribe their creation to one of the last kings of the Zagwe dynasty, Lalibela who reigned about 1200 A.D.
Before the throne of Ethiopia was restored to its rightful rulers, Lalibela’s pious zeal converted the royal residence of the Zagwe in the town of Roha into a prayer of stone.
Fly to Lalibela, the centre of worldly might, where pilgrims to shares the same blessings as pilgrims to Jerusalem.
Coming to Lalibela you will find an atmosphere of mystery. Approaching the village in a vehicle from the airport you may just catch a glimpse of a group of churches.
The rock churches reflect the blending of Axumite tradition and early eastern Mediterranean Christianity.
Visitors agree in describing Bete Giyorgis Church, the Church of Saint George to be Lalibela’s “most elegant” and “refined” in its architecture and stonemasonry.
There are three basic types of rock churches in Ethiopia:
1) Built-up cave churches which are ordinary structures inside a natural cave (Yemrehana Krestos Church near Lalibela is an example of this style).
2) Rock-hewn cave churches which are cul inwards from a more or less vertical cliff face, sometimes using and widening an existing natural cave (Biete Abba Libanos in Lalibela).
3) Rock-hewn monolithic churches which imitate a built-up structure but are cut in one piece from the rock and separated from it all round by a trench. Most churches of this type are found in or near Lalibela (Bete Medhane Alem, Bete Maryam, the Church of Saint George in Lalibela, and others). Nowhere else in the world are constructions of this particular kind found.

Detailed itinerary

Ethiopia historical tour Itinerary – PETHT 01

TOUR CODE DURATION SITE TRANSPORT
PETHT 01 2 Days / 1 Night LALIBELA AIR

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: ADDIS ABABA – LALIBELA
After breakfast, be transferred to the airport and fly to Lalibela where you can discover a mighty rock - carefully chiseled and shaped - the first rock church! After arrival in Lalibela you will visit the 11-Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela which symbolize Ethiopia’s achievement to the outside world. The 11 Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela are without a doubt the most famous tourist attractions in Ethiopia and a lot of travellers visit Ethiopia for the sole purpose of checking them of their bucket list. In this tour, you will take a closer look at these monolithic masterpieces (monolithic churches of the medieval period) and realize the high standard of technical knowledge the architects of Lalibela must have had. In this same tour you will also have a chance to see Bet Medhane Alem Church, the largest structure in Lalibela, but possibly the largest monolithic church in the world.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 2: LALIBELA – ADDIS ABABA
After breakfast, you can do a brief visit of the two types of historic dwellings of Lalibela. And these vernacular dwellings are the traditional earth houses of 1) “Tukuls” and 2) “Chika”. The former are round huts having two stories whereas the later ones the single-story buildings built of earth and wattle. At around 10:00am, you will be transferred to Lalibela Airport to catch your flight back to Addis Ababa. Finally, your driver will meet you just a few meters away from the exit of Addis Ababa Airport and transfer you to your hotel or preferred location which marks the end of the tour.

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Ethiopia historical tours: A two day trip to Harar

Tour code

PETHT 02

Tour overview

Harar is a difficult city to classify. It’s the fourth holiest city of Islam. This city houses almost 100 mosques within its walls, the largest concentration per square kilometre in the world. For centuries Harar was the key point for trade between Ethiopia and the Somalia’s coast. To safeguard its identity and commercial supremacy, Harar was closed to the unfaithful until 1854 when Richard Burton succeeded in entering the long city of Harar where he remained for 10 years as a guest of the Sultanate of Harar. It was the perfect place to immerse himself completely in the myth of the east.
Rimbaud, a famous French poet also lived here for several years. This French poet was a genius who said everything he had to say before the age of 20. Then he abandoned poetry and the literary life of Paris to embark upon African adventure. Today, his house in Harar is a museum.
Harar is a paragon of religious coexistence. This city was founded between the 7th and 11th centuries and emerged as the center of Islamic culture and religion in the Horn of Africa. Today its historic center looks much the same as it would have been 100 years ago. People here for the most part live in harmony with the hyenas. Harar as the 4th holy city of Islam, was one of the places that consequated the study of calligraphy. Its calligraphers were put to use in philosophy, medicine and poetry.

While you are in the 16th century walled city of Harar, the Mecca of Africa, you will have a chance to visit the historical city of Harar which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. You need to take some of the most important alleys to visit the mosques. For your information, there are 368 alleys in just one sq km in this same place. In today’s activity, you will also have a chance to meet the locals and visit their traditional houses, visit some museums and colorful local markets. In the early hours of the evening you will also have a chance to meet the man who lives with hyenas.

Tour details

Ethiopia historical tour Itinerary 

TOUR CODE DURATION SITE TRANSPORT
PETHT 02  2 Days / 1 Night HARAR AIR

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: ADDIS ABABA – DIRE DAWA – HARAR
After breakfast, be transferred to the airport and fly to Dire Dawa. From Dire Dawa take your vehicle and drive to Harar. After arrival in Harar, visit the city which has been a crossroad of trade and civilization since the 7th century. This activity includes the colorful and full of love streets, the wall which has surrounded the city and was built in the year 1554 and still intact, the Rimbaud House where Rimbaud, the French poet took refugee here in Harar when he decided to abandon literature to become a trader and explorer, museums, historic monuments, the life styles of the people and the Hyena Man who feeds hyenas at the outskirt of the city every evening.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 2: HARAR – DIRE DAWA – ADDIS ABABA
Drive from Harar to Dira Dawa. Be transferred to the airport and fly back to Addis Ababa which marks the end of your tour.

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Ethiopia historical tours - A three day trip to Axum & Lalibela

Tour category

PETHT 03

Tour overview

This tour takes you to Lalibela and Axum, two of the famous Ethiopia historical tourist attractions. Please see booking code PETHT 01 above to learn about Lalibela Here a word must be said about Axumite civilization if only to make clear that it represented but one of the many ancient Ethiopian civilizations – the last and best known.
Axum, the capital of the ancient Ethiopian empire in the north is where one can visit monuments of the pre-Christian period: the most famous are the great sculptured steles. The huge sculptured steles of Axum are the most splendid expression of the degree of development attained by this civilization in the third century or at the beginning of the fourth century A.D. They are square, solid, strongly built, and impressively sited; the ground plans strictly geometrical. They express great power. Axumite achievements display great uniformity of character.

This tour takes you to Axum which ruled over a prosperous and influential kingdom during a time that many scholars believe it was a golden age for the African civilization and whose kines were the first to issue gold coins when few other kingdoms and empires in the world could do so in such quantity. and best known.which ruled over a prosperous and influential kingdom during a time that many scholars believe it was a golden age for the African civilization and whose kings were the first to issue gold coins when few other kingdoms and empires in the world could do so in such quantity.

Tour details

Ethiopia historical tour Itinerary 

TOUR CODE DURATION SITE TRANSPORT
PETHT 03 3 Days / 2 Night AXUM - LALIBELA AIR

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: ADDIS ABABA – AXUM
After breakfast, be transferred to the airport and fly to Axum where the Kingdom Axum, one of the four great kingdoms of the world during the time it was in power was centered. After arrival, visit the sites where the Axumites’ rulers were buried in magnificent tombs marked by tall stele some of which with the largest stone monuments in the world. These steles were erected by the people about seventeen hundred years back. The Axumites were some of the most professional builders of their day. In today’s activity, you will also have a chance to see the biggest stele on the planet which was erected by King Ezana, the last ruler of the pagan empire in Axum. That was just before he converted to Christianity.

To conclude, your full day sightseeing tour of this city includes:

  1. The great sculptured steles.
  2. The Church of Saint Mary of Zion which has been superimposed on the walls of an Axumite edifice and where the Ark of the Covenant is believed to have been kept.
  3. Numerous pedestals of thrones dispersed throughout the city. On your walk on the streets of the city you can also see here and there structures of well-dressed stone, disposed in steps according to a typically Axumite method.
  4. Tombs of important persons of ancient times.
    Overnight stay in a hotel

Day 2: AXUM – LALIBELA
Take your short morning flight and fly to Lalibela which is a rural mountain town and a world tourist destination. For your information, for Ethiopian Christians Lalibela is as important as as special as Jerusalem. After arrival, visit the 900 years old churches of Lalibela where 11 medieval churches were carved inside and out from a single rock connected by extensive system of drainage ditches, tunnels and passage ways. Lalibela’s famous monolithic churches have been UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 thanks to their impressive architecture and rich influence on Ethiopian Christianity. These monolithic churches are so different from others because they were built from the top down whereas everywhere in the world structures are built from the ground up. In today’s activity, you will also learn how such a secret and ancient place still function as a church today.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 3: LALIBELA – ADDIS ABABA
Be transferred to the airport and fly back to Addis Ababa which marks the end of your tour.

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Ethiopia historical tours

Tour code

PETHT 04

Tour overview

We have packaged visits to the most famous historical tourist destinations of Ethiopia and have added a number of other locations making for attractive historical tours that are today very popular with both locals and visitors.
Participating in these historical tours to the region of north Ethiopia will allow you to enjoy views of and visit to places such as: Bahir Dar, Gondar, Axum, Mekele, Lalibela, Simien Mountains National Park and other wonders of the region. Aside from cultural and historical tours, for which Ethiopia is globally renowned, we offer a variety of exciting tours and activities that showcase Ethiopia’s other wonders. Our 11-day Ethiopia Omo Valley tour packages, which is suitable for both nature lovers and culture tourists, combines a visit to Awassa, Arba Minch, Jinka, Turmi & Bale Mountains National Park. You can contact us to discuss and confirm available tour packages.
How to get there: You can reach all these places on direct flights from Addis Ababa or connecting flights between the cities or by surface or by a combination of surface and air.

Tour details

 

TOUR CODE DURATION SITE TRANSPORT
PETHT 04 16 Days / 15 Nights BAHIR DAR – GONDAR – SIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK – AXUM – MEKELE – DALLOL & DANAKIL DEPRESSION - LALIBELA SURFACE & AIR

Detailed tour itinerary

Day 1: ARRIVE ADDIS ABABA
On arrival in Addis Ababa at Bole International Airport, you’ll be met by your representative and transferred to your hotel. The representative will accompany you in all your from and to Addis Ababa airport transfers. Remainder of the day is at leisure. Meet at reception at the convenient time for you for a tour briefing and a chance to meet fellow travelers.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 2: ADDIS ABABA – BAHIR DAR
In the morning you depart from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa to travel north to Bahir Dar, home of monasteries dated back to the 14th century. En-route, you will visit the 13th century monastery of Debre Libanos and the Blue Nile Gorge. The balance of the day would be at leisure.
Overnight stay in a lodge
Day 3: FULL-DAY IN BAHIR DAR
Spend the day exploring Bahir Dar, a picturesque and historic lakeside city. After a leisurely breakfast, you will have a short drive to enjoy a guided tour of the Blue Nile Falls, one of the many natural wonders of Ethiopia. In the afternoon, get on board for boat trip to Zeghe Peninsula on Lake Tana and visit the nearest monasteries on this same peninsula. Visiting Bahir Dar is the ideal way to sample Ethiopia’s treasures of history and biodiversity. Important: Kibran Gebriel Monastery is closed for women.
Overnight stay in a lodge
DAY 4: BAHIR DAR - GONDAR
After breakfast, you will drive east through the spectacular mountain chains of Tara Gedam and Addis Zemen to Gondar, offering glorious views and spectacular landscapes. After lunch, visit the magnificent 17th century Castles of King Fassiladas where architectural elements of Arabia, Africa and Europe are artfully united, Debre Birhan Selassie Church which is the monastery of the Holy Trinity of the Mountain of lights and finally, Gusquam Monastery which is located on another hill and whose complex is well protected behind strong walls.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 5: GONDAR – SIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, drive from Gondar to Simien Mountains National Park, a dedicated place where one can see endemic animals to Ethiopia and to the park such as Chelada Monkey, the Walia Ibex and Simien Fox; all are found only in this national park. This national park has its own distinctive attractions. It’s also the most popular of all Ethiopia’s national parks. After lunch, you will have a guided short trekking to experience the rich diversity of bird and endemic wild animals of the Simien Mountains National Park. This national park is also a perfect place for adventure travelers; hikers and climbers. Return to the lodge by guided walk to spend the remainder of the day at leisure.
Overnight stay in a lodge
Day 6: SIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK - AXUM
This morning, you leave Simien Mountains National Park for Axum. The trip continues eastward, through Tekeze Gorge and you come across small villages and the street vendors try their luck to sell their art or harvest alongside the road.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 7: FULL-DAY IN AXUM
Full-day visit Axum which includes:
The steles that are monoliths of granite, monuments of the pre-Christian period and reproductions of multi-storied buildings in which one can realize the skill and high degree of social organization attained in the Axumite period.
Mai Shum reservoir, an ancient construction which supplies the town with water and is used for the religious ceremonies of Timkat, Ethiopian Epiphany festival.
Graves of kings of the sixth century.
The historic basilica of Saint Mary of Zion. The treasury of the basilica contains fine crosses, some of gold, others of painted wood, valuable manuscripts and crowns donated to the church by kings in the nineteenth century.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 8: AXUM – MEKELE
Your journey goes on and you head east through several towns and reach your destination in Mekele. The balance of the day would be at leisure.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 9: MEKELE – DALLOL DEPRESSION
Your three days expedition to the Danakil Depression and Erta Ale Volcano starts in the town of Mekele. You have a 9 hour drive to Erta Ale volcano, with stops for lunch and to admire some beautiful landscapes. Only after sunset you are reaching the Afar region to the volcano. You must leave the cars here and take the camels to take a luggage to the top. Then you will start your 2 hours trek.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 10: DALLOL DEPRESSION
In this trip, you can expect to see the longest existing lava of our planet, volcanic mountains, camel caravans, traditional way of extracting salt bar and the lifestyle of the Afar People.
Overnight stay: Camping
Day 11: DALLOL DEPRESSION – MEKELE
Drive back from Dallol Depression to Mekele. In this journey, you will explore the colorful land at the Danakil Depression.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 12: MEKELE - LALIBELA
Today your trip takes you to the town of Lalibela. You will drive from Mekele to Lalibela to visit the 11-Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela, the most important holy site in Ethiopia. It’s also the cultural identity of Ethiopia.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 13: FULL-DAY IN LALIBELA
Full day visit one of the oldest freestanding rock hewn churches in the world, the UNESCO World Heritage 11-rock hewn churches of Lalibela dating back to the 12th century. Lalibela has 11 stone churches all carved from a single rock and connected by tunnels. They were built by a ruler named King Lalibela 900 years ago. The House of Saint George, the cross shaped church which was built by cutting away the surrounding rock to leave a 12m x 12m cross is the most famous of all the 11-rock hewn churches of Lalibela.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 14: LALIBELA – ADDIS ABABA
Be transferred to the airport and fly back to Addis Ababa. The afternoon will be at your leisure.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 15: ADDIS ABABA – HARAR
Be transferred to the airport and fly to Dire Dawa. After arrival, do a brief sightseeing tour of Dire Dawa, the most famous city in east-central Ethiopia which was founded in 1902 during the reign of Menelik II. Drive to Harar and after lunch visit the historic city of Harar, an ancient and a walled city.
Overnight stay in a hotel
Day 16: HARAR – ADDIS ABABA
Full of of impressions of historic sites and people your journey comes to an end. You fly back to Addis Ababa, the capital. After arrival in Addis Ababa, do your last minute shopping and finally, be transferred to the airport to catch your international flight back to home.

Check on our a 6 days and 5 nights Ethiopia historical tour packages and a 9 days and 8 nights Ethiopia historical tour packages to get detailed itineraries on a fraction of our optional historical tours and enjoy your holidays with your family and friends at all the memorable historical places of the country in Paragon Ethiopia Tours.