Tour Details
Day 1: Arrival in Addis Ababa - Mizan Teferi (Flight)
After arrival in Addis Ababa take a domestic Flight from Addis Ababa to Jimma. The largest city in southwestern Ethiopia, It used to be the capital of the former Kaffa Province, and it is this region which is recognized as the home of the plant Coffea arabica, or coffee. After lunch proceed driving to Mizan Teferi. The scenery on this drive is made up of a mosaic of forest and cultivated land dominated by coffee, tea and various spices, and we will have ample opportunity to stop and take advantage of any photographic opportunities we may encounter.
Overnight Mizan Salaysh Hotel
Day 2: Drive Mizan Teferi to Kibish (Surma Tribe)
This morning is an exciting travel day as we head deep into the little-visited portion of southwestern Ethiopia. En route we pass through Bebeka coffee plantation (located about 30km outside Mizan), which is the largest and oldest coffee plantation in Ethiopia. After passing through the town of Tulgit, will finally arrive in Kibish, where we will be camping for the next three nights. Much of our focus today will be photographing the fabulous Suri people, who due to their remoteness are one of the least visited of the Omo Valley’s tribes.The Suri are pastoralists, placing much value on their cattle, which they protect vigorously against theft from neighbouring tribes. The Surma however also steal livestock from their enemies, and in recent times there has been more pressure on their grazing lands due to input of people from adjacent Sudan who have been displaced by civil war, resulting in not-infrequent fighting in the area.
The Suri people do not make woodcarvings, statues etc., and instead are renowned for their incredibly ornate decoration of themselves, which they achieve through painting, scarification and adornment with flowers and other natural objects. The paintings are dynamic artworks, which vary greatly in design and are truly fascinating to photograph!
Virtually no area of the body is left out, and nakedness is a standard and acceptable part of daily life for the Surma, who regard Westerners concept of clothing with fascination!
Possibly more famously, Suri women, like Mursi women, wear lip plates. In her early 13 -15th ,an unmarried woman’s lower lip will be pierced and then progressively stretched over the period of a year. A clay disc, which has its edge indented like a pulley wheel, is squeezed into the hole in the lip. As the lip stretches, a succession of ever-larger discs are forced in until the lip, now a loop, is so long it can sometimes be pulled right over the owner’s head! The size of the lip plate determines the bride price with a large one bringing in fifty head of cattle. Suri women make the lip plates from clay, colouring them with ochre and charcoal and baking them in a fire.
Overnight village camping at Kibish
This morning is an exciting travel day as we head deep into the little-visited portion of southwestern Ethiopia. En route we pass through Bebeka coffee plantation (located about 30km outside Mizan), which is the largest and oldest coffee plantation in Ethiopia. After passing through the town of Tulgit, will finally arrive in Kibish, where we will be camping for the next three nights. Much of our focus today will be photographing the fabulous Suri people, who due to their remoteness are one of the least visited of the Omo Valley’s tribes.The Suri are pastoralists, placing much value on their cattle, which they protect vigorously against theft from neighbouring tribes. The Surma however also steal livestock from their enemies, and in recent times there has been more pressure on their grazing lands due to input of people from adjacent Sudan who have been displaced by civil war, resulting in not-infrequent fighting in the area.
The Suri people do not make woodcarvings, statues etc., and instead are renowned for their incredibly ornate decoration of themselves, which they achieve through painting, scarification and adornment with flowers and other natural objects. The paintings are dynamic artworks, which vary greatly in design and are truly fascinating to photograph!
Virtually no area of the body is left out, and nakedness is a standard and acceptable part of daily life for the Surma, who regard Westerners concept of clothing with fascination!
Possibly more famously, Suri women, like Mursi women, wear lip plates. In her early 13 -15th ,an unmarried woman’s lower lip will be pierced and then progressively stretched over the period of a year. A clay disc, which has its edge indented like a pulley wheel, is squeezed into the hole in the lip. As the lip stretches, a succession of ever-larger discs are forced in until the lip, now a loop, is so long it can sometimes be pulled right over the owner’s head! The size of the lip plate determines the bride price with a large one bringing in fifty head of cattle. Suri women make the lip plates from clay, colouring them with ochre and charcoal and baking them in a fire.
Overnight village camping at Kibish
Day 3: Kibish area (Surma Tribe)
We have full days to explore and photograph the fascinating Suri, making the most of our time in this remote region of Ethiopia.Another famous component of Suri life is stick fighting, known a Donga. We will be exceptionally fortunate to witness such a contest, but our local guide will keep an ear to the ground and with luck, we may be able to attend such an event. At a fight, each male contestt is armed with a hardwood pole about six feet long and with a weight of just less than two pounds.
The men paint their bodies with a mixture of chalk and water before the fight. In the attacking position, this pole is gripped at its base with both hands, the left above the right in order to give maximum swing and leverage. Each player beats his opponent with his stick as many times as possible with the intention of knocking him down, and eliminating him from the game. Players are usually unmarried men.
The winner is carried away on a platform of poles to a group of girls waiting at the side of the arena who decide among themselves which of them will ask for his hand in marriage. Taking part in a stick fight is considered to be more important than winning it.s
Overnight camping at Kibish
Day 4: Kibish–Bodi
An early morning 6:am we drive to Bodi Village.Bodi tribe are a pastoralist community live in the Omo valley north of the Mursi. The Bodi and the Mursi have many cultural features in common. Regarding bodily decoration, the most notable difference is that Bodi women wear a lip-plug, and not a lip-plate. Another difference is that Mursi girls pierce and stretch their lower lips upon reaching puberty, while Bodi women cut their lower lips only after they have given birth to two or three children.
A Bodi woman then stretches her lip so that she can insert a finely carved wooden plug, generally the size of a coin. Rather than sexual maturity, the Bodi lip-plug signals a woman’s achievement of the role of mature mother. The plug, worn all the time, is coated with butter and red ochre, and pierced in the centre with a small wooden spike. The Bodi also wear the lip-plug to serve as an identity marker and they often refer to themselves in public debates as ‘the people who pierce the lip-plug.
Overnight camping Gura village.
Day 5: Bodi - Turmi
We break camp, after an early morning visit to the Bodi, and proceed to Turmi in the Eastern or Southern Omo. Visit Turmi market but if there is a chance of a Hamar bull jumping ceremony our itinerary will change. The Hamar women have high cheek bones, wear thick copper/metal necklaces, elaborate beads, goat-skins and their hair is often coloured with red ochre and butter. The men often use coloured clay on their hair and take real pride in their appearance and culture. Like all the tribes, they are very photogenic.
Overnight at Buska Lodge /paradise lodge
Day 6: Turmi - Omorate - Turmi
We drive to Omorate to visit a remote Dassanech village, close to the Kenyan border. Here, we visit their villages and photograph daily life. This is an arid area with very fine silt soils deposited by the Omo river in the past. After our visit to the Dassanech we go to Dimeka market and in the late afternoon we proceed back to Turmi, perhaps stopping at a Hamar village to get the best of the light in the golden hour.
Overnight in Buska Lodge/Paradise Lodge
Day 7 : Turmi - Kara
Today anearly start driving to east towar Dus. Dud is the second of three village settlements of the Kara tribe. Sited on the banks of the Omo River, the Kara known for their creative and decorative body chalk painting.
Many of the Kara women have pierced lips and insert nails, flowers and pins. In addition to various photographic opportunities in the village and on the banks of the Omo River, if Lucky today, we may also be able to photograph the ceremonial, communal dance performed by the people of Dus.
Afterwards, drive back to Turmi in the afternoon.Overnight Buska lodge / camping on of Hamar village
Day 8: Turmi – Arbore - Konso
We depart at 7.30am from Turmi, heading to Arbore located at the northern edge of Mount Buska. The Arbore women are absolutely stunning, with extremely dark skin and strong features. Prior to marriage the women have their heads shaved. They wear dark robes, colorful beads and their huts are constructed of tree branches and reeds. Afterward, proceed driving to Konso. However ,in eroute Afterward, you will drive further down to Konso where you will meet one of the famous and the most hard working Konso people in Africa.
Then, as soon as you get in to Konso, you proceed driving to one of the most interesting stone walled village of the Konso People called Gamole.The Konso people live in an isolated region of the basalt hills. The area is made up of hard rocky slopes. And their villages are fortified by stone walls used as a defensive measure and this has registered on UNESCO world heritage site on 2011.
Overnight Kenta lodge.
Day 9: Konso - Arbamunch
Today after breakfast, drive from Konso to Dorza via Arbaminch you will explore to the local Dorze Village.
The Dorze people are known for their tall beehive-like houses and their fine cotton weaving. You will visit the village and learn about the daily lives of these industrious people. And in the afternoon drive back to Arbaminch and take the afternoon flight to Addis.
Overnight Haila Resort
Day 10: Addis - Home After breakfast late in the morning , We go to the airport. Flight Arbaminch to Addis Ababa.
Afterwards , we will have a farewell dinner at one of the famous cultural restaurant called Totote Kitfo, then drop you back to the airport.