Ethiopia – World’s Last Tribes Of The Omo Valley
Premium Sunrise-Sunset Photo Tour
Agile Photo Adventure (APA)’s “World’s Last Tribes of the Omo Valley Premium Sunrise to Sunset Photo Tour” will take us to one of the wildest and most ethnically diverse places on Earth – the Omo Valley. This is a cultural photo experience during which we will interact with several tribal communities who still live almost exactly as they did hundreds of years ago. Sadly, development and the ravages of modernization are threatening these unique peoples, and as such the Omo Valley is a see it while you can destination. This harsh and inhospitable place has over ten distinctly different tribes existing within a 38 mile / 60 km radius each with its own unique language, clothing, hairstyles and bodily ornamentation. Our photo tour focuses on six of these tribes: the Suri, Mursi, Karo, Hamar, Nyangatom, Ari & Dassanach. In the market place we will see some other different tribes.
This Photo Tour will allow you the opportunity to capture the exceptional ‘World’s Last Tribes of Africa’ with an APA’s Ethiopian specialist and famous photo guide who was the photo guide of the famous photographer Steve McCurry in Ethiopia. He is also a great photographer for Tribal Lifestyle.
Main Photography Attractions:
- Join one of the best and most comprehensive photo tours to the Omo Valley as we visit the tribal groups who reside in this beautiful part of Ethiopia
- Sunrise to Sunset photography of Upper & Lower Omo Valley Tribes
- A chance to visit some of Africa’s most elaborately decorated indigenous people, including the Suri, Mursi, Karo, Hamar, Nyangatom, Ari & Dassanach Tribes
- Capture the planting crops, herding livestock, tribal dancing, Head dresses, scarification, body painting, lip plates, beaded skins and ornate necklaces.
- Night Photography of Surma Tribes
- 3 Nights Camp out near Surma villages and experience life in this remote, rural environment first hand, including at sunrise and sunset
- A true adventure in the wildest regions of southern Ethiopia, exploring the coffee plantations of the midlands, the Weito River area, the Omo River, Mago National Park, the villages of the central Rift Valley and the Omo Valley
- Local guides who are highly knowledgeable about the natural and human history of the Omo Valley
- Our tour will assist Dassanech children living in remote villages by way of donation to attend school
- Potentially visit a Suri stick fight (or Donga), a Hamer bull jumping ceremony and a remote cattle camp to learn how herders work with their animals and the threats they face with this ancient lifestyle
- Enjoy a fascinating afternoon with the Ari people learning about their agro-pastoralist lives and they way they harvest and store crops, use local plants in medicine and how they brew the local ‘Araki’ or beer
- Local Photo guide will arrange outdoor studio setup for Tribes Portrait (Exclusive for Portrait photographers)
Tour Leader
Sohel Parvez Haque, EPSA
sohelparvez1410@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +8801817183344
Why we are UNIQUE from others
- Cheapest price as per itinerary
- Only 3 participants in One 4WD Land Cruisers with A/C
- Experienced Tour Leader & Local Photo Guide, not a normal tour guide
- One Participant One room (No room sharing)
- All best hotels in that location
- Per 2 participants one Local English speaking guide
- Unlimited photo capturing with tribes
- Exclusive Outdoor Portrait shoot of tribes with black/white background
Day 1 – Arrival In Addis Ababa
Today is set as an arrival day for our Ethiopian photo safari. After reaching the Bole International Airport, you will be transfer to the Jupiter International Hotel. We all will meet at 5:00PM in the Hotel Lobby for tour discussion. Here Tour leader and Local Guide will explain the tour plan and other activities.
Overnight at Jupiter International Hotel – Bole (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 2: Fly From Addis Ababa To Jimma (55 Mins Flight)
Our photo tour commences as we fly to Jimma at 11:30am, the largest city in southwestern Ethiopia.
Overnight at Central Jimma Hotel (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 3: Jimma – Wushwush – Mizan Teferi (218 KM / 4 Hours Driving)
At 8:30AM, you will be visiting Abba Jiffar Museum. The Museum displays most of historical materials of King Abba Jiffar whose Kingdom was established in 1830. Here, you will be able to see traditional objects of the local Oromo people, the first set of collection of the King’s personal household furniture that includes beds of Abba Jiffar, armchairs, utensils, religious manuscripts and others. Mid-morning, you will be proceeding to Mizan Teferi, en-route visit the government-protected primary forests out of Jimma and tea growing plantation at Wushwush. Further on to Mizan Teferi and arriving late in the afternoon.
Overnight at Salayish Hotel (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 4: Mizan Teferi – Bebeka – Kibish (247 KM / 5 Hours Driving)
After processing Suri visit permits at 8:00AM, you will be driving to Kibish. En-route, you will be visiting the largest coffee and rubber tree plantations at Bebeka. Further ahead through Dima or alternatively through Wachamaj, you will be arriving Kibish late-afternoon.
Overnight at camping tent (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 5: Kibish (Surma Tribe)
At 6:00AM, you will be proceeding to Reggea village, a village settlement of the Chai clan where you will likely be able to meet the photogenic village chief of the Chai clan. Through the day, you will be seeing their daily activities inclusive of cattle milking, limited farming and cattle herding, dressing patterns of the men and women and the lip plates of the women that differ by shape from the Mursi tribe of the Lower Omo Valley. Late-afternoon, you will be returning back to Kibish
Overnight at camping tent (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
*Lunch boxes can be prepared for this day as you will likely be away from your campsite for much of the day.
Day 6 – Kibish – Kakuta (Nyangatom Tribe)
Breaking camp early morning, at 6:30AM you will be driving to Kakuta, a hardly accessed and rarely visited tribal area and home to the Nyangatom tribe that are said to be descendants of the Toposa tribe in close by Sudan. Arriving Kakuta at noon and through the rest of the afternoon, you will visit a village from the scattered settlements of the Nyangatom tribe. Here, you will be able to see their dressing patterns, unique neck-bead decorations and general day-to-day life style in the middle of nowhere with literally no basic supplies available like water from nearby water streams/rivers, and all this mostly during daily high day temperatures.
Overnight at camping tent in Kakuta (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 7 – Kakuta – Kangaten – Turmi (Hamar Tribe)
With additional village visit starting at 7:00AM for their cattle-milking etc., you will break camp and proceed to Kangaten, main administrative town of the Nyangatom tribe that are settled on the banks of the Omo River. Crossing the Omo River by the bridge, you will be proceeding and arriving Turmi early afternoon, where you will use the rest of the afternoon to visit a Hamar tribe village in the surroundings of Turmi.
Overnight at Paradise Lodge, Turmi (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 8 – Turmi – Omorate – Dimeka – Turmi (Dassanach Tribe)
Early in the morning, you will be proceeding to Omorate, home to the Dassanach tribe and settled on the banks of the Omo River. Crossing the river with wooden canoe boats, you will be visiting one of their villages.
Shortly before noon, you will be proceeding to Turmi and further on to Dimeka where you will be able to visit the weekly Hamer tribe market. At this market, you will be able to see their traditional dressings and leather wrappings of the young Hamer girls, their hair decorations and body ornamentations with beads etc. You will also be able to see their authentic activities at this market.
Overnight at Paradise Lodge, Turmi (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 9 – Turmi – Korcho/Dus Village – Turmi (Kara Tribe)
At 8:00AM, you will be proceeding to Korcho/Dus village, home to the Kara tribe and conveniently settled on a high-ground overlooking the Omo River. At this village, you will be to see the Kara’s general dressing patterns and life style – the men’s attractive body decorations with white chalk, the women’s lower lip-piercing and hair decorations and multiple rounds of colorfully mixed neck-beads. Returning back to Turmi at noon, you will spend the afternoon visiting a Hamer tribal village in the surroundings of Turmi.
Overnight at Paradise Lodge, Turmi (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 10 – Turmi – Key Afer – Jinka (116 KM / 2:10 Hours Driving)
With additional Hamer tribe village visits starting at 6:30AM, you will be proceeding to Konso via Key Afer. Thursday being the weekly tribal market day of the Bena tribe, you will be able to visit this market that also attracts three other tribes from the surrounding areas – the Hamers from Alduba, Ari from Kako and Tsemais from Weito. Mid-afternoon, you will be proceeding to Jinka.
Overnight at Jinka Resort (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 11 – Jinka – Mago National Park – Jinka (Mursi & Ari Tribe)
At 7:30AM, you will be heading into Mago National Park. En route to Mursi tribal villages in the Park, you will be able to see the scenic Mago lowlands as well as a bit of wildlife – Dik Diks, Greater and Lesser Kudus etc. Arriving at Mursi tribal villages, you will be able to see their farm fields, huts and general life style. Returning back to Jinka shortly after lunch time, you will be visiting Ari tribal villages in the surroundings of Jinka.
Overnight at Jinka Resort (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
Day 12 – Jinka – Addis Ababa (Flight 70 Mins)
At 8:30AM, you will be visiting the South Omo Research Center which will give you a good insight into the various tribes of the Lower Omo Valley. Mid-morning, you will be visiting Omo Child Center www.omochild.org, an NGO that cares for Mingi children of the Kara and Hamer tribes. At 11:30am, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Addis Ababa. Arriving in Addis Ababa at 2:40pm, thereby ending your 11 days tour of the Upper and Lower Omo Valley of South West Ethiopia.
Overnight at Radisson Blu Hotel (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner – Breakfast (Next day))
General Information
Spaces Available |
7 (SEVEN) |
|---|---|
Dates |
Can be managed as per requirement |
Tour Size: |
7 Participants + 1 Tour Leader + 7 Local English Speaking Experienced Photo Guide from Ethiopia |
Start Location: |
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport |
End Location: |
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport |
Hotel Information |
Radisson Blu Hotel (1 Night), Paradise Lodge, Turmi (3 Nights), Jupiter International Hotel (1 Night), Central Jimma Hotel (1 Night), Salayish Hotel (1 Night), Jinka Resort (2 Nights), Mobile Camping Tent (3 Nights) |
Type of Photo Tour |
Travel, Portrait, Landscape & Lifestyle photography |
Additional Information
Inclusion
- 12-nights accommodation.
- 2 Domestic Flights
- Airport Pick & Drop
- All Photography Fees mentioned in the itinerary
- English speaking photo Guides, Drivers and Tour Leader.
- 4WD Land Cruisers with A/C
- All Meals as mentioned in the itinerary.
- All entry fees
- Fuels, tolls and parking charges
Exclusion
- Airfare Ticket
- Visa
- Personal expenses: such as laundry, drinks, fax, telephone calls, optional activities, sightseeing or meals, which are not included in the tour itinerary.
- Gratuities for driver (recommended)
- Travel & Medical Insurance (Recommended)
Payment, Cancellation, and Refunds
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Deposit: a non-refundable USD 1000 deposit is required to reserve your spot.
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Full Payment: required 60 days prior to the start-date of the tour and can be paid by PayPal/Skrill/Bank Transfer.
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Refund Policy:
– a full refund is available if you can find someone to replace you
– there will be a 50% refund of balance payments on cancellations made less than 50 days before the scheduled date of departure
– a 25% refund of balance payments on cancellations made less than 35 days before the scheduled date of departure
– a 10% refund on cancellations made less than 20 days before departure
– the initial deposit will be retained.