15-Day Ultimate Ethiopia Photography Expedition

Welcome to Addis Ababa, sitting high at 2,355 meters above sea level. Your guide meets you at the airport and settles you into your hotel. Today is a relaxed day to rest, check your gear, and go over the trip plan, including best light times and key locations for each of the four very different regions ahead.

Day Activity 1 activity

Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife

Accommodation

Check Inn Hotel Hotel Mid-range

+6 +5

Fly to Gondar, then drive to Debark, entrance point for Simien Mountains National Park, and meet your required scout and mule team. Trek toward Sankaber campsite at about 3,250 meters, with sweeping first views over the escarpment and gelada monkeys often grazing calmly beside the trail, an easy and rewarding subject. Overnight camping at Sankaber.

Day Activities 3 activities

Mountain Climbing Challenge yourself with guided climbs to Africa's most iconic mountains and scenic peaks. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Walking Safaris Experience the African wilderness on foot with a guided walking safari, where every track, sound, and scent brings you closer to n...

Accommodation

Camping Camp Budget

+3 +2

Trek from Sankaber to Geech, working the light along the dramatic edge of the escarpment, with drop-offs of over a thousand meters on one side. Detour to Jinbar Waterfall, plunging straight off the escarpment edge into the valley below, one of the park's most photographed spots. Overnight camping at Geech.

Day Activities 3 activities

Birding Tours Spot colourful and rare birds with an expert birding guide. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Walking Safaris Experience the African wilderness on foot with a guided walking safari, where every track, sound, and scent brings you closer to n...

Accommodation

Camping Camp Budget

+3 +2

Walk toward Chennek, passing Imet Gogo viewpoint, widely considered the single best panorama in the park, and watch for the rare Walia ibex on the surrounding cliffs. In the afternoon, descend to Debark, drive to Gondar, and fly back to Addis Ababa, where you'll spend the night before continuing south tomorrow.

Day Activities 3 activities

Walking Safaris Experience the African wilderness on foot with a guided walking safari, where every track, sound, and scent brings you closer to n... Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Birding Tours Spot colourful and rare birds with an expert birding guide.

Accommodation

Check Inn Hotel Hotel Mid-range

+6 +5

Drive south from Addis Ababa through the Great Rift Valley toward the Bale Mountains, a journey of around six hours, with photogenic stops possible at the Rift Valley lakes along the way. Arrive in the late afternoon and settle into your lodge near the park.

Day Activities 4 activities

Birding Tours Spot colourful and rare birds with an expert birding guide. Game Drive Explore national parks on guided game drives to spot wildlife in their natural habitat. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Walking Safaris Experience the African wilderness on foot with a guided walking safari, where every track, sound, and scent brings you closer to n...

Accommodation

Bale Mountain Lodge Lodge Mid-range

+6 +5

Drive up onto the Sanetti Plateau, one of the highest roads in Africa at over 4,000 meters, and one of the best places on Earth to photograph the Ethiopian wolf against golden, open moorland. Your guide will help you position for good light and respectful distance from the wildlife. Overnight near the park.

Day Activities 4 activities

Birding Tours Spot colourful and rare birds with an expert birding guide. Game Drive Explore national parks on guided game drives to spot wildlife in their natural habitat. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Walking Safaris Experience the African wilderness on foot with a guided walking safari, where every track, sound, and scent brings you closer to n...

Accommodation

Bale Mountain Lodge Lodge Mid-range

+6 +5

Descend into the Harenna Forest for a complete change of light and subject, photographing black-and-white colobus monkeys in misty, moss-covered trees and wild coffee growing in the shade. In the afternoon, begin the drive back toward Addis Ababa. Overnight in Addis Ababa.

Day Activities 4 activities

Game Drive Explore national parks on guided game drives to spot wildlife in their natural habitat. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Mountain Climbing Challenge yourself with guided climbs to Africa's most iconic mountains and scenic peaks. Walking Safaris Experience the African wilderness on foot with a guided walking safari, where every track, sound, and scent brings you closer to n...

Accommodation

Check Inn Hotel Hotel Mid-range

+6 +5

Fly to Mekele, gateway to the Danakil Depression, one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth. Drive into the desert toward Hamedela, close to the edge of the depression. Sleep outdoors under the stars, ready for a full day photographing Dallol tomorrow.

Day Activities 4 activities

Game Drive Explore national parks on guided game drives to spot wildlife in their natural habitat. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Volcano Hike Climb to the crater rim of an active or dormant volcano. Walking Safaris Experience the African wilderness on foot with a guided walking safari, where every track, sound, and scent brings you closer to n...

Accommodation

Camping Camp Budget

+3 +2

Photograph Dallol, an otherworldly landscape of sulfur springs, salt towers, and small acid pools glowing in yellow, green, and orange, among the most surreal colors found anywhere on Earth. Continue to the vast salt flats of Lake Karum, where camel caravans still load salt for the journey to the highlands. Overnight camping again near Hamedela.

Day Activities 5 activities

Volcano Hike Climb to the crater rim of an active or dormant volcano. Camping Safaris Sleep in a tent close to wildlife, with campfires and starry skies. Walking Safaris Experience the African wilderness on foot with a guided walking safari, where every track, sound, and scent brings you closer to n... Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Danakil Depression Tour Visit the lava lake of Erta Ale and the colourful sulphur fields of Dallol.

Accommodation

Camping Camp Budget

+3 +2

Drive to the base of Erta Ale and walk up the volcano with your guide and local escort, mostly after dark. At the crater rim, photograph one of the very few permanent lava lakes on the planet, a glowing, churning subject unlike anywhere else. Sleep in a simple shelter near the summit.

Day Activities 3 activities

Danakil Depression Tour Visit the lava lake of Erta Ale and the colourful sulphur fields of Dallol. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Volcano Hike Climb to the crater rim of an active or dormant volcano.

Accommodation

Camping Camp Budget

+3 +2

In the early morning, take a final look and a few last photographs of the glowing lava lake before descending and driving back across the desert to Mekele. Fly back to Addis Ababa, where you'll spend the night before heading south to the Omo Valley for the final leg of the expedition tomorrow.

Day Activities 3 activities

Omo Valley Tribal Visit Meet the peoples of the Omo Valley and learn about their ways of life. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife Community Visit Meet local people and see how they live, work and celebrate.

Accommodation

Check Inn Hotel Hotel Mid-range

+6 +5

Fly south to Arba Minch, gateway to the South Omo Valley. Take a boat trip on Lake Chamo for wildlife photography opportunities with Nile crocodiles and hippos, then visit the Dorze people in the highlands for a first set of portraits and images of their striking bamboo houses. Overnight in Arba Minch.

Day Activities 3 activities

Community Visit Meet local people and see how they live, work and celebrate. Omo Valley Tribal Visit Meet the peoples of the Omo Valley and learn about their ways of life. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife

Accommodation

Daros International Hotel Hotel Mid-range

+5 +4

Drive to the Konso Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of terraced hillsides and carved wooden grave markers, offering rich texture and pattern for landscape and detail shots. Continue to Jinka, gateway to Mago National Park. Overnight in Jinka.

Day Activities 3 activities

Community Visit Meet local people and see how they live, work and celebrate. Omo Valley Tribal Visit Meet the peoples of the Omo Valley and learn about their ways of life. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife

Accommodation

Kanta Lodge Lodge Mid-range

+5 +4

Visit a Mursi village inside Mago National Park for portrait photography with the community's famous lip plates, then travel to Turmi to photograph the Hamer people, known for beaded jewelry and ochre-dyed hairstyles. Fly back to Addis Ababa in the evening. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner hosted by Origin Abyssinia, a fitting close to fifteen days photographing Ethiopia's landscapes, wildlife, and cultures.

Day Activities 3 activities

Community Visit Meet local people and see how they live, work and celebrate. Omo Valley Tribal Visit Meet the peoples of the Omo Valley and learn about their ways of life. Photography Safari Capture Africa’s incredible wildlife

Accommodation

Check Inn Hotel Hotel Mid-range

+6 +5

Enjoy a free morning in Addis Ababa. Depending on your flight time, you may have time for a final walk with your camera through a local market. Your guide will take you to Bole International Airport in good time for your departure flight, bringing this photography expedition to a close.