Historic Route

• Cultural
• Historical

Ethiopia has a proud and long history extending all the way to the known beginnings of human kind. The Historic Route overland tour takes visitors from the current capital of Addis Ababa to the former capitals of the Gonderite and Axumite empires, as well as to the sacred city of Lalibela and the rock churches of Tigray.
The journey takes travelers some 2000 kilometers through the Ethiopian countryside, mountains and desert. Driving from site to site gives the traveler a chance to see the places in between, enjoy local culture and see the Ethiopia that exists outside of these incredible historic sites.
From Addis Ababa, we journey north and visit a series of churches before arriving to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana. Our next stop is Gonder, where visitors walk through the great castles, royal bathes and churches built by the kings of Ethiopia over 400 years ago. The next day we drive the most scenic byway in Ethiopia around the Simien Mountains to Axum, the first capital and ancient entry point of Christianity to Ethiopia. Here, travelers will be stunned by the great stele left behind by this mysterious civilization. We continue the overland journey through the region of Tigray to the majestic Gheralta valley, where we take to our feet and visit a series of ancient churches carved into the sandstone dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries. All of these historic sites testify not only to the great faith of these societies, but also to their advanced architectural skills.
Finally, travelers go back in time to the late middle ages of Lalibela, where a great religious civilization flourished and a pious king constructed more than a dozen churches hewn out of massive monolithic rocks in the center of the city. From Lalibela, we journey back to Addis Ababa, finishing the circle of history and enjoy the lifestyle of modern Ethiopia.

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