Our trip to Ethiopia was not only filled with exciting new experiences, but also very relaxing. The guides and drivers were extremely helpful and friendly throughout the trip and we never ran into any trouble that we initially expected.

The Ethiopian people whom we met along the way were all gentle and courteous. To our surprise, many of them speak English and most stores and restaurants have English signs, which made everything much more accessible and convenient than expected.

We visited numerous different tribes and were able to observe their ways of life not influenced by western culture and modern technologies.

The most memorable experience around the Omo Valley was the opportunity to observe the Bull Jumping ceremony of the Hamer tribe.

The local guide, who was a Hamer himself, led us into the valley where the ceremony was held, explained the rituals to us, and always brought us to the best spot to observe what was about to occur.

The visit to Mursi and Karo are another two trip highlights. The photos we took were exactly like what one would see on National Geographics or guide books, if not better.

The Karo people had beautiful scarification and body paints. The mountain where the village was located offers a grandiose view of the Omo River. The honey liquer brewed by the Karos was delicious !

We saw tribal merchants traveling from a distance to bring their goods to the market and we were able to purchase authetic local crafts from them.

After the pleasant experience in Southern Ethiopia, I would definitely love to visit the Northern part of the country, where I could witness the historical heritage of Ethiopia, which is one of the oldest civilization in Africa and one of the only African countries free from colonial influence.

When I do come back to Ethiopia, I would definitely ask for Eskinder’s help to organize my tour again!