Hey,
we are 2 Slovenian students traveling on a tight budget. We would like to visit the tribes of the Lower Omo Valley for 8 days and got a good offer for $26 per day (4WD for 4 people) or $23 per day (4WD for 6 people) with a tour operator that got good reviews on this forum, and seems trustworthy.
The itinerary includes: Arba Minch (the crocodile market), Turmi, Omorate, Mursi, Hamar tribes, if we are lucky, bull jumping, Caro tribes, Ari bana, etc.
The price includes the transportation, covers the driver's expenses, water, tents, matresses,... Additional costs are entry fees to national parks (the boat trip to see the crocodiles in Arba Minch, Mursi village, Turmi village, ...). The office of the Abeba Tours is located inside Ras Hotel in Addis Ababa next to the reception, the manager's name is Cheru. His mobile is 0911652294.
We are in Addis Ababa, travelling to Harar tonight by minibus.
Anyone interested please contact us via email (misa.fister@gmail.com) or contact Cheru at (info@abebatoursethiopia.com).
Thanks,
Mare and Misa.
I highly suggest that you cap your group at four. It will be much more comfortable that way and worth the price difference!
Hi, Slovenians,
I had been there in 1999. I hope that you make a group, and do it, it is soooo
nice there.
In Arba Minch at that time was only one decent hotel, Bekkele Mola, on the hill, overlooking two lakes. Good for camping. And no, there is no crocodile market, it is a real crocodile farm, where they breed them for meat. From Arba you can visit Chenca, at more than 2.700 meters, to witness how cold can it be in Africa (37 km). There was a splendid coffee shop, real surprise of Ethiopia. And, do not miss traditional coffee ceremony.
Just be aware that roads are really bad, and most of the time there is no electricity. Sometimes food is very poor. Injira and chicken are a real fest, and I was not into goats myself.
But, people are nice. Only, everybody says that Mursi are still living different life, and are or could be dangerous. Around Shashemene you can find a colony of Rastafarians, who live there. Ras Tafari equals Haile Sellasie.
FYI, our goal was to cross Omo, and go south as possible, almost to the shores of Turkana lake. But, lake is smaller now. When you cross Omo from Omorati, there are ruins of Italian military camp. 20 km to the south is the military border place, that we consider to be a location of Seljanville, established by the Seljan brothers, born in Karlovac, Croatia, and a governors of south provinces in 1901 and 1902.
Before them, those places were explored by Alexander Bulatovich, a Russian representative there. I'll send you something to your mail to read, if interested.
Huh, one more for you: in the town of Yabelo, at that time there were some ethnologists and anthropologists that were working with most traditional tribes of those parts of Ethiopia. And, I also think that on University of Arba Minch you can find many info on the tribes, their customs, and most interesting places to go.
Good luck, Mare and Misa, hope you have cameras and everything, this is a trip of the lifetime.
Mike65
Just for the record, there are two different crocodile attractions on offer from Arba Minch.
The crocodile market that OP referred to does actually exist. It's not a market, per se, where you can buy crocs, but is a nickname for an area on Lake Chamo where large amounts of humongous crocs bask in the sun.
The crocodile farm is another place around Arba Minch, that can be walked to. This is indeed a farm that breeds crocs for boots and other tragically hip fashion items.
I would imagine the place you're going to, Mare and Misa, is the crocodile market on Lake Chamo...that tends to be the place the tour groups go to.
Have fun!
akfak is right!
I had been just to one place.
Lake Chamo is beautiful, and still, from the hill you can see that two lakes have different colour. The other is Lake Abaya. The southern end of the pearl of Ethiopian lakes.
I only hope that Arba Minch is advancing. At the time I was there they were reconstructing the main road.
I can only add that Ethiopians are very friendly people, decisive, strong and very beautiful.
Only all the time independent African nation.
Keep that in mind.
Mike65
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