10 Days Immerse Yourself In Ethiopia's Rich Suri History

• Arrival to Mizan Teferi. Transfer to the hotel can be arranged upon the client's request.
• Check-in to the hotel.

Accommodation: Kashini Hotel.

Meal Included: No meal.

• Start at 7:30 a.m., heading to Tulgit, one of the larger villages of the Suri tribe. 
• Drive through Bebeka, the largest coffee plantation in Ethiopia.
• Arrive at Tulgit in the late afternoon.
• The Suri tribe is divided into three clans - the Zilmamo clan settled around Tulgit, the Chai clan around Kibish, and the Tirma clan around Jeba. The Tirma are more urbanized and have lost some of their traditions so we stay in Kibish, which is more convenient and has great access to the surrounding villages. The Suri are renowned for their facial and body painting, stick fighting (Donga), and the woman often has lip plates.

Accommodation: Camping.

Meal Included: Breakfast.

• Start early at 6:30 a.m. to take advantage of the best light.
• Visit a nearby Suri village of the Zilmamo clan. They are pastoralists so daily chores include herding and milking.
• After lunch, we proceed to Kibish, a village of the Chai clan.
• In the mid-afternoon we will visit a village and photograph life as they know it - body scarification is common and occasionally we see them taking blood from their cattle or witness their renowned stick fighting.
• Late afternoon, return to Kibish overnight (45kms / 3.5 hours driving).
• Lunch boxes will be prepared to make good use of time for village visits as we will be away from the campsite for most of the day.

Accommodation: Camping.

Meal Included: Breakfast, Lunch Box.

• At 6:00 A.M, depart for the Koka area where there are a couple of cattle camps of the Chai clan. Cattle are integral to the life of the Suri tribe. We see the herders, young men, taking the cattle to water, milking, and perhaps bloodletting.
• Before noon, we return to Kibish and embark upon a walk to a local village, one of the authentic villages of the Suri tribe’s Chai clan. Here, you will spend the afternoon photographing daily life. The lip plates of the women here differ in shape from the Mursi tribe (who are related to the Suri) in the Lower Omo Valley.
• In the late afternoon, return to Kibish where camp overnight.
• Lunch boxes will be prepared for the day.

Accommodation: Camping.

Meal Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

• An early morning village visit while the team breaks camp. 
• At 8:30 am drive to Kakuta, a remote and rarely visited tribal area which is home to the Nyangatom, who are said to be descendants of the Toposa tribe in South Sudan. 
• At midday, we arrive at Kakuta.
• In the afternoon, visit a village of the Nyangatom tribe. Here, we will have opportunities to photograph the tribe, who live in a climatically challenging area of the Omo (very arid). The women wear numerous strands of beads, which they build upon during life. Tribal adornment is an integral part of their culture. The area is semi-arid and water has to be collected from rivers each day. Camp overnight in Kakuta.
• Lunch boxes are provided to create time to photograph in the villages.

Accommodation: Camping.

Meal Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

• Departing Kakuta at 5:00 AM, we drive to Dus, the second of three village settlements of the Kara tribe. Sited on the banks of the Omo River, the Kara are known for their creative and decorative body chalk painting. We visit the local school and photograph these outgoing and curious kids. Many of the Kara women have pierced lips and insert nails, flowers, and pins.
• In addition to various photographic opportunities in the village and on the banks of the Omo River, we may be able to photograph the ceremonial, communal dance performed by the people of Dus. This is dusty and very atmospheric – photo opportunities abound. The Kara of Dus prides themselves as the best dancers in the Omo.

Accommodation: Camping.

Meal Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

• We break camp, after an early morning visit to the Kara, and proceed to Turmi in the Eastern or Southern Omo.
• Visit the market at Dimeka, but if there is a chance of a Hamar bull jumping ceremony our itinerary will change. The Hamar women have high cheekbones, wear thick copper / metal necklaces, elaborate beads, and goat-skins, and their hair is often colored with red ochre and butter. The men often use colored clay on their hair and take real pride in their appearance and culture. Like all the tribes, they are very photogenic.

Accommodation: Buska Lodge.

Meal Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

• We drive to Omorate to visit a remote Dassanech village, close to the Kenyan border.
• Here, we visit their villages and photograph daily life. This is an arid area with very fine silt soils deposited by the Omo River in the past. In the late afternoon, we proceed back to Turmi, perhaps stopping at a Hamar village to get the best of the light in the golden hour.
• Overnight in Lodge.

Accommodation: Buska Lodge.

Meal Included: No meal.

We depart at 5.30 am from Turmi, heading to Arbore located at the northern edge of Mount Buska. The Arbore women are stunning, with extremely dark skin and strong.

Accommodation: Jinka Eyob Pension.

Meal Included: No meal.

Your journey ends after checking out the hotel.

Clients can request departure transfer to the airport based on the client's flight time.

It's a pity that it has to end, but this is where your journey will draw to a close. We're sure that you will return home with many exciting and happy memories, but if you’d like to explore more brilliant adventures, you can reference other tours on our website.