G E O T O U R S ETHIOPIA JANUARY 16 27, 2019 LALIBELA SIMIEN MOUNTAINS LAND COST = $1790 (hotels, breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, private transport within Ethiopia, local guides, Matt Ebiner as group leader); +$890 for Danakil Extension; +$1290 for South Omo Extension AIRFARE is about $1500 for all international and domestic flights if flying to Ethiopia on Ethiopian Airlines (LAX-ADD-LALIBELA; LALIBELA-GONDAR; GONDAR-DIRE DAWA; DIRE-DAWA-ADDIS-LAX). If flying to Ethiopia on a different airline the domestic flights will cost an additional $600. Danakil extension adds +$150 to airfare; South Omo extension adds +$150 to airfare Wed, 1/16/19 Depart USA to Lalibela, Ethiopia on Ethiopian Airlines Thu, 1/17/19 Arrive Lalibela Ethiopia s holiest city, UNESCO World Heritage site, churches carved into the rock; 3 nights in Lalibela. Fri, 1/18/18 Lalibela Tour the churches and Lalibela with a guide; Timkat Eve festivities (Timkat is a holy feast day celebrating the Baptism of Jesus). Sat, 1/19/19 Timkat in Lalibela Amazing religious processions and celebrations with prayers, rituals, chants. Sun, 1/20/19 Fly Lalibela to Gondar Afternoon tour of Gondar, old royal capital of Ethiopia with castles and royal compound; 1 night in Gondar. TIMKAT IN LALIBELA Mon, 1/21/19 Simien Mountains National Park Private vehicle by paved road to Debark (3 hours), then by dirt road into the national park; hike 2-4 hours (option for shorter walk or vehicle to Sankaber Camp), with great views and chance to see wildlife like the gelada baboons; one night at Sankaber Camp. GONDAR SIMIEN MTNS LALIBELA DANAKIL ADDIS ABABA HARER SOUTH OMO GELADA BABOONS
Tue, 1/22/19 Simien Mtns Hike 5-7 hours (option to ride mule) to Gich Camp, with fine views into the canyons from the high plateau, including waterfalls and more wildlife; option for shorter hike and/or return to Debark town. Wed, 1/23/19 Simien Mtns Gondar Hike 5-7 hours to Chennek (or ride mule, or shorter option), with spectacular scenery, then vehicle drives us back to Gondar. Thu, 1/24/19 Gondar Harer Morning flight from Gondar-Addis-Dire Dawa, then transfer to the old walled city of Harer. HARER Fri, 1/25/19 Harer Tour the old city with a guide, the holiest Muslim city in Ethiopia; see hyenas in the evening that are fed nightly by the hyena men. Sat, 1/26/19 Harer - Addis Excursion in the Harer area to see nearby villages, markets, and rock formations; evening flight to Addis Ababa (from Dire Dawa) to connect to flight to USA, or spend one night in Addis Ababa, or connect to Mekele if doing the optional extension to the Danakil Depression. Sun, 1/27/19 Addis Ababa USA, departure in the early morning arriving home same day, or have a free day in Addis to shop, sightsee, enjoy good restaurants and leave that evening, arriving home 1/28/19. GEOTOURS ETHIOPIA TOUR GROUP SIZE & LEADERS/GUIDES: Minimum is 6 persons + Ebiners; Maximum is 15 persons + Ebiners Matt Ebiner will lead the group throughout, and Suzan Ebiner will probably be co-leader for the main part of the tour (January 16 27). We will also have local guides in Lalibela, Gondar, Simien Mountains, Harer, Danakil, and South Omo. PACE/PHYSICAL EFFORT The main part of the tour requires moderate fitness, walking a few hours a day in the towns of Lalibela, Gondar, and Harer. In the Simien Mountains there are 3 days of hiking of 2-7 hours per day at high altitudes (10,000-13,000 ). It is possible to ride a mule or get a ride with 4WD to reduce the hiking distance in the Simien Mtns. There are no long bus rides between towns since we will be taking several flights to travel around Ethiopia. The weather in the highlands is usually mild and dry in January. Danakil Extension: Weather will be dry and hot (up to 100F). Roads/tracks are very rough and slow-going, but we will be in 4WD vehicles with air-conditioning. There is a 3-hour hike to the crater of Erta Ale Volcano, but a camel can be hired to ride if you don t want to hike. There are 2 nights camping in tents in the Danakil, including one night on the crater rim so that we can see the lava at night. Two nights in Mekele are spent at a comfortable hotel. South Omo Extension: Some roads are rough, villages are poor, and lodging is sometimes basic. Tribal groups often expect to be paid if you take their photo (about 20-25c per photo subject). We will travel in a 4WD vehicle with air-conditioning. We will be walking around villages for a couple hours, but no extensive walking on this South Omo extension. HOTELS (Tentative list; some accommodations might be different than those listed below, but will be of similar standard) Addis Ababa Yober Hotel Danakil Extension: Lalibela Top Twelve Hotel Mekele Atse Yohannes Hotel Gondar Goha Hotel Erta Ale Crater Camp Simien Mountains Sankaber Camp, Gich Camp Hamad Ela Village Camp Harer Rowda s Guesthouse South Omo Extension: Jinka Eco-Omo Safari Lodge Turmi Buska Lodge Mursi Village Camp INSURANCE - Consider getting Travel Insurance to be safe, which covers trip cancellation fees, medical costs, baggage loss and more. GeoTours recommends CSA Travel Protection for reasonably priced coverage at the Custom or Custom Luxe level. It depends on your age and trip cost (land cost paid to GeoTours + airfare), and will cost about $100-$400. Go to www.csatravelpro.com and enter the producer code 20100507.
ERTA ALE VOLCANO DALLOL Photo by Petr Meissner www.flickr.com Photo by Michael Meraner https://197travelstamps.com Photo by Petr Meissner www.flickr.com OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO DANAKIL DEPRESSION (+$890) Optional extension to Danakil (active volcano Erta Ale, rift valley, Dallol hot springs with bizarre colors, camel caravans) LAND COST FOR DANAKIL EXTENSION = $890 (2 nights hotel in Mekele; 3-day excursion to Danakil with 4WD vehicles with aircon, guide, driver, cook, all meals, camping gear, entry fees); airline tix not included (ADD-MEKELE-ADD), which costs about $150 round-trip if purchased with international airline tickets on Ethiopian Airlines. Sat 1/26/19 Arrive Mekele Fly from Dire Dawa (airport near Harer) in the afternoon to Mekele One night in Mekele. Sun 1/27/19 Danakil Excursion Day 1 Rough road into the Danakil (5 hours) to base of Erta Ale volcano. About 3-hour hike (option to ride a camel) to crater rim where we camp above the lava lake (one of only five in the world). Camels carry the camping gear (provided, included in the price) to the crater. Admire the lava at night. Mon 1/28/19 Danakil Excursion Day 2 Hike down from the crater. Drive 100 km to village of Hamad Ela. En route see camel caravans. Sunset over Lake Assale. Camp near Hamad Ela. Tue 1/29/19 Danakil Excursion Day 3, return to Mekele Drive to Asebo where workers mine salt and load onto camels. Then visit Dallol, one of Africa s most remarkable sights, where bright yellow sulfur terraces and other colorful formations have been created by springs bubbling up from underground. Drive back to Mekele to spend the night in a comfortable hotel. Wed 1/30/19 Depart Mekele (TuWFSu) to Addis Ababa or South Omo To Addis Ababa with the day to enjoy Ethiopia s capital city before connecting to a night flight home to USA; or fly to Jinka for South Omo extension. Thu 1/31/19 Arrive home in USA if flying home after Danakil extension To extend your trip to visit the tribes of South Omo, see next page TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS BY: GEOTOURS LLC CST # 2099683-40 Phone: (310) 686-8171 WWW.GEOTOURS.US INFO@GEOTOURS.US Photo by Michael Meraner https://197travelstamps.com
OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO SOUTH OMO (+$1290) South Omo is famous for its cultural diversity, with many fascinating tribes; this extension is like a cultural/photographic safari LAND COST FOR SOUTH OMO EXTENSION = $1290 (private 4WD transport with aircon and driver, professional Ethiopian guide 24/7 + local guides in each village, lodging, village fees, optional one night hotel in Addis Ababa is included); airline tix not included (ADD-JINKA-ADD), which costs about $150 round-trip if purchased with international airline tickets on Ethiopian Airlines. This region is not well-developed; lodging is basic, roads are rough, villages are poor. Wed 1/30/19 Afternoon flight from Addis Ababa to Jinka in the South Omo region; private 4WD with driver and guide takes us to Mago National Park and a camp at a village of the Mursi tribe. The Mursi are famed for huge round lip plates in their lower lips. One night at Mursi camp. Thu 1/31/19 Visit Mursi tribe in morning; back to Jinka and to Key Afer for afternoon market; on to Turmi to stay in Buska Lodge. Fri 2/1/19 Visit Dassenech pastoralist tribe near the Kenya border; visit Koro tribe, known for their white body paint, and camp in a Koro village. Sat 2/2/19 Koro village in the morning; weekly market in the Hamar village of Dimeka, possibly see bull-jumping ceremony; stay in a lodge in Turmi or Jinka. Sun 2/3/19 Fly at 3:15 pm Jinka-ADD; fly home in the evening or spend one night in Addis Ababa. Mon 2/4/19 Arrive home in USA or have a free day in Addis and fly home at night, arriving USA the next day, February 5. Tue 2/5/19 Arrive home in USA if spending one night and one full day in Addis. Photos by Rod Waddington, www.flickr.com
GeoTours Ethiopia Registration Form: January 16 27, 2019 - $1790 (land costs without airfare) Optional extension to Danakil January 26 31, 2019 = +$890 (land costs without airfare) Optional extension to South Omo January 30 February 5, 2019 = +$1290 (land costs without airfare) International airfare is not included and must be purchased by participant (about $1500 from LAX for all flights) CONTACT: Matt Ebiner, Trip Leader, (310) 686-8171, mattebiner@geotours.us REGISTRATION/PAYMENT PROCEDURE 1. Attach a $400 payment (made payable to GeoTours LLC) to this form and mail to GeoTours at the address below or submit payment online through www.venmo.com or www.paypal.com, payable to payment@geotours.us or 310-686-8171. You can also make an online bank transfer if you are a customer of Chase (through QuickPay) or Wells Fargo (Zelle) to payment@geotours.us or 310-686-8171 (GeoTours phone #). 2. Second payment of $500 is due on August 31 3. Final payment is due on November 1. If signing up after November 1 then full payment is due with registration. 4. Payments made after December 1 will be assessed a $50 late fee. 5. All payments should be sent to: GeoTours 1547 E. Puente Street Covina, CA 91724 PARTICIPANT INFORMATION (Please print clearly and use your precise name as it appears on your passport) SPECIAL DISCOUNTS! Register with deposit by March 15, receive a $50 discount Register March 16 May 31 and receive a $25 discount Register with a roommate and each of you gets $25 off GeoTours alumni receive an additional discount of $25 multiplied by the number of GeoTours trips they have done ($75 maximum alumni discount) First Name Last Name Gender: Address City, State Zip Are you a US citizen? Yes No, I am a citizen of Passport # Expiration Email Address Phone ( ) Date of Birth DO YOU WANT TO DO THE DANAKIL EXTENSION? +$890 YES NO DO YOU WANT TO DO THE SOUTH OMO EXTENSION? +$1290 YES NO ACCOMMODATION REQUEST The program price is based on double occupancy. If you sign up without a roommate we will try to match you with a roommate but this is not guaranteed. If available, a single room has a cost of +$300 for the main tour; +$150 for Danakil; +$150 for South Omo. Please check one: Sharing a Twin room (2 beds) Sharing a Double room (1 large bed) Single Room Name of preferred roommate (if any) EMERGENCY CONTACT Name Relationship Address City, State Zip Home Phone ( ) Cell ( ) Email Address _ Cancellations To cancel your participation in the tour, you must inform GeoTours in writing. Cancellation date is the day when GeoTours has received your written cancellation notice Date of Cancellation Cancellation Penalty (in addition to any non-recoverable costs already paid by GeoTours) On or before April 30, 2018 $100 Sept 1 October 31, 2018 $600 May 1 June 30, 2018 $200 Nov 1 December 31, 2018 $1000 July 1 August 31, 2018 $400 After January 1, 2019 No Refund Responsibility The program participant agrees that GeoTours LLC assumes no liability whatsoever for loss of property, injury, accident, illness, death, irregularity and delays during the duration of the tour. In addition, the program participant agrees to hold GeoTours LLC harmless for damage and delay due to equipment problems, quarantine, declared or undeclared war and insurrection, terrorist and criminal activity, revolt, civil disturbance, hostility, military action, strikes, labor unrest, any act of God or nature and for any act of any third party. The participant, by registering for this tour, agrees that GeoTours LLC is not responsible for delay, rerouting, omission and additional expense resulting from the passenger s improper travel documents such as passport, visa and health document. Any losses and expenses related to such circumstances are within the responsibility of the program participants and not of GeoTours LLC. GeoTours LLC is not responsible for acts of any government authority. GeoTours LLC reserves the right to adjust itinerary and contents and to substitute accommodation providers as deemed necessary. GeoTours LLC reserves the right to accept or decline any person as a program participant as well as to refuse to retain any participant s membership in the program. Participants that do not participate in an activity or entry, or who leave the tour early or arrive late, will not be entitled to any refund. By registering for this tour, the participant agrees to all such terms and conditions. I have carefully read and agree to the regulations above. Participant Signature Travel arrangements by GeoTours LLC, CST # 2099683-40; 1547 E. Puente Street, Covina, CA 91724; Phone: (310) 686-8171; Email: info@geotours.us; Website: www.geotours.us Date