I had a last minute opportunity to go to Ethiopia for visiting Mamaru produced a great itinerary for myself and my mother. There was no way I could have coordinated such a wonderful trip. All our guides were local people with a great love and knowledge of their areas. Importantly Mamaru Ethiopian Tours were the only tour guide who correctly advised me that one area was too insecure to visit. I really appreciated this.

My daughter and I spent a week in the Omo Valley in December. We chose Mamaru on the basis of TripAdvisor reviews. It was an extraordinary trip in a magical place. We visited seven tribes and each experience was wildly different. As others have noted, some visits are highly transactional—tourists are a commercial opportunity for these tribes and you will be hounded for photo money (Mursi, Dassanach, Karo). Other visits are curated—you will have a thoughtful guide with a rich explanation of history and culture (Dorze, Konso). Others are more immersive (Banna, Hamer). Our night in a Banna compound was transcendent. Overall, we saw many sights and heard many stories that called us to think deeply about our own cultural assumptions and cultural sensitivity in a global world. 

While the tribes may be the reason for going to Omo, you’ll spend most of your time bouncing on rough roads—and sitting at coffee stalls and local cafes—with your guide and driver. We had a great time with and would highly recommend Mamaru and his awesome driver, Mike. We felt safe and cared for at every step. Mamaru and Mike are great friends, and their ease with each other was contagious. We were soon all joking and laughing together. Together, they know EVERYONE in Omo, so we were wrapped into friendship everywhere we went. 

A few practical notes: Mamaru’s fee is all-inclusive. He handled all arrangements and transactions discretely and efficiently. This made for stress-free travel. We camped two nights and stayed in lodges or modest hotels, all just fine. We ate locally and deliciously. There was plenty of everything we needed whenever we needed it—especially water. (Don’t be shy about asking for bush toilet stops. Much better than the alternatives.) Mamaru is a great arranger, so if you have a specific desire (a tribe or an event), be sure to discuss your expectations at the beginning of the trip. If he can, he will make it happen. I would also suggest that, each evening, you lay out the plan for the next day. It will change, of course, but that’s part of the grand adventure. Last, every guide and driver we met seemed competent and courteous. However, if you choose Mamaru and have the good luck of getting Mike the driver, you’ll have the ace team!

This January we were three of us in Ethiopia. One of our objectives was to Omo Valley. I would like to share practical information, useful to people going in those areas. This is an extraordinary opportunity to meet some of the more remote ethnic groups of the fascinatingly diverse areas surrounding the Omo Valley in South Ethiopia. While the Omo Valley is an area which has been on the “tourist radar” for several years,Our expedition would not have been successful without our local guide and will organiser: Mamaru Endris he is originally from southern part of Ethiopia one of the tribes he been working for a years guiding and organising the South Omo Valley tour. he took us to less touristy places. We were able to have genuine interactions with local communities and learn about different cultures, People claim that anyone can visit Omo Valley and get a special service of Mamaru I highly recommend him. It's amazing traveling with him, In this fascinating region we aim to learn about the varied ethnic groups who inhabit the region - from the Mursi, renowned for their lip-plates, the Konso famous for their terraced farming to the Hamer and Banna famous for their bull jumping coming of age ceremony, and more tribes like Ari, Dassenech, Kara and visited 3 different markets of different tribes. This is a unique itinerary in an unforgettable part of the world.

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