5-Day Ethiopia Heritage Tour with Lalibela and Lake Tana

• Early in the morning, arrive at the domestic terminal of Addis Ababa Bole Airport, check in, and fly to Bahir Dar. Upon arrival, transfer directly to your hotel.

• After breakfast, take a boat trip on Lake Tana and visit two of the most accessible and representative monasteries, both with very beautiful wall paintings from medieval times that still serve their original function: Ura Kidane Mehret and Azwa Maryam.

• Ride back to Bahir Dar. On the way, see the outlet of the famous Blue Nile, the longest river in the world, as it departs from the lake.

Break for lunch.

• In the afternoon, drive to the Blue Nile Falls. The amount of water in the falls depends on the rain, but the drive and the walk themselves are great and enjoyable.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

• After breakfast, drive to Gondar (180 km) for a tour of this city known as the "Camelot of Africa," settled in the foothills of the breathtaking Semien Mountains National Park in the northwestern part of the country. It was the 17th- and 18th-century capital city of Ethiopia. It was founded by Emperor Fasiladas (1632-1667) and was home to a number of emperors, warlords, courtiers and kings who built several castles and palaces around the area.

• Visit the oldest and most impressive Gondarine structure, the magnificent castle compound, including the two-storied palace of Emperor Fasiladas, built of roughly hewn brown basalt stone held together with mortar. Also visit the fantastically decorated Debre Brehan Selassie Church (Light of Trinity), the bath of King Fasiladas - now used as a baptismal place during Ethiopian Epiphany on January 19 - and the ruined palace of Queen Mintiwab at Qusquam, where the Scottish explorer James Bruce used to stay.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

• Early in the morning after breakfast, transfer to the airport for a flight farther north to the oldest city in Ethiopia, Axum.

• Take an eight-kilometre drive into town and check in at your hotel.

• Start exploring Axum, the cradle of Ethiopian culture and Christianity, and the first capital of Ethiopia until the 9th century A.D. On this day, visit the small but rich archaeological museum and the famous Stele Park, where magnificent single blocks of stone have stood since the 3rd century. You will also visit Saint Mary of Zion Cathedral, where the original Holy Ark of the Covenant is still sheltered; however, except for one guardian priest, no one is allowed to enter the sanctuary where the ark remains.

• Continue your visit with the subterranean tomb of King Kaleb and his son King Gebremeskel from the 6th century A.D., the trilingual inscription of King Ezana, and finally the ruined palace and bath of the Queen of Sheba, who was the mother of King Menilik I in 950 B.C.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

• After breakfast, transfer to the airport to fly to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lalibela - the Jerusalem of Ethiopia - in a fitting finale to your Ethiopian adventure.

• Explore the first group of monolithic red-tuff churches, incredibly carved into the rock. Your Ethiopian tour guide will lead you through the network of crevices and tunnels linking each of the churches. The churches are still in use today.

• Finally, walk down a narrow path to the separately standing, uncovered and beautiful Saint George's Church. Step inside and you may see a robed priest going about his timeless business.

• Late in the afternoon, drive back to your hotel.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

• Early in the morning after breakfast, make a quick visit to the eastern (second) group of rock churches, which are comparatively smaller in size. These are no less impressive, with intricate carvings and many dark tunnels to explore.

• Transfer to the airport to fly back to Addis Ababa.

• Upon arrival, enjoy more free time for shopping.

• In the evening, head to a farewell cultural dinner party at one of the traditional Ethiopian restaurants, with dances from different ethnic groups.

• Transfer to the airport for your departure.