アディスアベバからデブレ・リバノスとポルトガル橋への日帰り旅行

Just dreadful. For various reasons we spent 2 hours going nowhere and it seemed unlikely that we would ever get where we had hoped to go. Eventually we said we wanted to back to the hotel where we asked, through Viator, for a refund which was agreed to. The only positive out of the day was very good service by Viator.

Debre Libanos is a holy and historical monastery of orthodox back to many centuries. You will be received and welcomed by a lovely priest guide who speaks English very well and takes in a beautiful and informative history journey. Also, he will take you after to the museum next door. The Portuguese Bridge is not worth travelling as it's too far and nothing interesting and difficult to walk to it, just a little bridge. Only the view is beautiful among mountains. This trip takes 6 hours just on the road, so It is worth visiting only if you have much time in Ethiopia or it's ok to spend much time on the road. If you have other options, go on a real trip like Safari or Cultural to see authentic Ethiopia.

I've travelled with this company twice before. Communication was flawless and the organization went absolutely according to plan. Biruk is an experienced guide and Thomas an excellent driver. I am very satisfied and can recommend the two without restriction

The scenery during the drive itself, makes the trip worthwhile. Let alone the destinations. The guides are knowledgeable.

Avoid Ethio Tours!! This one of two tours we booked with Ethio Tours(ET) via Viator, was a major disappointment of our expensive vacation. ET never showed up to pick us up from our hotel. We had to chase them with Viator’s help to get a response. We were then handed to three different drivers before our tour started, three hours late from the start time. We opted to cut the tour short before it was late in the day due to security concerns. Ethio Tours might be a major tour provider and had reputable past but it should not be in this business. Avoid!!!

I had a great experience. I saw the beautiful countryside of Ethiopia. Special thanks to my guide Gebru. His English is great and he made me feel very welcome. Also thanks to driver Tomas!

The pick up and drop off was very convenient. We left the hotel early morning to experience the best time and light in the monastery. It was a private trip with a guide and a driver. The guide spoke well English and was explaining everything, even about his personal life. He was truly carying and it made this trip very special. I even had a spiritual experience in the monastery, including drinking a holy water. What made me choose this trip was price, because many other trips were way overpriced. This one was reasonable and worth it :)

It was wholesome for me to see the countryside of Ethiopia. I got picked up in the hotel in the morning and we had a scenic drive to the monastery. It was very interesting, ladies have to cover up their hair, if you don’t have a scarf they sell one to you. The architecture and the stained glass that carries history was amazing!!! There were also a few rules to determine if you can enter the monastery. And we went to the Portuguese brigde. It was low season so the waterfall didn’t have much water but the views are to die for! So gorgeous. Had lunch at a local place and came back to the hotel. I was well taken care of by Tomas and Gabru.

I have just returned from a 2-week trip to Ethiopia, a country that has long been on my list of must-see places. Eskinder Hailu of Highway Tours has made this dream a reality. As a long-term professional tour operator, he planned the perfect trip, taking into account my own travel preferences (and age) and his intimate knowledge of the country and what it has to offer. The trip included a complete tour of the vibrant capital, Addis Ababa, followed by a a fascinating excursion to the South Omo Valley. The driver to the Omo Valley region, Bereket, was an expert at rough-road driving, as well as knowledgable about the tribes we were to visit, so the fit was good and we shared many a good laugh. The guides witihin the tribes were experienced and I was relieved that the various tribes seemed happy to share their daily lives with us (and yes of course, they were also happy to receive the tourist dollars for the purchase of their various articles on sale). What a pleasure it was to visit with the Konso terraced agriculture plots, to see the Dorze young weavers and to down a timble of honey liquor, or to watch the Bena boys on stilts prancing around, to have my face painted as a lion by the Karo. It was a thrill and honour to watch a young Hamer tribe man run on the back of several bull cows as a test of his manhood, or to watch a Mursi woman insert lip and ear plates to show that she was a desirable wife. Dorze, Karo, Bena, Ari, Hamer, and Mursi tribes, each with its own special qualities and character. While their own huts were of make-shift bamboo or grass, Eskinder ensured that all my lodgings in the area were excellent. The return trip to Addis Ababa was a stopover where I took a a short flight to Lalibela in the north to visit the rock churches. Two days was sufficient to go through the various churches and to marvel at the archectural ingenuity and genius of King Lalibela. Again, the driver and guide were top quality, friendly, well-informed, with perfect English. Eskinder continued his insistence on providing top quality hotels and Lalibelea was no exception. At the conclusion of this unforgetable trip, thanks to asute planning by Eskinder I was able to attend the Meskel Fesival in Addis Ababa, a choral celebration of church choirs in search of the lost cross. This was a mass expression of Ethiopian people's religious belief and devotion. The trip to Ethiopia was magnificent. Eskinder deserves 5 stars for his attention to detail, to his knowledge of what is the most interesting places to visit, to his organisational skills in making sure that everything flows smoothly and that the visitor has only to sit back and bask in the wonders of this beautiful, often mis-understood paradise. I owe a huge debt to Eskinder for never giving up on my wish to visit Ethiopia and his belief that I would eventually make it. So at 81 years old, that wish has finally been realised. For all of you who wish to "walk on a road less travelled", or "walk on the wild side" (sorry two poor puns), Ethiopia is just waiting to welcome you, to astonish you and to take a piece of your heart. I honestly recommend Eskinder Hailu of Highway Tours as the person most likely to create a custom-made visit to his country that will rate as one of the most astonishing places you have ever visited.

Yeab was a spectacular tour guide and our driver was excellent. They made the day very special and I would strongly recommend them and the tour. The sights on the tour were remarkable and well worth the drive. 5 stars!!!