Ethiopia is unlike anywhere else on the planet, a beautiful country blessed with a peerless history, fabulous wildlife, and some of Africa’s most soulful people.
We made a brief stop to visit the Arbore tribe, who live in an area with a hot, arid climate, bordering the Woyto River in the southwest Omo Valley of Ethiopia, near Lake Chew Bahir. They are pastoralists, primarily known for their livestock, and their name translates to “Land of...
Early in the morning, we set off on an off-road drive from Turmi to Konso, following a rough gravel road with most sections under construction. We followed the dry Weyto River through the Weyto Valley, which is part of the Rift Valley. The river is prone to seasonal flooding and flows...
In the late afternoon, we visited the friendly village of the Hamer tribe, just a few kilometres outside Turmi. It’s an Omotic ethnic group living in the Omo Valley of southwestern Ethiopia. They are primarily semi-nomadic pastoralists and are known for their distinct cultural...
Our next stop was the Nyangatom tribe, also known as the Bumé or Donyiro. This tribe is a Nilotic agro-pastoralist group that lives in the border regions of southwestern Ethiopia, southeastern South Sudan, and the Ilemi Triangle (🎟️500 ETB, 📷500 ETB, guide 1000 ETB), recent figures...
We drove back towards Omorate to visit the Karo tribe living on the banks of the Omo River (🎟️500 ETB, 📷500 ETB, guide 1000 ETB). The Karo tribe is an indigenous ethnic group of about 3,000 people in southwestern Ethiopia, known for their elaborate body and face painting and scarification...
In the late afternoon, we joined the famous Hamer ceremony (🎟️ 2,000 ETB, local guide 1,000 ETB) at the usual place, just a few kilometres behind Turmi. The “Hamer bull jump” is a rite of passage for young men in the Hamer tribe of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, where they must...
On our way back to the Hamer tribe, we stopped at Turmi to visit the lively market, a weekly gathering of the Hamer people in southwestern Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. It is known for its vibrant atmosphere, social significance, and traditional trade. During the market, which typically...
It took us about 2 hours to get from Turmi to Omorate. The first thing we did after arrival was to obtain a permit from the Immigration office to enter the area and interact with the tribe. We woke up the officer, who was sleeping on a mattress outside the office, showed him our...
Very late in the afternoon, just a few minutes before the heavy storm, we made it to Dimeka market. We arranged a local guide (800 ETB) and rushed to a lively and vibrant market in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. It is known for the weekly gathering of the Hamer people (photo / 50 ETB) and...
Our last visit today, with our guide (1,000 ETB) from Key Afer, was to the village of the Banna tribe (1,000 ETB). The Banna (or Benna) are an ethnic group in Ethiopia’s Southern Omo Valley region, known for their semi-nomadic lifestyle, distinctive traditions, and close...