You will start your Addis Ababa tour with the National Museum of Ethiopia. This is one of the best museums in the quality and diversity of exhibits. Archeological exhibits include the 3.5 million-year-old fossil of Lucy (or Dinkinesh thou art wonderful- in the native language), a hominoid woman of the specious of Australopithecus Afarensis. The discovery of Lucys fossil in 1974 forced a complete rethink of human genealogy, providing that our ancestors were walking 2.5 million years earlier than had been supposed. The National Museum also contains many wonderful artifacts dating back to pre-Axumite civilization.
We continue our city tour of Addis Ababa with visit to the Ethnographic Museum which is found inside the compound of the Addis Ababa University. This museum is very different to the National Museum, but equally absorbing, this museum exhibit, a varied array of artifacts and daily objects related to most ethnic groups living in Ethiopia.
Afternoon Merkato - Holy trinity Cathedral - Entoto HillAfter lunch, Addis Ababa tour continues with the visit to Shola market, an open-air market, where almost every possible commodity is on sale.
Finally, we will drive uphill to Entoto, which once was Emperor Minilik IIs permanent camp. Driving the hill there is a considerable drop in altitude and the air is filled with the scent of the Eucalyptus trees which cover the area.From the top, there is a panoramic view of the capital and surrounding countryside. After spending some time around the hill, we will drive back to the hotel. End of tour!Addis Ababa city tour is one of the most comprehensive ideal for short one-day visits to Ethiopia. If you wish to extend your travel in Ethiopia try out Afro-Ethiopia tour.
Full Day Addis Ababa City Tour Pick Up And Drop Off Included
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Tour Information
Key Details
- Mobile Voucher Accepted
- Hotel pickup Available
- Duration: 8 Hrs
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Language:
English
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Departure Time :
Standard departure 9am. Later departure time is possible depending on your schedule and our availability.
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Return Details :
• Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required • Minimum drinking age in Ethiopia is 18 years old • Not recommended for children aged 15 and under • Dependin.. read more
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Cancellation Policy : This activity is non-refundable Tours booked using discount coupon codes will be non refundable.
Overview
Our full-day Addis Ababa city tour includes the National Museum, where Lucy's fossil is located, Merkato the biggest open-air market in Africa, Holy Trinity Cathedral, and the view of Addis Ababa city from Mount Entoto. In Entoto park, those who can't visit Lalibela, will experience the Virtual Reality version of ancient Rock Hewn churches in just 20 minute 3D tour. It is ideal for a stop over tourists, or layovers.The tour includes transportation of chosen standards and admission fees to visited places. Pick-up and drop-off from the hotel are also included. The itinerary can be customized as per the client's needs.
We believe in giving equal opportunity and hence we will assign female tour guides on this tour.
Know More about this tour
Itinerary:
You will start your Addis Ababa tour with the National Museum of Ethiopia. This is one of the best museums in the quality and diversity of exhibits. Archeological exhibits include the 3.5 million-year-old fossil of Lucy (or Dinkinesh – ‘thou art wonderful’- in the native language), a hominoid woman of the specious of Australopithecus Afarensis. The discovery of Lucy’s fossil in 1974 forced a complete rethink of human genealogy, providing that our ancestors were walking 2.5 million years earlier than had been supposed. The National Museum also contains many wonderful artifacts dating back to pre-Axumite civilization.
We continue our city tour of Addis Ababa with visit to the Ethnographic Museum which is found inside the compound of the Addis Ababa University. This museum is very different to the National Museum, but equally absorbing, this museum exhibit, a varied array of artifacts and daily objects related to most ethnic groups living in Ethiopia.
Afternoon Merkato - Holy trinity Cathedral - Entoto Hill After lunch, Addis Ababa tour continues with the visit to Shola market, an open-air market, where almost every possible commodity is on sale.
Finally, we will drive uphill to Entoto, which once was Emperor Minilik II’s permanent camp. Driving the hill there is a considerable drop in altitude and the air is filled with the scent of the Eucalyptus trees which cover the area. From the top, there is a panoramic view of the capital and surrounding countryside. After spending some time around the hill, we will drive back to the hotel. End of tour! Addis Ababa city tour is one of the most comprehensive ideal for short one-day visits to Ethiopia. If you wish to extend your travel in Ethiopia try out Afro-Ethiopia tour.
Inclusions
- Professional local guide
- Standard option: Private Vehicle
- Round-trip private pick up/ drop off from hotel/ airport (between 8am and 6pm)
- Lunch
- Standard/ Budget Option: Transportation by private vehicle or public minibus transportation
Exclusions
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase) other than honey wine tasting
- Gratuities
- Visa
Additional Info
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Minimum drinking age in Ethiopia is 18 years old
Not recommended for children aged 15 and under
Depending on your choice and ability, around 1- 2.5 km of walking is involved
A maximum of 12 people per booking
Traveler Reviews
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This tour was exactly what I was looking for. Not only did my tour guide Teddy make sure to take me to all the main sites in Addis, but he made an engaging and illustrative job of providing context for what he was showing me. We started with the National Museum of Ethiopia, where I thought the highlight would be the famous Lucy fossil, but Teddy’s careful explanations of the art pieces and historical and cultural artifacts proved even more interesting. After this, we went to the Ethnological Museum on the Addis Ababa University campus, also interesting but with quite a lot of overlap. We had an authentic Ethiopian lunch followed by coffee at Taitu Hotel, Ethiopia’s oldest hotel. The break was leisurely and relaxing, and Teddy took the time to answer all of my questions about Ethiopian politics and the problems and concerns facing the country today. After this, Teddy asked me if I wanted to see a live lion! How could I refuse? We went to a zoo/park where there were several lions and a small collection of other animals. Then we finished the day with a trip to the Merkato, Addis’s giant chaotic market district. The whole day we traveled by taxi-bus, the preferred method of locals. There was also enough walking to give me a chance to really see the city. Between that and the lunch and the conversations, Teddy did an excellent job of providing a comprehensive experience of Addis. I recommend him to anyone visiting the city.
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During my layover in Addis Ababa, I went on a private city tour with my guide, Emmanuel. The day was well-planned and he knew a lot about the history and culture of the city. Emmanuel spoke great English and was happy to adjust the tour to my liking. The tour may only be a few hours long, but you get to see a lot during that time and have the chance to learn many new things about Addis and Ethiopia. I would recommend selecting the private vehicle option over public transport. The only downside is the sneaky hidden costs - Emmanuel charged me an additional 50USD at the end of the trip. If I knew I had to pay this, I would have chosen a different tour.
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We had a great one day tour in Addis Ababa with our guide Emmanuel. We had just 15 hours in Addis, but with Emmanuel and his driver we manage to see the highlights of the city. This included a walk at Merkato Marked wich was a memory for life. Addis is a friendly city we would like to visit again. We can highly recommend Afro Ethiopian Tour when visiting Addis.
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I booked the tour online before arrival. My guide Terry was excellent - well informed and prepared to adjust the tour to my liking. I highly recommend this company.
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Addis Ababa is a city of tremendous history, intensity and contrast. Our guide Teddy was amazing, well spoken and had a depth of understanding for his home city that made us learn and experience more in a day with him than we might have done with a month of reading prior and a week of trying to explore this dizzying city. My wife and I are from South Africa, so we are perhaps more 'Africa ready' then some others from outside our continent, but I can't imagine there is a safer way to explore the city for a day or on layover. Addis is clearly undergoing a revolution of construction - that being said it has an amazing set of sights to see and explore. Getting to spend the day with Teddy who is so passionate about his country was the highlight to be honest. Seeing the museums and cathedrals and landmarks was great, but the opportunity to get to know some and the openness of the conversation not just about Ethiopia but also our home was for me a great example of what makes travel so rewarding. Addis is a fascinating city, that definitely needs a guide if you are boxed for time, and/or if you don't want to have to figure out what is quite a different culture for anyone coming from a Western background.
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Emmanuel spoke great English, he took us around and showed us the big sights and many hidden gems. We would not have seen everything we did without his help. We learned so much about the country's history and human history. The city is confusing, congested, noisy and if you don't speak the language it would be easy to get lost or confused. I would recommend this service to anyone visiting the city.
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I had a day layover in Addis and Booked the tour in advance. The customer service was great, responded promptly and gave all necessary details enough not to be lost and worried. Emanuel, the Tour guide, very cheerful, a friendly gentleman was on time at the pickup area as indicated in the e-mail. I am interested in History and the Guide was up to scratch with his history and cultural knowledge of Ethiopia. We had a wonderful lunch with Ethiopia traditional dishes. Even though we had indicated at booking what we wanted to see, Emanuel confirmed with us our expectations before the tour, this is the best a tour guide can do for day tour where there is much to see.
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I booked a tour in advance, and despite some miscommunication in the morning (make sure you coordinate what time, who, where they will pick you up); the tour ended up being a very good investment of time and money. Not only my tour guide (Emmanuel) was knowledgeable and his English very sufficient, but he also knew how to communicate and got right away what I would be interested on. Totally recommended. Diego (from South America).
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I did a day trip with Emanuel and I am glad that I did. He arrived at my hotel on time, asked me what were the key things I wanted to see and suggested some additional things on top of that. He was very knowledgeable of the history of the places we visited and I had more than the standard tourist guide book explanations. Given the time I had it was well spent and I definitely recommend this to anyone who has limited time but wants to see as much as possible of the city
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I only had a few hours in Addis at the end of my trip so wanted to make the most of it with a tour. Meklit was an exceptional guide - she was so knowledgeable and friendly and I felt like we captured the essence of Addis in the short time we had. It was like exploring Addis with a friend! HIGHLY recommend this!!!!!
