ETHIOPIA RECAP

The Cradle of Civilization

Welcome to Ethiopia , a country steeped in ancient history, vibrant traditions and breathtaking landscapes.Every step immersed me in journey through time. Y'all I legit cried so much and absorbed everything. I left feeling so full and grounded. Let's revisit the wonderful country of Ethiopia!

Budget, Price Breakdown etc:

7 DAYS

Flights -

Orlando - Chicago $70 (1way)
Chicago - Addis Abba $753
Chicago - Miami $108

Full trip through Melanin Globe $3220

(Solo room a shared room is $2510)

Spending Money - $250

VISA - $145

Total Cost - $4546

(booking through Melanin Globe is all inclusive, everything is included once you land in Ethiopia. No hotel holding fees or anything. All meals are included)

Now I always get to the city I'm flying out of the day before. Flight delays are imminent now a days but I got to Chicago without any problems. I booked a stay at the Holiday Inn by the airport. I didn't include that in the pricing because it's not required but it's something that I do! I enjoyed a night at the hotel restaurant and scheduled to be at the airport 3 hours early. I always do this for international flights. Yes I have CLEAR and TSA Pre-check....I'm still getting there early. Prepping for a 14 hour flight is easy for me. I wear compression socks, download any tv shows, take my iPad, books and everything in my carry on (see my other blog post packing list and mastering long flights ) ! I finished 2 books in the air and slept for 8 hours. Woke up fresh on Ethiopia time. Now be clear Ethiopia airlines were very snooty.That's the best way I can put it. I'll leave it at that. I won't be flying them again. Delta now has straight flight from Atlanta to ADD so I'll be going there! On to Day 1 !!!

We arrived in Addis Ababa at 10:30 am. Getting through customs was a pretty easy once we knew where to go. You do need a VISA to get into the country through SHERPA about 15 days before the trip. It was sent through email easy peasy. We got to get off the plane to get whisked away to breakfast and see the city a bit. Then it was back to the airport to head to Jinka. Landing in Jinka was magical right over the mountains. It was a national holy day so it felt like a celebration in the city. Lunch was curry goat and basmati rice with veggies..delicious! We headed to the first lodge later. As we rode through the streets it was breathtaking see everyone that looked like...me. It was beautiful The first lodge was Eco Omo Safari Lodge. It felt like a eco friendly glamping location.Full bathroom and shower included.(if you want to see a full room tour it's on my instagram page) It was quickly getting dark so after I unpacked I went for a quick dinner that was delicious at the lodge restaurant. Lemon chicken and vegetables. Everything is Whole Foods in Ethiopia and I LOVED IT. The roosters are up at 3AM!! Be warned lol.

Mago National Forest - Mursi Tribe

It was a long ride to get to the park but along the way we saw so many baboons and smaller animals. It was super entertaining to see the lush landscape.The Mursi people are a nomadic tribe that decorate their bodies with lip plates and tribal markings. They are breathtaking. We had a great time learning about their culture and how they live with the rainy season. They were all friendly.

We headed to our next lodging in Turmi. We stayed here for 2 days and the accommodations were amazing.Equipped with on site laundry service and a full restaurant. We were greeted with Mango welcome drinks. After I settled into my room (full tour is on my instagram) I headed down to the restaurant for dinner and right after I went to bed. PRO TIP - Take an Emergency-C everyday to keep your immune system up when you travel abroad.

Turmi - Daasanach Tribe

By far my favorite tribe. Be sure to slide through the gallery. A rich nomadic tribe I knew I wanted to learn how to braid from this tribe as it's one of the oldest in Ethiopia. They are mostly uncovered as you see in my pictures. We took a boat ride across the Omo River to get there and dipping your hand in that river was amazing. Grounding and submerging is a large part of travel for me. We danced with the kids and they played in my hair. It was the absolute best day. Make sure to slide through the pictures!

Turmi - Hamar Tribe

By far the coolest tribe we went to. I could have been there all day and we stayed until dark. Their personalities were so cool and they knew it. We got to see inside of their homes, had a tea ceremony and just hung out and talked. The feeling I had here was like hanging out with my cousins. It was amazing. It was a short ride to get to this tribe from our lodge and I wanted to go back after dinner I had so much fun.

Konzo - Konzo Tribe

We left Turmi to head to the mountains of Konzo and it was breathtaking. Now I don't take pictures from the car because it doesn't do it justice but I took some at the top of the mountains. It looked like the rolling hills of rice fields in China. The people that live in this area live on mountain sides and use gravity to help with farming. It is so gorgeous you have to see it. We visited the Konzo tribe who have been in the area for generations.They live on different levels in the mountains. The higher up the mountain the older the families that lived there. It's over 6000 people that live in their village. The lodge we stayed at in this area gave a beautiful view from the top of the mountains and the food was some of my favorite. We stayed here for 1 night and headed to our last location. FUN FACT - Mancala was started in Africa !

Arba Minch - Dorze People

This was the first actual hotel we stayed at and it was perfect! Monkeys were outside often, full showers and balconies with 2 restaurants inside and spa! We got to spend the day walking around Area Minch which reminded me of Atlanta. Bustling businesses and everyone hanging out. We walked the forests, visited the natural springs, went to Crocodile Island and then headed up the mountain to the Dorze people. This tribe felt like going to my grandmas house! They clothed me, fed me, gave me shots and gave me a Dorze name. I had the absolute best time, we danced, spun cotton and laughed. I didn't want to leave. We stayed until it was dark with promises to come back. I definitely am! After that we ate dinner at the bar and headed to sleep...have I said how good everything was ???? It was delicious! We woke up the next morning ate breakfast and headed to the airport to go back to Addis.

Addis Ababa - Lucy

I booked a full city tour solo! They picked me up from the airport and we went to the top of the city first Entonto Mountain and then to the Ethiopia National Museum where Lucy is kept! She is the closest Skelton to Homo sapiens that they have found. She's the oldest bones found on the entire planet. It was amazing to see. The entire museum was love. I then headed to the largest church and bought some Ethiopian bibles to bring back I spent the rest of the day relaxing at the airport until it was time to fly back home.

In the end ....

I am going back. That's how much I loved it. I had the best time and it felt like home. There is so much more I want to do! Ill be going back next year with Melanin Globe again in July. If you want to go I hope you guys sign up on their website. If you read all of this .....yay! - Dee