Addis Ababa half-day city tour

Route: Addis Ababa City

You will start your city tour of Addis Ababa with the National Museum of Ethiopia. This is one of the best museums in the country. Archeological exhibits include the 3.2-million-year-old fossil of Lucy (or Dinkinesh, “thou art wonderful” in the native language), a hominoid woman of the species 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 the pre-Axumite civilization.

City tour of Addis Ababa continues with the visit to Mercato, the largest open-air market in Africa, where almost every possible commodity is on sale. Then we visit the St. George Cathedral, one of the oldest cathedrals in Addis Ababa.

Finally, we will drive uphill to Entoto, which once was Emperor Menelik II’s permanent camp. As we drive up the hill, you will notice a considerable drop in altitude, and the air is filled with the scent of the Eucalyptus trees that cover the area. From the top, there is a panoramic view of the capital and surrounding countryside. After spending some time on top of the hill, we will drive back to the hotel. End of tour.