Ethiopia Tours in January 2026

Ethiopia is not like any other African country. It is Orthodox Christian by choice not conversion and had no colonial period. It's modern economic development is astonishing with people being lifted out of poverty before your eyes. It is still strange and erratic at times - they turn off the internet from time to time - but the scenery is astonishing and the people generally welcoming and pleased to meet you, even if the children have all figured out that tourists mean rich pickings.

I would recommend this trip to any traveller who isn't too bothered by home comforts. Hot water, reliable electricity and WiFi were optional extras at times. The Ethiopian people don't have a lot of material things but what they have they are willing to share. It was a real eye opener and is making me re-think how I live. I'm really glad I went there.

Sue Guthries love for Ethiopia is obvious in her whole attitude and interaction with the people. She does far more than we normally expect of a guide. We were lucky to have had her. Thank you, tour operator.

I very much enjoy exploring Ethiopia with Dragoman. It was a well paced trip with various activities and opportunities to explore places on your own. Ethiopia is not the easiest place to get things done, and our leader and driver went above and beyond to make sure we got what we paid for and set the expectations. The trip offered various diverse experiences from the Semien mountains to the Dunakhil depression, to exploring the religious sites of Lalibela and history f ancient civilizations of Gondar and Axum. Hard to choose a favorite, but if I must, it would be the Dunakhil Depression. A place unlike I have ever visited before.

I had wanted to visit the Simien mountains for a long time and would highly recommend this trip. There is a good balance between cultural activities (in Addis Ababa, Axum and Lalibella) and trekking. Do not under-estimate the trekking. It proved far more tiring than I expected. However, we were constantly rewarded with the views. The mountains are unlike anything I've seen before - think Grand Canyon and Monument Valley all rolled in to one big range, but greener.

This was a busy and varied trip through northern Ethiopia. I had a great time and met lots of friendly, interesting and kind people. We bonded as a group and with our guide, which made it really special.The Simien Mountains are stunning and we got to see them from the national park, during the long drives and on the mule trek and climb up to a church in Lalibela. Our guide let us stop frequently on the long drives to take pictures, which broke up the journey and made it interesting.The unique paintings in the monastery churches in Lake Tana were breathtaking when we first saw them and the rock hewn churches in Lalibela were a true wonder.When we were there, the Ethiopians celebrated their Christmas and we experienced the pilgrimage that thousands of people make to Lalibela for the Christmas Day service. On Christmas Eve, we went up to the church in the Simiens by mule and on foot, which was dangerous and crowded coming down, but which was an amazing and unforgettable experience. We managed because of paid helpers who were mostly young lads trying to earn money for their education and I did not begrudge this at all. Also, the Ethiopians were kind, understanding and allowed us to pass safely, amazed that foreigners were there at all.In the evening, at 10 pm, some of us went to the rock hewn church of St Mary and joined thousands of pilgrims who were spending the night there, some holding candle wicks and watching the night time service. It was really atmospheric. Thankfully, we went back to the hotel to sleep. Others got up at 7 amto make it to the Christmas Day service itself and were seen in the crowd on Ethiopian tv!The accommodation was varied, some ok and some below standard. The wifi is unreliable and weak, even if the hotels say that it is available. The functionality of the plumbing, general cleanliness and availability of hot water is varied amongst all the hotels where we stayed and were the main problems. The availability of clean and functional toilets outside the hotels during the day was sparse. Be prepared to tolerate all of this when you go on this trip.