Sample journey · በዓል
The Calendar Weekend
- Length
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Highest point
- 2,355 m
- Season
- Meskel (late Sept), Genna (7 Jan), Timkat (mid Jan)
- Group
- Private · 2 to 8 guests
- Price
- On request, per person
01 · The journey
Addis Ababa timed to one of the great feasts, with the museums, Merkato and an Ethio-jazz night around it. Read our note on crowds first.
This is a starting shape, not a fixed tour: every trip is private and we change the order, the pace and the stays to suit you. No flights inside Ethiopia.
02 · Day by day
5 days, 0 flights
- Day 12,355 m
Arrive in Addis
Arrive, settle in, and a dinner of fasting dishes or meat depending on where the calendar falls.
- Day 22,355 m
Museums and Merkato
Lucy at the National Museum, the Ethnological Museum at the old palace, then Merkato with a guide who works there.
- Day 32,355 m
The eve
For Meskel, the demera bonfire; for Timkat, the tabots going down to the water; for Genna, the night liturgy. We choose a vantage point away from the densest crowds.
- Day 42,355 m
The feast
The morning of the feast, then lunch at home with a family, and Ethio-jazz in the evening.
- Day 52,355 m
Depart
A slow morning and the airport.
03 · The route
On the map
Dotted lines are flights; solid lines are drives. Every stop is outside the zones where the UK Foreign Office advises against travel, and the site's build refuses any journey that isn't.
04 · Dates
Choose your own dates, or plan around a feast
Best season: Meskel (late Sept), Genna (7 Jan), Timkat (mid Jan). These are the next feasts and fasts in the Ethiopian calendar.
| Feast | Gregorian | Ethiopian | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genna (Christmas) ገና | 7 January 2027 | Tahsas 29, 2019 | Ethiopian Christmas, 7 January. An all-night liturgy, then the fast is broken. |
| Timkat (Epiphany) ጥምቀት | 19 January 2027 | Tir 11, 2019 | Tir 11. The tabots are carried to water on the eve (Ketera); blessings and processions the next morning. |
| Abiy Tsom (Lent) ዐቢይ ጾም | 8 March 2027 – 1 May 2027 | Yekatit 29, 2019 | The 55-day Lenten fast before Fasika. Most Orthodox Ethiopians eat vegan food until afternoon; menus follow. |
| Eid al-Fitr ዒድ አል ፈጥር | 9 March 2027 (approx.) | Yekatit 30, 2019 | The end of Ramadan, a major day in Harar and Dire Dawa. Tabular date shown: the real day follows the moon. |
| Fasika (Easter) ፋሲካ | 2 May 2027 | Miyazya 24, 2019 | Orthodox Easter ends the 55-day Lenten fast. Expect closures on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. |
| Enkutatash (New Year) እንቁጣጣሽ | 12 September 2027 | Meskerem 1, 2020 | New Year, Meskerem 1. Families gather, girls sing door to door with adey daisies. |
| Meskel መስቀል | 28 September 2027 | Meskerem 17, 2020 | The Finding of the True Cross, Meskerem 17. The demera bonfire is lit in Meskel Square, Addis, on the eve. |
Before you write
Before you book
Can we change the route?
Yes. Add nights, drop a stop, or join two journeys. We only add places that are outside the advised-against zones on the day we quote.
What happens if the advice changes before we go?
We re-check the FCDO and US advice before we confirm and again before you travel. If a place on your route moves into an advised-against zone, we change the route or postpone, and our booking terms say how deposits are handled. Ask for them before you book.
Where do we stay?
In the best rooms each place offers, which outside Addis is often simple. Our stays page explains the standard honestly.
Next journey
Walls and Wolves