Overview
** OMO VALLEY, ETHIOPIA **
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If you’re planning to visit the tribes of Omo Valley, you may want to hire a guide. You can preplan a trip with a guide or fly into Jinka or Abraminch (there are ppl offering guided tours).
There are over ten different tribes to visit. Each tribe had a separate guide that will take you through the village, teach you the history of the ppl, and answer any questions you have. It cost about 100-200 birr ($3-6) for photos. By the time the tour is done the ppl are setting up shop so be ready for some haggling.
The Tourist Hotels have the very basics (a bed with mosquito netting and a bathroom with cold water). My daughter and I were not allowed to get one bedroom occupancy, we had to get two beds.
The restaurants tend to have a variety of food choices but some you get what they have.
An absolute must…traditional Ethiopian coffee.
We visited the Dasanache market. The prices here for souvenirs are less expensive than in the markets. Research which tribes/villages you want to visit. If you want to visit them all, plan for a 10+ day trip.
Omo Valley – aka Tribal Land! Have you ever seen the images of tribes in Africa where the women stretch their lips and insert clay plates, or paint their faces and body? Or hear of tribes that speak only in ‘Click?’ The Omo Valley is located in Southern Ethiopia, borders Sudan and Kenya, and is home to 8 different tribe who are guaranteed to leave you breathless. I flew into Addis Ababa and then took a short commercial flight to Jinka. I spent 7 days in the Omo Valley with a local tour guide who took me all around the area, visiting 7 different tribes. The guide grew up in the Hamar Tribe and was familiar with every tribe and it’s villages. He took me past the tourist villages and into his family and friends village for a more genuine and authentic experience. I slept in tents (and hotels) right alongside huts in the village throughout the week and had (cold) bottled water everyday. It is EXTREMELY hot in Omo so the cold water was so necessary! I was able to witness tribal ceremonies such as Bull Jumping and was invited into local huts in each tribe. The tribal people were so welcoming and inviting and at times seemed more interested in me than I was in them! The price for the week included everything – lodging, food, water everyday, transport from village to village. The only time I spent money was buying something at the market or for taking someone’s picture (a respectful gesture there). I highly recommend this trip for anyone who is fascinated and interested in culture! For pictures on the trip – check out http://www.frankiesflight.com (solo section-ethiopia)
Tribes Visited: Hamar, Bana, Dassenech, Arbore, Nyangtom, Mursi, and Kara
Guide – Ayeto Tesfaye – facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ayeto.tesfaye