PHOTO: In Gondar, the castle complex of Emperor Fasilidas, who reigned in Ethiopia from 1632 to 1667. (photo by David Cogswell)

Ethiopian Airlines is introducing a new tour package brand in North America called Ethiopian Holidays.

The brand is opening with a series of 10 package templates, which can be altered to suit the individual preferences of clients. The packages are of short duration to suit the short vacation times of American travelers. But they can also be stitched together to create longer itineraries.  

The Northern Historic Route is a five-night/six-day itinerary that visits the capital city of Addis Ababa. It travels to Bahar Dar, the site of the Blue Nile Falls, a cataract 150 feet high and more than 1,300 feet wide on the Blue Nile River, one of the main tributaries of the Nile in Egypt. It includes Gondar, the capital of Ethiopia under the reign of Emperor Fasilidas from 1632 to 1667, and the site of an impressive cluster of castles from that period.

It also visits Lalibela, the site of the so-called rock-hewn churches, 11 churches cut into the pink granite bedrock of Roha Mountain. Also included is a trip to Axum, the capital of the Axumite Kingdom. It is also the site of some of the world’s largest monoliths, and where the Ark of the Covenant is supposedly kept.   

Other programs include:

Addis Ababa and Lalibela, four nights/five days

Historic Route — Axum and Lalibela, five nights/six days

Historic Route — Gondar and Bahar Dar, four nights/five days

Historic Route and Exotic Harar, nine nights/10 days

Southern Peoples and Culture, nine nights/10 days

Ethiopia North and South Combined, 16 nights/17 days

Trekking — Semien Mountains, 10 nights/11 days

Trekking — Bale Mountains, six nights/seven days

Face the Fire — Ertale, eight nights/nine days

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