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Ethiopia's Meskel Festival

Duration
10 days
Price from
$4,301 pp.
Location
Ethiopia, Africa
Meskel Best

Trip Highlights

  • Experience Meskel Festival in Addis Ababa
  • See the Simien Mountains
  • Discover Lake Tana’s island monasteries

What's Included

  • Access to Meskel Festival celebrations
  • Guided tours
  • Domestic flights for seamless travel
History, Mountains, Wildlife and the Meskel Festivities

Enjoy Ethiopia's famed Historical Highlights and attend Meskel

This tour was not able to take place in 2025/26 due to the political unrest in the northern part of Ethiopia.

If the situation improves during 2025 we do intend to run all our Ethiopia small group tours, so please call or email to office if you’d like to register your interest.

This small-group set departure tour departs in September 2025 and includes both Ethiopia's famed historical circuit (including Gondar, Lalibela, Bahir Dar and Axum) as well as the unique Meskel Festival - one of Ethiopia's most significant religous festivals and undoubtedbly one of the most impressive.

Meskel, which roughly translates as the 'Finding of the True Cross', is a Christian holiday in the Ethiopian Orthodox church and commenemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena in the fourth century. The festivities are held in Meskel Square (named after the festival) in Addis Ababa and includes the burning of a large bonfire known as 'Demera' - based on the belief that the Empress had a revelation in a dream that she must build a large bonfire and the direction of the resulting smoke would show here where the True Cross was buried.

Accompanied by an expert cultural guide, you'll arrive in Addis Ababa in time to see crowds gathering for the procession of the cross, followed by the lighting of the massive pyre that is the Demera and the jubiliant celebrations that follow. In a country with many religious festivals, Meskel is undoubtedly a highlight - a fact recognised by UNESCO who have listed Meskel as an item of global "Intangible Cultural Heritage"

Following the festival - the group departs on the historical route, as well as a visit to the magnificent scenery of the Simien Mountains National Park, where you can also see wildlife such as the iconic Gelada monkeys and the Walia Ibex Another spectacular geographical feature included in the tour is a visit to the Blue Nile Falls, one of Ethiopia's best known attractions near Lake Tana.

In all, for those keen on seeing the best of Ethiopia's Historical attractions, combined with the spectacle of a major religous festival and a wonderful mix of mountains, waterfalls, lakeland and dry country scenery - this small group tour represents a wonderful choice.

Other Ethiopia group tours
Timket in Addis Ababa -- We also operate a second Timket Tour - view the full itinerary. This follows a very similar itinerary but starts three days earlier so that the group can experience the Timket celebrations in Gondar rather than Addis.

Timket in Gondar --We also operate a second Timket Tour - view full itinerary. This follows a very similar itinerary but starts three days earlier so that the group can experience the Timket celebrations in Gondar rather than Addis.

Please note our small group tours to Ethiopia operate with a maximum of 10 participants + our specialist guides. This allows you to explore Ethiopia with other like-minded individuals at excellent value - but take note spaces are limited and this tour does sell out quickly.

Some images are by Fikreselassie Admassu

Trip Itinerary

Day 1: 26th Sept 2023 Welcome to Addis Ababa

Staying at Golden Tulip

On arrival at Bole Addis Ababa International Airport, you will be transferred to Golden Tulip Hotel where you will spend two nights.

Today you will take a tour of Addis visiting the Cathedral, Avenue of Independence, the Merkato (Africa’s largest open-air market) and the National Museum giving you great context for the rest of your trip.

This evening marks the eve of Meskel and families across Ethiopia prepare the demera, a tall prism built from twigs meant to resemble the burning fir tree that guided Helena to the cross.

Day 2: 27th Sept 2023 Meskel Festival

Meskel Festival

Today is all about Meskel Festival which marks finding the true cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Head to Meskel square where brightly coloured umbrellas embellished with gold appear over the horizon and priests gather. When the square is full, a bull or goat is sacrificed.

In the afternoon, the demeras are burnt, dancing begins and traditional songs are sung while circling the stick structure. As darkness falls, the dancing around the flames intensifies and then as the demera slowly burns out, families often collect the ashes left and mark themselves with a cross, symbolizing their devotion to God.

Day 3: 28th Sept 2023 Island Monasteries and lakeland

Day 4: 29 Sept 2023 Gondar and Simien Mountains

Day 5: 30th Sept 2023 Hike the Simiens Mountains

Day 6: 1st Oct 2023 Mountains and castles

Day 7: 2nd Oct 2023 Flight to Lalibela

Day 8: 3rd Oct 2023 More of Lalibela

Day 9: 4th Oct 2023 Flight to Axum

Day 10: 5th Oct 2023 Axum and Addis Ababa

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Duration

10 days

Location

Ethiopia, Africa

Price from

$4,301 pp.

Price Includes

  • All domestic flights
  • Accommodation and meals as indicated
  • English-speaking expert guide throughout
  • Transport services
  • Entrance fees including Meskel Festival entry

Price Excludes

  • International flights
  • Single supplements
  • Any activities marked as optional

The price is based per person & includes the following:

  • 3 nights at Golden Tulip Hotel
  • 1 night at Avanti Blue Nile
  • 2 nights at Simien Lodge
  • 1 night at Goha Hotel
  • 2 nights at Maribela Hotel
  • 1 night at Sabean International Hotel

Single room supplement: £484.

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When to go to Ethiopia

Find out the best time to visit Ethiopia with our month by month guide.

  • Best
  • Good
  • Mixed
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

January

January in Ethiopia is all about Timket, an annual Christian festival being celebrated throughout the country. It's a spectacular sight to behold. Check out our Timket tour for more information. Temperatures are pleasant at this time of year so it's a great time for touring around much of the country.

February

February marks the end of winter in Ethiopia, so if you're travelling to the highlands pack a few extra layers as it can get cold at night.

March

Temperatures begin to rise in March, making trekking in the Simien Mountains and exploring Lalibela great options this month. There are occasional rain showers but nothing that will really disrupt activities. It's wet in the Omo Valley region between March and June, with muddy roads disrupting travel in this area.

April

April is the start of the short rains, which begin in the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia.

May

The rains arrive in the Bale Mountains National Park and the Rift Valley Lakes during May and June, so this isn't a great time for hiking in these areas. However the downpours are usually in the afternoons, leaving the mornings with blue sunny skies, and plenty of opportunity to explore the rest of the country.

June

The rains continue, which make this a great time for the breeding season of migratory birds, with numerous colourful species to keep an eye out for.

July

The wettest months in the northern and central highlands are July and August. The short heavy storms mean this isn't a good time for hiking in the Simien and Bale Mountains, but the downpours don't really disrupt activities throughout the rest of the country. It's a good time to visit Lalibela which will be less crowded than during the rest of the year.

August

The wettest months in the northern and central highlands are July and August. The short heavy storms mean this isn't a good time for hiking in the Simien and Bale Mountains, but the downpours don't really disrupt activities throughout the rest of the country. It's a good time to visit Lalibela which will be less crowded than during the rest of the year.

September

Whilst the beginning of the month will see the tail end of the rainy season, it's actually quite a good month to travel around Ethiopia, just before peak season kicks in, and whilst the country is still green and beautiful. If you want to see the carpets of yellow Meskel flowers, or witness the colourful Meskel Festival, this is the month!

October

October is the start of the peak tourist season in Ethiopia, bringing with it great weather, pleasant temperatures, blue skies and little rainfall. A perfect time for touring around the country, particularly the Central Highlands and Northern Ethiopia.

November

The cooler temperatures and little rainfall during November and December make them great months for exploring the Omo Valley, with better road conditions and green landscapes.

December

The good weather and travelling conditions continue through December and into January, making this an ideal month to explore the whole country.

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