Trip Info
Historical Sites in Addis Ababa are concentrated in Piassa and Arat Killo areas. Arat Killo, the founding places of Addis, the Grand Palace, Africa Hall in Arat killo, St. George Church in Piassa and Menelik Monoument tell the story of the victory of the Ethiopian king and people.
You will start your city tour of Addis Ababa with the National Museum of Ethiopia. This is one of the best museums in quality and diversity of the exhibits. Archeological exhibits include the 3.5 million-year-old fossil of Lucy (or Dinkinesh – ‘Thou art wonderful’- in the native language), a hominoid woman of the specious of Australopithecus Afarensis. The discovery of Lucy’s fossils in 1974 forced a complete rethink of human genealogy, proving that our ancestors were walking 2.5 million years earlier than had been supposed. The National Museum also contains many wonderful artifacts dating back to pre-Axumite civilization.
We will continue our tour of Addis Ababa with a visit to the Ethnographic Museum, which is found inside the compound of the Addis Ababa University. This museum is very different from the National Museum, but is equally absorbing. This museum exhibit, contains a variety of artifacts and daily objects related to most ethnic groups living in Ethiopia.
After lunch, this city tour of Addis Ababa continues with a visit to Merkato, the largest open-air market in Africa, where almost every possible commodity is for sale. Our visit continues with St. George Cathedral, one of the oldest cathedrals in Addis Ababa. Finally, we will drive uphill to Entoto, which once was Emperor Minilik II’s permanent camp. While driving up the hill there is an considerable increase in altitude and the air is filled with the scent of the Eucalyptus trees which cover the area.
After spending some time exploring around the hill, we will drive back to the hotel, reaching the end of the tour!
