The Voodoo Festival in Benin, Timkat in Ethiopia and Surva in Bulgaria: a privileged insight into the spirituality, folklore and identity of each people.
January 2026 offers those seeking to get off the beaten track a chance to immerse themselves in the living traditions of three fascinating countries.
With a hundred million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in the Africa and one of the emerging powers of the continent.
Travelling to Ethiopia is to be transported to a place where some of the tribes most impressive on earth, both visually and historically. Lush green landscapes mingle with inhospitable terrain, a fascinating place with a legendary history.
Emperor Fasilides converted Gondar his capital in 1632. He then ordered the construction of a large pool for swimming and celebrating the religious ceremonies. The pools have survived to this day and have become the site of the celebration of the Timkat. Just as in other cities, in Gondar Ethiopians bring water from the river for the ceremony where they are completely immersed in holy water.
We have prepared this departure to Ethiopia on 17 January proposing Timkat in Axum as a more traditional alternative, less affected by tourism, an alternative to crowded Lalibela that is increasingly popular with visitors to Gondar. In Axum we find lthe authenticity of Ethiopian religious feeling and the remains of the ancient capital of the Aksumite Empire, including its fields of funerary stelae.
Travel to Ethiopia for 14 days with departure in January to participate in the festivals of Timkat and St George.
Travellers can discover the exceptional vitality of Ethiopians during their religious festivals: Timkat in the spectacular setting of Gondar with the fascinating Fasilidas Baths decorated; the St George in Lalibela will allow us to enjoy the beauty of its famous churches. The rock-hewn churches of the Tigray complete this tour of the oldest Christian kingdom in Africa.
Ethiopia is a continent within a continent, where all kinds of legends have been told since the Prester John created a kingdom where the fountain of youth was supposedly located, until all those who ruled were descended from the Queen of Sheba. There are places where time seems to have stopped Prehistory and others in which we find castles that seem to be taken from the European nobility. They even say there's a place where the Ark of the Covenant.
The medieval splendour of Gondar, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and the islands of Lake Tana: Africa’s rich history, carved into unique monuments
Celebrations always help to beautify the places visited. This time, our trip to Ethiopia: single departure on 12 June, will coincide with the distinctive night-time ceremony of the Milhela in Axum and the little-known celebration of anniversary of King Lalibela in a city that bears his name.
Weather permitting, the highlight of the trip will be an annular eclipse that we can observe from Lalibela on the last day.
The celebration of the Epiphany with Timkat in Ethiopia is not exclusive to the north of the country. On this trip, we suggest travelling with our guide, a Spanish resident in Gondar, who will help us experience a genuine celebration first hand in Ziway, on the shores of the lake in the south of the country.
We will complete the trip with a tour of the most emblematic places in the southern part of Ethiopia and visiting some markets.
Did you know that many of our trips have a special discount for the first 4 bookings?
Yes, at Viajes Tuareg we want to reward planning ahead: we thank everyone who books early and is first to pack with a discount ;).
Why a early booking discount? Beyond the obvious marketing appeal, having the names of all participants confirmed makes it much easier to arrange services. Domestic flights, better hotel rooms, higher-category vehicles and even the accompanying local guide must all be carefully selected when organising an itinerary, and availability is a decisive factor when booking these services.
The lava of the Erta Ale volcano It is a mesmerising spectacle of raw, fascinating power. The magma that flows from the heart of the earth in flames, erupts and engulfs the rocks: a turbulent sea of stone liquid and black.
To enjoy this volcano in Ethiopia, you need an adventurous spirit, as any journey through remote areas inevitably involves a certain degree of hardship. In the case of this route to Danakil, there is also the challenging terrain and climate to contend with. High temperatures, water scarcity and difficult terrain combine to demand a certain spirit of self-sacrifice and adaptability to the circumstances. The effort in this case has its reward.
“Is what I’m seeing real?” wondered Ignasi Rovira when you first stepped on this remote southwestern region of Ethiopia.
The image was almost unreal, two children drinking blood directly from a cow that had been shot by a small dart; a ancient rite with extraordinary purity Though difficult to understand for the western eye.
Come and meet this one fascinating Horn of Africa country full of singularities and whose history is lost in time. This is where the “Grandmother of Humanity”, Lucy, whose skeleton is well guarded in the capital Addis Ababa, lived millions of years ago.
We've already talked about the trips to Ethiopia in this space before, but we love the country so much that we cannot resist returning to it. This time, we suggest a visual introduction to this beautiful corner of Africa. For this, we have looked beyond our photographic archives but on social media. We want to see the snapshots travellers bring home from the country and share with their friends and followers online. We have searched the instant photo-sharing network Instagram and show you the results below.
Although there are still many trips to be made since September is a month full of opportunities, we are already beginning to get the results of Satisfaction surveys that we sent to each traveller who explored the world with us in July and August. We want to share some of their feedback and reviews of Viajes Tuareg they sent us with you.
The trip is over, now it's time to process the experience at home.
The group reached Addis Ababa on the 17th. After a day of rest following the final stage in Tigray and discover the unusual churches in the capital of Ethiopia, they boarded their flight home. Many feelings, including climb Erta Ale, need to be fully digested.
Here is a selection of photos and comments from Juancho Pozuelo , a friend and collaborator of Mirada Viajera, the photographer accompanying us on this trip to Ethiopia.
«We are in Kombolcha, you might say the last trace of urban life before heading into the Danakil. The market for Sembete is very colourful and noisy.”
«More than a photography trips is a personal and photographic experience. It is impossible to imagine a better place to take photographs.»
This is how this journey is defined Juancho Pozuelo, the guide and photographer accompanying this trip.
The group has arrived at the Lake Afrera and, after spending the night in a spectacular setting, they headed towards the Erta Ale volcano.
“After seeing the first traces of lava and spending five hours bouncing along a track, we reached Lake Afrera and its salt mines. Tonight we’re sleeping at the exact spot shown in the photo published on 5 November, taking night photographs and bathing in the extremely salty Lake Afrera.”
There are currently only 5 active lava lakes on the planet. This December we travelled to the east of Ethiopia to photograph one of them: the Erta Ale.
See details of our photography route through Ethiopia.
Salt lakes as white as ice, spectacular volcanic eruptions and black lava flows, lakes and geysers painting the surface in a multitude of colours… This is the Danakil, where temperatures reach 50°. The only people able to live here are the Afar pastoralists, who trade in salt extracted from the plain.