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.
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.
The Timkat festival, is the most important festival for Ethiopian Orthodox believers. Timkat takes place every 19 January and lasts three days. Forty percent of Ethiopians identify as Christians and are among the Christian traditions oldest in the world. This celebration of Epiphany recalls Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River with ritual recreation and parades with replicas of the Ark of the Covenant.
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.
A trip to Ethiopia to discover the exceptional vitality of Ethiopians on the occasion of the celebration of their most outstanding religious festivities.
The Timkat celebrations in Ethiopia reveal the spirituality and emotion of the people of Gondar, reaching their climax at the bathing pools during the re-enactment of Jesus’ baptism.
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.