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The Omo River - Ethiopia

The fabled 'hidden empire' is renowned for its extraordinary history, chanting priests, rock-hewn churches and its breathtaking natural scenery. High plateaux and deep forested gorges hold one of the best kept secrets, the Omo river, Ethiopia, a wild and beautiful immersion into an almost prehistoric world where we encounter some of the most remarkable tribal people on earth. We drift down the Upper Omo River into a series of dramatic canyons, crash through the dancing rapids into serene pools where crocodiles bask on the banks and baboons peer inquisitively at us from the clifftops. The wildlife is prolific from the troops of Colobus Monkeys to the raptors and colourful birds overhead and the ever present sounds of the hippopotomi across the river. On the way down to the Lower Omo River we relax on sandy beaches and bathe in hot springs beneath the light of the moon and as the river broadens we begin to encounter the near stone-age tribal people who enthusiastically beckon us ashore with their broad smiles and basic sign language, decorated distinctively with their clay lip plates, elaborate hairstyles and hefty ear plugs. The Omo leads us to the heart of one of the most remote areas on the African continent, a breathtaking wilderness and home to our earliest ancestors.

We can also offer this destination as two separate shorter trips, enjoying the gorges of the Upper Omo or joining the trip for the lower section only on the Lower Omo.