Ethiopia/Omo Valley2024

A PEOPLE PHOTOGRAPHER’S DREAM WORKSHOP

SOLD OUT – WAITLIST ONLY – JANUARY 17-29, 2024**

11-DAY WORKSHOP – $4995**

MEET AND GREET ON JANUARY 17, 2024 AT 7:00 PM AT THE BEST WESTERN HOTEL NEAR THE AIRPORT IN ADDIS ABABA

**Includes all lodging, food and ground transportation throughout the workshop, except for the night of January 17, 2024.   

**Students are strongly encouraged to arrive in Addis Ababa no later than the evening of January 17, 2024. 

This workshop continues to be one of the most popular and memorable for every student who has participated in prior years.  The full itinerary is provided below and is subject to minor changes depending on unexpected yet welcomed opportunities that arise, such as a bull jumping ceremony, a tribal marriage or the desire of the group to stay in a given location longer.

ETHIOPIA WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Students are responsible for purchasing the following four domestic flights which we will take during the course of this workshop. The total cost of these four flights is approximately $330.00 and these four flights and their corresponding dates are as follows: January 18th, Ethiopian Airlines Flight #120 Addis to Lalibella, January 19th,  Lalibella to Gondor, Ethiopian Flight# 123, then on January 21st Gondor to Addis Ethiopian Airlines Flight# 125, then continue January 21st Addis to Jimma, Ethiopian Airlines Flight# 133 and finally, January 29th, Jinka to Addis, Ethiopian Airlines Flight# 270

Jan 17th-Arrive Addis and Lodge at Best Western PLUS on Bole Medhanealem Road. (Do Not lodge at the nearby Best Western Pearl). We will meet and greet in the hotel lobby at 7pm.

Jan 18th-Following breakfast we will check out of hotel and fly one-way from Addis to Lalibella  (Ethiopian Airlines Flight#120 leaving at 11:35am, arriving Lalibella  at 12:30pm) and we will shoot in Lalibella for the remainder fo the day/early evening.

Jan 19th-Following breakfast we will fly to Gondor on Ethiopia Flight #123, leaving Lalibella at 11:10am, arriving Gondor at 11:40am and for the remainder of the day/early evening we will shoot in this equally amazing city.

Jan 20th-Another welcomed day of shooting in Gondor.

Jan 21st-Following breakfast, we fly out of Gondor, (Ethiopian Flight# 125) to Addis then connect in Addis with flight to Jimma, (Ethiopian Flight #133), arriving Jimma at 4:20PM and from there we drive to Mizan, arriving later that evening.

Jan 22nd-Following breakfast we depart for Kibish, home of the Surmi tribe,  arriving by 11am where we will camp for three nights, Jan 22-23-24.

Jan 24th-Following another morning shoot, we break camp around 120pm and drive north, returning to the Chebera Lodge, arriving late in the day. We will lodge in Chebera for two nights.

January 25th-We will spend much of the day photographing the locals in the village near the Chebera Lodge and go in search of wildlife i.e. elephants, hippos and Cape buffalo.

Jan 26th-Following breakfast, we depart Chebera and drive to Jinka where we will photograph in the town, including the ‘blue-eyed boy named Abush and then a few hours later we will drive on to Turmi arriving in the evening. 

Jan 27th-Following breakfast we will drive to the Dasenich Tribe, and once we arrive at the Omo River, we will ride in a real dugout wooden canoe and cross the river where we will be greeted by children from the Dasenich Tribe. Later in the day we will the Yangatom Tribes returning to Turmi later that evening.

Jan 28th-Following breakfast we will visit a Hamar Tribe Village and in the afternoon through sunset, we will visit the Karo Tribe and once again return to the Hotel in Turmi shortly after sunset.

Jan 29th-Following breakfast we take a slow drive back to Jinka where we return to the airport to catch our return flight to Addis at 2:15pm, arriving Addis at 3;35PM, (Ethiopian Flight#270)

• OPTIONAL HARAR SHOOT:
  Jan-30th- Depart Addis at 8:15am, arriving Dire Dawa at 9:30am, the guide drives us to Harar, (50minutes)
  and after checking into hotel we head into Old Harar. FEED HYENAS AFTER DARK IN LARGE FIELD, outside of the old city.
  Jan 31st- All day shoot in Old Harar
  Feb 1st- Morning shoot in Dire Dawa then fly back from Dire Dawa early afternoon, arriving Addis Ababa at 2:10pm

NOTE(s): 

• Students will be responsible for arranging and paying for their flights to and from the workshop, as well as the above referenced domestic flights on Ethiopian Airlines.
• Workshop participants will be responsible for ‘model fees’ that each photographer pays to photograph the tribal people you will meet and camp with. As a general rule, each person you photograph expects payment for their photo, usually about 10-20 Ethiopian Birr (30-60 US cents) per person, depending on the tribe and/or person(s) in your shot. Generally, each student will spend at most $20 to photograph 40+ people each day.
• Feel free to arrive Addis Ababa before the workshop starts if you wish to see the city or just get acclimated to the time zone change. Again, students are strongly encouraged to arrive no later than January 18, to allow time to compensate for any travel delays.
• Temperatures in Ethiopia in January are a very pleasant 85-95 degrees Fahrenheit but with very low humidity and often a light wind. Pack your shorts, short sleeve shirts, sunscreen and a hat. A comfortable pair of flip flops or tennis shoes will be suitable footwear for this workshop. Hiking boots are NOT necessary as you will be walking for the most part on sandy ground.
• Check the latest guidance for vaccinations required to travel abroad: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html
• As of late 2019, the Yellow Fever vaccine is no longer required for entrance into Ethiopia.

Hotel Information for Addis Ababa:

Best Western Plus Addis Ababa
Bole Medhanealem Road
Addis Ababa, 1065 Ethiopia

https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-details.75550.html

To sign up for this workshop, click on the link above to make a deposit and secure a place in the workshop. To get additional information or ask to be on the waitlist, send an email to Lisa Phillips at [email protected].