Fly in safaris in Ethiopia
As a country that is located at the horn of Africa, the landscape of Ethiopia makes it a bit hard for some tourist destinations to be accessed and this has led to the introduction of fly in tours which enable tourists to at least get to most of the difficult destinations. It is still a new venture in the country but has been adopted by many due to its easy access.
Fly in tours mean the use of air transport to go to the various destinations within a country. There are small air crafts that carry about two to three people that are provided and these can take you to the various places that you would want to visit while in Ethiopia. The best thing about fly in tours is that you get to cover many tourist destinations in the country in a very short period of time.
The most commonly used domestic company that provides flights to the different parts of the country is the Ethiopian Airlines. The National Ethiopian airlines offers domestic flights that can be seen travelling to the different destinations. This eases transportation around Ethiopia as less time is taken to get to wherever you would like to go to.
The different destinations that the Ethiopian Airlines operates from include the Harar region, the Arba Minch, the Bale Robe, the Mek’ele region, Axum city, Lalibela, Gondar, the Bahir Dar, Jimma and many more others. When using the domestic flights, you need to make sure that you attach your luggage to the right flight so that it does not get lost along the way.
A fly in trip to the Axum city
Axum city is located in the Amharic region in Ethiopia and is one of the few places in the country that is rich in historical sites in the country. The Axum city has three major airports where you can easily land before travelling through the whole region and these include the Heylom Araya airport, Shire airport and the Alula Aba Nega Airport. A visit to Axum will give you an insight of what Ethiopia has to offer in terms of tourism and you also get to know more about the history of Ethiopia. The Axum city is where you will find Queen Sheba’s palace and bath, the church of the covenant where the Ark of the Covenant is believed to be kept and it is the same area where most of the emperors of Ethiopia originated from.
A fly in tour to Harar city
Harar city is known to be the fourth largest Holy city in the whole world due to its large population of Muslims that are found in the area. It has a lot of tourist attraction sites that can be viewed once you get to the stone city and some of these include the stone walls and gate you see when you arrive in the city, the forty plus mosques in the area, the St Mary’s Catholic church, the Arthur museum which has some of the oldest paintings in Ethiopia showing how the town looked before and not forgetting the coffee farms that are found in the area.
The first airport in Harar where you can land and enjoy your trip is the Dire Dawa airport and it is the nearest airport to Harar. Even though there are no direct flights to Harar, once you get to the Dire Dawa you will be picked by a tour vehicle which will take you through the Harar city and enjoy all that the city that has to offer to all the tourists.
A fly in tour to the Gondar city
Gondar city is located in one of the remote areas in Ethiopia and it is known as the Camelot of Africa due to the magnificent castles that are located in the rea. It was discovered by the King Fasilides when he was chased down by the raging buffalo till he made a stop at the Gondar city and built his own castle. The different tourist attractions that you will see when you get to the Gondar city include the royal enclosure, the Selassie church which has been standing since the 17th century, the Mentewab castle and the Fasilides baths.
Your fly in craft will possibly land in the Gondar Airport which is also known as the Atse Tewodros which is located in the southern part of the city. Before you land at the airport you will be able to view and admire the Gondar city from above and you might even be able to take some photos before you land. At the airport, a company car will be able to pick you up before taking you through the Gondar city where you will have fun enjoying all the tourist destinations that are located in the city.
A fly in trip to the Bahir Dar and Lake Tana.
The Bahir Dar is located at the shores of Lake Tana in the Amharic region. The fly in tour to the Bahir Dar will be joined with the Lake Tana so as to save on the trip costs. The Bahir Dar airport is located in the western part of the city near Lake Tana and form here you will be able to view the different tourist attractions that are found in the Bahir Dar. The Bahir Dar has clear access to the Monasteries that are found in the Lake Tana and these are quite a sight to see.
After being dropped off at the airport, you will get to see the famous Lake Tana monasteries that are found on the different islands around Lake Tana. You will also get to meet the locals and learn how to make papyrus boats but note that some of the monasteries are gender sensitive that is some of them are not visited by women due to the old ways of Jewish worship.
A fly in trip to Arba Minch
Arba Minch is located in the southern part of the country and is one of the tourist destinations that can be accessed by air. This is the area where you get to visit the Nescichar National park where you get to see various wildlife that is both animals and bird species, relax at the banks of the Lake Chamo and Lake Abaya which act as habitats for many birds. You will be able to get an aerial view of the Arba Minch before landing at the Arba Minch Airport which is located near the Lake Abaya from where you will be able to explore all of Arba Minch city.
The best thing about fly in tours is that you get to see both the aerial view of the destinations that you want to visit and the ground view. It gives you the different perspectives about the different tourist destinations in Ethiopia and for all those that love photographs, this is a very good time to get as many photos as you can of the tour sites. A tour guide will be with you throughout the trip until you get back to your country.
A fly in trip to the Lalibela region
The Lalibela region is famously known for her many rock hewn churches that are scattered all over the region. The churches are divided into two parts that is the southern and northern churches and since most of these located at the top of the stone hills it’s very hard for a plane to land here but you can still access Lalibela through trekking.
The Lalibela airport is located a few kilometers in the south western part of the Lalibela region and from here you will a closer and more accessible route to the rock hewn churches above. You need to get a clear schedule on when the planes will leave for Lalibela or you might end up using a bus which takes longer as compared to using a plane. The beauty about visiting the Lalibela churches is their unique architecture that is the way they were constructed from rocks and the history behind them and with the help of the tour guide and the monks that are located in the area, you will enjoy the place.
The use of fly in tours can be a bit expensive but they are worth it. The different things that you see while in the air are quite enough to make you journey to Ethiopia worthwhile. Besides the above destinations for fly in tours in the country, there are others most especially those who love watching animals in the different parks that are located in the different parts of the country and the UNESCO heritage sites that are found in the country.
Many tourists come on a budget friendly tour to Ethiopia and the good news is that if you want to take domestic flights to the different destinations, there are discounts that are offered and therefore tourists are encouraged to use the planes to get to their various destinations.
