Trail Running Tour in Ethiopia (9 days)
About this tour:
This 9-day running tour is designed for runners of all abilities who have limited time for a running holiday or training camp in Ethiopia. However, the tour will give you a great insight into Ethiopian running culture and take you to places of outstanding beauty with excellent training conditions. You will follow in the footsteps of numerous long-distance world champions and Olympic champions.
Highlights of the trip:
- Great insight into the Ethiopian running culture
- Landscapes of exceptional beauty with excellent training conditions
- You will train in the same places as numerous long-distance world champions and Olympic champions
- High altitude training on fantastic trails between 1’800 and 3’200 m above sea level
- Varied programme with numerous cultural and scenic excursions in addition to running training
Services included:
- 4 nights at Yaya Athletics Village with full board
- 2 nights full board at Haile Resort Hawassa
- 2 nights at Haile Resort Adama on full board basis
- Visit to the natural hot springs of Sodere
- Vehicle supported runs in different areas
- Entrance fees for visits to cultural and natural attractions
- Run guides for the training sessions
- Guides for the cultural tours
- Ground transport in air-conditioned vehicles with experienced drivers
- Mineral water and snacks
Day 1: Arrival in Addis Ababa and transfer to Yaya Athletics Village in Sululta
Upon arrival, you will be met at Addis Ababa International Airport and transferred to Yaya Athletics Village in Sululta, which is approximately 1 hour drive from the airport. Depending on your arrival time, we can start with some light running training today to help you acclimatise.
Accommodation: Yaya Athletics Village in Sululta
Day 2: Training at Yaya Athletics Village and Addis Ababa City Tour
In the morning we will have our first training session at Yaya Athletics Village. In the afternoon, we will explore some of the most important cultural sites of Addis Ababa. These include the National Museum, where among other things the 3.5 million year old bones of Lucy, the oldest hominid ever discovered, are on display, the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, where you can marvel at a variety of artefacts from the different regions of Ethiopia, reflecting the country’s history and culture, the Trinity Cathedral, where Emperor Haile Selassie and other members of the imperial family and patriots are buried, and finally the Mercato, the largest open-air market in Africa.
Accommodation: Yaya Athletics Village, Sululta
Day 3: Training Yaya Athletics and excursion to Debre Libanos
In the morning we will have our daily training session at Yaya Athletics Village. In the afternoon we drive north through the plains of Sululta to Debre Libanos (approx. 1.5 hours drive). Debre Libanos is home to one of the most important monasteries in Ethiopia with an interesting associated museum, where many ancient treasures of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are on display. We also take a nice walk to the so-called “Portuguese Bridge”, from where there is a magnificent view over the imposing canyon. Some historians believe that the bridge dates back to the 16th century when the Portuguese invaded Ethiopia for a short time, others believe that it was built in the 19th century by Emperor Menelik’s uncle. After crossing the bridge, we have a view of a 60 m high waterfall. We should also encounter the endemic Gelada monkeys and a variety of bird species (especially birds of prey) here. We return to Sululta in the late afternoon.
Accommodation: Yaya Athletics Village, Sululta
Day 4: Hiking in Menagesha Forest National Park
Today we take a full-day excursion to Menagesha Forest, the nearest area of significant indigenous forest near Addis Ababa, only about 20km west of the capital. Menagesha comprises 25km2 of juniper, African redwood and yellowwood trees, as well as Mount Wechecha, an extinct volcano that rises to 3,385m and is the highest mountain in the Addis Ababa area. We can climb to the summit. The forest can be explored along a network of stunning trails that extend from the national park headquarters. Wildlife includes the striking black and white Colobus monkey, the endemic Menelik bushbuck and the bold Anubis baboons, all of which are frequently seen by hikers. Menagesha is also a particularly important site for endemic forest birds. We return to Sululta in the late afternoon.
Accommodation: Yaya Athletics Village, Sululta
Day 5: Suluta – Zway (lunch) – Hawassa (309 km)
After our last training session in Sululta and breakfast, we will leave Yaya Village and drive south to Zway (about 3 hours), which is located in the Great Rift Valley. After lunch in Zway, we will take a boat trip on Lake Zway and explore the beautiful Bird Island. For nature lovers, Lake Zway offers a fantastic variety of water and tree bird species on its islands, on the shore and in the adjacent forests. With a little luck, we may also spot hippos. In the afternoon we continue our journey to Hawassa, the capital of the southern peoples, also nicknamed “The City of Endless Love”. In Hawassa we stay at the luxurious 4-star resort of running legend Haile Gebre Selassie. Look forward to a fantastic sunset over Lake Hawassa!
Accommodation: Haile Resort, Hawassa
Day 6: Full day in Hawassa
In Hawassa, enjoy the magnificent Haile Resort, which lacks nothing from gym, sauna, steam room, swimming pool to beauty treatments. In the morning, it’s worth visiting the authentic fish market where you can watch the traditional fish trade and sample the delicious, freshly prepared catch of the day right away. It is a beautiful walk from Haile Resort to the fish market along the shore of Lake Hawassa. In the afternoon we can either visit the natural hot springs at Wondo Genet, said to have healing powers for many different ailments, or visit a coffee farm at Aleta Wondo where the world famous Sidama coffee is grown.
Accommodation: Haile Resort, Hawassa
Day 7: Hawassa – Bekoji – Adama
After breakfast, we continue our journey to Bekoji, the small rural town in central Ethiopia that has so far produced seven Olympic medallists in long-distance running: Kenenisa Bekele and his younger brother Tariku Bekele, Derartu Tulu and her cousins Ejegayehu Dibaba and Tirunesh Dibaba, Fatuma Roba, and Tiki Gelana. Bekoji runners have won a total of 16 Olympic medals – 10 of them gold – and more than 30 world championships. For comparison, runners from this tiny city have won more gold medals than all of India (population 1.2 billion) in all Olympic categories combined, and almost twice as many as Indonesia (population 247 million). Welcome to the city of runners. We enjoy a spectacular run here today on the plateau of the Arsi Mountains at about 2’800 m above sea level before continuing to Adama.
Accommodation: Haile Resort, Adama
Day 8: Trip to the hot springs of Sodere
Today we will relax and enjoy the popular natural hot springs of Sodere.
Accommodation: Haile Resort Adama
Day 9: Adama – Addis Ababa / Departure or individual extension
We are back in Addis Ababa for lunch. In the afternoon you have time for shopping. In the evening we enjoy a farewell dinner together with traditional music and dance before you are transferred to the airport or, if you are staying longer in Ethiopia, to your hotel.
End of the tour
