Ethiopia Photo Safari Itinerary 2025

Overview
Highlights
Details
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Ethiopia Photo Safari Itinerary 2025

01 January - 31 December 2025

From USD 13 600 pps

This webpage offers you a glimpse of the safari. For the full details of the safari with a day to day itinerary, full logistics, details of accommodation and a comprehensive list of what is included and excluded, please download the full brochure.

SAFARI OVERVIEW

Date: 01 January - 31 December 2025
Group Size: Costs are based on 2 people sharing.
Recommended for: Photographers of all levels that are looking to immerse themselves into and capture the incredible cultural scenes of Africa.
Groups: If you have groups with different travelling numbers, contact us and we will work out a great rate for you.

The C4 Experience: This itinerary has been curated by our highly experienced team to maximise your photographic opportunity while on safari. We take care of every detail from the moment you arrive until the end of your safari. Our guides are amongst the most acclaimed photographers in the photography world - Let us know if you would like one of our guides to join you on safari.

A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO INTIMATELY PHOTOGRAPH THE HEART OF THE OMO VALLEY IN ETHIOPIA.

Split by the Great Rift Valley and rippling with seemingly endless mountains, the country’s geography is as dramatic as its history and culture. Ethiopia is the cradle of our earliest known ancestors, a hub for some of the first Christians, Muslims, Jews, and a last frontier for some of Africa’s most intriguing photogenic tribal traditions. Ethiopia is a wonderland of exotic tribes and cultural mix. In many of the areas we are traveling to, there are few roads and very little protocol with regards to a ‘formal’ itinerary. To make sure we have the best opportunity to witness the Omo valley at its best, we are working very closely with our local guides, who specialize in the Omo Valley. The manner in which this safari has been curated means for the most immersive and authentic experience of the Omo one can find. Start your expedition at the top of the Omo valley and finish the river journey as it flows into the Lake Turkana Delta, with the Dassenech people. Your safari host will be Shem Compion who has been visiting Ethiopia since 2013, sharing the Omo valley with his guests, making sure guests get incredible images from their trip and working on cultural projects to showcase the beauty of these cultures. His experience in Ethiopia is invaluable when traveling here.

HIGHLIGHTS

Safari Highlights

Experience tribal cultures as authentic as you can find in Africa.
Visit a special location in the Mursi area co- pioneered by C4.
Boat cruise down the Omo River - an experience not offered by any other operator.
We will have cattle camp visits, village visits, studio sessions, witness ceremonies and other opportunities of immersion on this trip.

Photography Highlights

Enjoy visiting over 5 different tribes in the Omo valley, each one very different and very special.
Engage in walks, drives, and boat cruises to explore the region’s wildlife and culture.
Capture stunning images of Ethiopia’s diverse landscapes, wildlife, and cultural heritage.
The possibility of Donga stick fights, Dimi ceremonies and other celebration activities that may come across our path.

Testimonials

What C4 Photo Safaris guests say

The just concluded photographic odyssey in Ethiopia was an outstanding success. The Northern tour was a full trip in itself, with the beautiful Simien Mountains, Gelada monkeys, the highest Lodge in Africa. This was followed by the colourful spectacle of the Timket parade to celebrate the Epiphany in Gondar and the next morning by the dawn service and baptisms at the Queen Mentewab pool. This was topped by the magnificent granite Churches in Lalibela. I felt privileged to be included in your small group to experience these special events and places. Nonetheless, all this was finessed by the magnificent Southern tour. Despite all the logistical hurdles you shepherded us over rough terrain to visit five tribes spread across a large area in Southern Ethiopia. I doubt that many people are able to achieve such a comprehensive viewing of these tribes in one trip. Of course, we have Robel to thank for the on ground arrangements that made such a tour possible, and we are all in his debt for the part he played in pulling it all together. He is a fantastic guide and wonderful companion. Denis, you and Shem were endlessly helpful and tolerant, and I feel that my photography has continued to improve under your tutelage. It is through these special photographic tours that I discover what is possible with a camera, and without doubt you have once again expanded my photographic horizons. What were the highlights for me? I could say they are too numerous to mention, but I feel that I could never have witnessed the unique tribal scenes and beautiful body adornments without participating in this Iconic Images and C4 Photo Safaris tour and for this I am ever in your debt. Thank you.

Graeme Allan

It is difficult to describe how I feel about my trip to Ethiopia. It was an overwhelmingly fantastic experience where I was constantly pinching myself. I had long wanted to see the crosses and churches of Lalibela, but it was the peoples of the Omo Valley who took my heart. As a keen photographer who clings to their little digital because I always like to have it in my bag to take almost daily photos, I was hesitant about joining a photographic tour expecting everyone to be better equipped and more experienced than I am. But I quickly learned that this was irrelevant. The patience, support and knowledge given generously by Denis and Shem were fantastic. And I now have the most amazing photos to swoon over daily….. and I am. Ably assisted by our local guide Robel, we gained access to the tribes people I could never have imagined possible. Not only did all the group (from 4 continents) get on well together, but their shared knowledge of both photography and travels was also appreciated…and a valuable resource for the future. There were times when the going was rough and tough, but I wouldn’t have missed a moment of it. The only downside is that I think it may have spoilt all my future travel (ad)ventures. Thank you again to Denis, Shem and Robel.

Chris Fitzpatrick

We have just returned from three weeks in Ethiopia. The itinerary was well crafted to give us a broad view of Ethiopia - its culture, history, geography and people. The ground crew, headed by Graeme Lemon of Wild Expeditions, did an exceptional job in sometimes very trying circumstances, not the least of which was Shem being medi-evacuated to Addis from a river bed amongst the Suri Tribe. As a tour leader, Shem quietly got on with the job, fixing problems which inevitably arose on the trip of this nature, whilst never losing his equanimity. He was helpful as a photographer, responsive to clients requests and invariably cheerful, even when sporting a head bandage that made him look like a veteran of the Crimean War. The trip was everything we had hoped for and so much more we recommend it highly and we look forward to travelling with Shem again in the near future.