Popularly known as the North Korea of Africa, it is said that Eritrea is the most repressive and hermetic country in all of Africa, a real off-the-beaten-path destination not many travelers have had the chance to visit.
Most travelers, however, agree that this is one of the most unique destinations in the continent, home to the most laid-back city in sub-Saharan Africa and also the most diverse country in terms of landscapes, ethnicities and culture, all concentrated in such a small piece of the African continent.
Join us in discovering one of the most singularly unique destinations we have offered so far.
February 11th to 18th, 2024
1890€
8 days
Lead by Joan Torres
Note that we always keep the itinerary flexible, and it may be subject to change, depending on the political situation.
Day 1 – Arrival in Asmara
Day 2 – Keren animal market
Day 3 – Back to Asmara and city tour
Day 4 – Decamhare and Adikeyih
Day 5 – Qohaito, Soho tribe and Senafe
Day 6 – Massawa
Day 7 – Rasahida tribe and back to Asmara
Day 8 – Departure
Day 1 of the expedition is the arrival day.
We will pick you up from the airport, followed by checking in at the hotel.
We will give an introductory briefing on this Eritrea expedition, followed by dinner and drinks.
If you came earlier, know that Eritrea is the most pleasant city in Africa, a place where you could just chill, stroll around and drink coffee.
Overnight in Asmara.
Day 2 of the expedition will be a Monday, which is the day that Keren animal market takes place, probably the best livestock market I have ever seen.
We will take our time visiting the market, including plenty of free time for taking pictures, interacting with locals and just discovering it on your own.
After lunch, we’ll visit the rest of town and surrounding areas.
Overnight in Keren.
Usually, we would do this tour on day 2, but we moved it to day 3 so we can all attend the animal market.
Wide, palm-lined boulevards, art deco, more Fiat Cinquecentos than Italy itself and a great coffee scene.
Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, might be the most charming city in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Things we will visit include: Fiat Tagliero building, Cinema Roma, Cinema Imperio, Saint Joseph Cathedral, Medemer Market, and the famous bowling center, among other things.
Overnight in Asmara.
Early in the morning, we will travel to Decamhare, a town southeast of Asmara that served as the industrial hub for Italian Eritrea, and once rivaled Asmara to be the colony’s capital.
At its peak in 1938 almost half the town’s 12,000 inhabitants were Italian citizens.
Decamhare is known for its vineyards and flour mills and, despite considerable fighting in the War of Independence, Decamhare still has good examples of colonial architecture.
Then, we’ll continue to Adikeyih through a valley of beautiful sycamores, making our way into Qohaito.
Overnight in Qohaito.
Quohaito is a pre-Axumite archaeological site about 20km from Adikeyih, located at 2,600m on the edge of the Great Rift Valley.
Later, we will continue to the town of Senafe, close to the Ethiopian border, from where a rough 20km track leads to the country’s second-highest mountain, Emba Soira 3,018m.
We will also discover some pretty ancient rock art, as well as meet members from the Soho tribe. Then, at the end of the day, we’ll go back to Asmara.
Overnight in Asmara.
In the morning, we’ll drive to the Red Sea coast, to Eritrea’s main port city of Massawa.
With its strategic position on the Red Sea Coast, it was much coveted by foreign powers and has been occupied by the Portuguese, Arabs, Egyptians, Turks, British and Italians.
It gained prominence back in the 16th century when it was captured by Ottoman forces, who developed the old town using traditional Ottoman architectural styles, often with coral instead of bricks.
We’ll visit the old Ottoman town, the Italian legacy and have some great seafood.
Overnight in Massawa.
Rashahida people are an ethnic group that lives across the coast plain of the Red Sea, from Port Sudan to Massawa.
They are the descendants of Arab tribes from the 19th century and are nomadic people and are characterized by their colorful dress and camel breeds.
They are Sunni Muslims, and a world apart from anything we’ve seen in Asmara and Keren.
We will visit them, learn from them and also have lunch with them.
If possible, we’ll also visit Adulis, once among the greatest ports of the ancient world, linking the Roman, Egyptian and Greek Empires.
However, February will be the rainy season in that area so the road tends to be very muddy and, impossible to drive on our bus. We’ll see. Otherwise, after lunch, we’ll head back to Asmara.
Overnight in Asmara.
Time for a last cappuccino before your transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
Visa processing
7 nights of accommodation in secured hotels mentioned in FAQ
Permits for traveling around Eritrea
Private transportation around Eritrea
Breakfast and lunch
English-speaking Eritrean guide
Tour leader
Entrance fees to all places listed in the itinerary
International flights to Asmara
Visa fees ($70)
Dinner
Single supplement (€165)
February 11th to 18th, 2024
1890€
8 days
Lead by Joan Torres
These are the hotels where we stay. Note that they might be subject to availability.
Price of the tour includes accommodation in a twin room.
If you are a solo traveler, you will be sharing the room with another like-minded traveler from the group. We always try to group people of same gender and age together but note that this won’t always be the case. Moreover, in the hypothetical case there weren’t perfect pairs, one of the rooms would be a triple room.
If you wanted to have your own single room, you will have to pay an additional €165.
You don’t need to worry about anything.
Since you’ll be visiting Eritrea as part of a group, we will apply for you, so you won’t need to visit the embassy but just collect it upon arrival.
You can only fly in. Land borders are closed.
The easiest is to fly from Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airlines, since there are daily flights, plus they are much cheaper if you book the round trip with them.
Alternatively, on February 11th, you can also find flights from Cairo (Egypt Air), Dubai (Emirates) and Istanbul (Turkish Airlines).
In order to secure your spot on the tour, we require a deposit.
All details will be shared upon booking your spot.
Either you are joining one of our trips, or you are traveling by yourself, you might want to look for proper travel insurance. Against the Compass has been a partner with IATI for several years already, recommending it to all readers, as well as covering all Joan Torres’ personal trips.
We like it because It covers all the countries where the FCDO advises against all travel, it offers budget plans and covers all sorts of adventure activities.
Against the Compass readers can benefit from a 5% discount.
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