Eritrea with Timkat (Round 7)

Day 2 – Timkat festival

Timkat is a festival from both Ethiopia and Eritrea celebrated by the Orthodox Curches of both Ethiopia and Eritrea.

During this festival, hundreds of thousands of people gather to celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.

This is the best day of the year in Eritrea for people-watching watching, and photography and basically, we’ll spend the entire day in Asmara trying to enjoy this beautiful, traditional event.

Overnight in Asmara.

Day 3 – Keren animal market

Day 3, 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.

Day 4 – Back to Asmara, Asmara City Tour

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.

Day 5 – Massawa

Drive to the Red Sea coast, to Eritrea’s main port city of Massawa, and old city that 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.

Day 6 – Rasahida tribe and back to Asmara

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.

Lunch with Rashahida community

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.

Day 7 – Decamhare and Senafe

Travel to Decamhare, a town southeast of Asmara that served as the industrial hub for Italian Eritrea. At its peak in 1938, almost half the town’s 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.

Lunch in Senafe, from where we will climb to a monastery located on the top of the highest mountain, a 2-hour hike.

Overnight in Senafe

Day 8 – Qohaito and Soho tribe

Quohaito is a pre-Axumite archaeological site about 20km from Adikeyih, located at 2,600m on the edge of the Great Rift Valley.

We will also discover some pretty ancient rock art, as well as meet members of the Soho tribe.

Back to Asmara and overnight in Asmara.

Day 9 – Departure

In the morning, visit the remaining sites in Asmara.

Then, time for a last cappuccino before your transfer to the airport.