The price you pay is inclusive

The only extras you need to budget for are drinks and shopping. We include lunches and gratuities to guide, driver and hotel staff.

2021 Price: £3,195, Single Supplement: £495, Travel Insurance Premium: £159 up to age 75 and £304 aged 76-85.

Included

Flights, Hotel accommodation, Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, Sightseeing programme, Entrance fees & guiding, Gratuities

All meals are included. Lunches will feature local specialities, with a more international choice in the evenings.

Not included

Travel Insurance, Single Room supplement, Visa on arrival ($50)

Travel Insurance

The McCabe recommended insurance policy is designed for the older traveller. The premium for this pilgrimage to Ethiopia is £159 up to age 75 and £304 aged 76-85. We also recommend that older travellers obtain a note from their doctor stating that they are fit to travel. Do feel free to shop around as there are many suitable insurance options including annual policies on the market. We do insist that all travellers take out medical insurance.

A key feature of our recommended policy is that there is no requirement to call a Medical Help Line as most pre-existing conditions are covered.

You can read the full policy wording here.

Passports, visas and health

British passport holders require a visa which is issued on arrival at Addis Ababa Airport. The cost is currently USD 50 payable in cash on arrival. Please make sure your passport has six months validity and two blank pages. No inoculations are required but do remember to take any regular medications.

Airline

Direct flights from Heathrow to Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines. Duration 7 hours. Ethiopia is only 3 hours ahead of UK time, so jet lag is not usually a problem. We recommend a Thursday departure, but other days are possible.

The following local flights are included in the tour price:

ET 112 Addis Ababa to Mekele / 0800 - 0925

ET 123 Axum to Lalibela / 1150 -1230

ET 123 Lalibela to Gondar / 1250 - 1320

ET 145 Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa / 1300 - 1400

Hotels

Addis has excellent hotels and we stay in a four star property close to the airport at the beginning and end of our holiday. Outside Addis we stay in best available hotels, all of which are of a very acceptable standard. Rooms have private facilities.

You can click on the hotel websites below:

Sapphire Addis Hotel in Addis Ababa

Agoro Lodge in Adigrat  

Sabean Hotel in Axum

Tukul Village Hotel in Lalibela

Mayleko Lodge in Gondar

Kuriftu Resort in Bahir Dar

How strenuous

You do not have to be super fit to participate in this tour, but expect a good deal of walking on uneven terrain and stair climbing. Be aware that Addis Ababa sits at an altitude of 2,500 metres: walking at altitude can be very tiring. If you have any heart or respiratory problems, please do ask your GP if this tour is suitable for you.

Cuisine

Hotels generally cater well for western guests offering local as well as familiar dishes. Lunches are simple, perhaps wat (stew) accompanied by injara a unique type of Ethiopian bread, which looks like a pancake and is made from tef, a type of cereal found only in Ethiopia. Most dishes are lamb or beef based, but vegetarians are catered for, though the choice may be limited. Pasta and spaghetti dishes are also commonly available. Wednesdays and Fridays are traditional fasting days and restaurants usually only serve vegetable dishes. A popular Ethiopian dish is kitfo, which is minced meat that has been warmed, but not cooked. This is considered a delicacy in Ethiopia.

If you have special dietary requirements, let us know and we will do our best to satisfy these, but we cannot guarantee that this will always be possible.

Travelling Alone

Many of our passengers travel alone and object to expensive single room supplements. McCabe Pilgrimages will accept individual bookings on a 'guaranteed share' basis. We charge the basic price and accommodate you with a person of the same sex also requesting shared accommodation. If we do not find someone to share with you, you will be accommodated in a single room at only 50% of the usual single room supplement. For single travellers who do require single accommodation this should be requested when booking and, if available, the normal supplement will be payable.

The McCabe Educational Trust

For many, meeting the ‘Living Stones’ of The Land becomes a real highlight of their pilgrimage. The McCabe Educational Trust is an independent registered charity with the aim of helping inspiring people we meet on pilgrimage. On your pilgrimage you will meet some of these people. As ‘the haves’ encounter the ‘have nots’ the Trust has become a practical tool for one to help the other.

McCabe Pilgrimages invite all travellers to become partners in this work. A £15 voluntary donation to the Trust’s work is added to every pilgrim’s invoice and all money raised in this way is given in full to the projects the Trust supports. This scheme is voluntary and confidential with nobody put under any pressure to participate.

Full Financial Security

All money paid to McCabe is fully secure. Holidays including flights are covered by our ATOL license from the Civil Aviation Authority, and holidays without flights are protected by our membership of the ABTOT bonding scheme. If a pilgrimage is cancelled, for instance through lack of numbers or for political considerations, McCabe will promptly refund all monies paid.

AITO Quality Statement

McCabe Pilgrimages is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators. The Association represents Britain’s leading independent tour operators and encourages high standards of quality and service. McCabe abides by the Association’s Code of Conduct and adheres to the AITO Quality Charter.

You can read McCabe reviews on the AITO website HERE