Shutter Symphony

DAY 1- ADDIS ABABA

• Upon arrival at the airport, you will be driven to the hotel which is 15 minutes away. The hotel has internet, a nice lounge area, a good restaurant, wonderful staff, a money exchange, and a comfortable place to start the trip.
• The group will have a meet and greet dinner that evening.
• Over Night in in Addis Ababa

DAY 2 - ADDIS ABABA

• You will start the day with a photoshoot in the Entoto hills, the highest point in Addis where the women wood carriers walk, donkeys roam and people pray at St. Mary's Church.
• From there you will walk the local Shiro Meda market where people shop for shema cloth and traditional clothing.
• You will photograph the pilgrims and priests at the ornate Holy Trinity Cathedral. Women in shema- traditional white shawls, and men deep in prayer are both inside this second most important place of prayer in Ethiopia as well as in the expansive courtyard.
• Lunch at the Lucy restaurant which is adjoining the Ethnological Museum which houses Lucy, the most complete skeleton ever discovered, being 3.2 million years old.
• Over Night in in Addis Ababa

DAY 3 – FLY TO JINKA

• You will take the 11:40 am flight to Jinka arriving at 1:00 pm.
• The afternoon will be spent walking the packed village lanes of the Ari village. These very rural people are friendly, some homes are brightly painted, they do pottery, grow sorghum, and daily life is easily photographed. Chickens in the yards, kids wanting to hold your hands, and women cooking by fire all make for a great introduction to the Omo Valley. These people are not painted, pierced, or decorated but are an excellent representation of rural southern Ethiopia.
• You will visit the school in the village. The classrooms are visually compelling and great to document. We will walk up the main road visiting the houses and meeting the people.
• We will be spending the night in the Eco Omo Lodge which is on the banks of the river where people bathe, clothing gets washed, and cars get cleaned.
• Over Night in in Jinka

DAY 4 – EXCURSION TO MAGO NATIONAL PARK TO VISIT MURSI

• Early morning before dawn, you will take the two-hour ride through Mago National Park to reach a Mursi village. As they are nomadic it is impossible to name the settlement you will visit.
• The women wear circular clay lip plates, the men are garbed in large towel-like wraps. Photographing women grinding sorghum and breastfeeding while making their morning coffee which they drink out of gourds is possible.
• Our guides handle the photo fee payments so you can shoot with abandon. For protein, the men bleed a bull in the early morning and drink its blood. The homes are thatched straw and sticks, and these people are known to keep traditions very much intact.
• Many men have body adornments. A sense of humor is needed to fully appreciate the Mursi photographic experience.
• The afternoon will be spent wandering the dirt street and markets of Jinka. The market is colorful and vibrant with many bars, and stores selling plastic woven baskets, and day-to-day items. Splitting into small groups, a guide will help you with translation, setting up shots if desired, and see to it that you can photograph freely.
• Lodging nice again will be at the Eco Omo Lodge which has a patio where the group can have cold beer or hot coffee after this long day.
• Over Night in in Jinka

DAY 5 – TURMI VIA ARBORE

• Proceeding further into the scenic Weito lowlands, you will be visiting an Arbore tribal village located at the northern edge of Mount Buska. The Arbore women are absolutely stunning; they have extremely dark skin and strong features. Prior to marriage, the women have their heads shaved.
• They wear dark robes, colorful beads, and their huts are fabricated from tree branches. You will work on your portraiture skills in this village.
• Arriving in Turmi late in the afternoon, you will be spending the night at the Buska Lodge which will be your base for the next few days. These round-shaped tukul lodges have porches and are on the bank of a stream. If you like shooting star trails this is your mecca as there is little light pollution.
• Over Night in Buska Lodge

DAY 6 - TURMI - DUS - TURMI

• Departing Turmi at 5:00 AM, you will head to Dus, the friendliest village of the Kara tribe.
• Settled on the banks of the Omo River, this tribe is known for their creative and decorative body chalk painting.
• Many of the Kara women have pierced lips and insert nails and pins. Photographing on the bank of the Omo River can yield images of the kids diving into the water.
• You will shoot a cattle and goat drive which is iconic. Dust swirling, men with guns and long herders stick driving their herd to the water.
• You will photograph the ceremonial, communal dance performed by the people of Dus.
• They will invite you into their huts for coffee to be had out of a gourd. The Kara of Dus prides themselves as the best dancers in the Omo.
• You will also photograph these warm and inviting people on the banks of the Omo and in the shade, under the large umbrella-like trees.
• You will be bringing a picnic breakfast and lunch with us.
• Over Night in in Turmi

DAY 7 - TURMI - KANGATEN - TURMI

• Starting off from Turmi at sunrise you will be heading to Kangate, home to the Nyangatom tribe that historically are said to be a split group from the Toposa tribe of South Sudan.
• Settled on the other side of the Omo River, You will be crossing the Omo River where you will be able to access and visit remote tribal villages.
• The teenage boys are lively and like to play much of the day. The women are topless and wear many strands of heavy beads, the girls are playful and love to have their images taken.
• Mid-afternoon, you will return to Turmi where you will be spending another night at the Buska Lodge.
• You can also photograph the Hamer tribe digging for water, smoking out bees, or do another local village sunset shoot.
• Over Night in in Turmi

DAY 8 - TURMI - OMORATE-TURMI

• Departing Turmi at 5:00 AM, you will be heading to Omorate, home of the Dassanach tribe who are said to be descendants of the Turkana tribe in North Kenya.
• Like many of these tribal groups, they use chain links and other Western ‘cast-offs' as decorative objects.
• Crossing the newly constructed Omo River Bridge and driving further for 12km, we will be able to photograph a remote Dassanach tribal village, just 11 km from the shores of Lake Turkana.
• You will photograph the women cooking by fire, grinding corn meal, and the men with their flock.
• You will try to continue further south to Lake Turkana to see and photograph the small wooden fishing boats and Dassanch people.
• Over Night in in Turmi

DAY 9 - TURMI

• This being Monday we will attend the Turmi market. The Hamer people will be selling honey, snuff, foodstuffs, and local wares.
• You will be able to wander freely shooting the many stalls. Of note the stores have some artistic designs and the crafts market is the best in the Omo.
• You may encounter the ritualistic bull jumping ceremony usually around Turmi.
• The women dance, the bells on their ankles making a distinctive noise that blends in with the bugles they blow. The age group (16-25) of men called Maza to whip the women as a sign of devotion as they will be responsible for the women as they grow old.
• Not less than five bulls are lined up and the nude guy will run across them numerous times. Once successfully completed he is entitled to marry.
• Over Night in in Turmi

DAY 10 - TURMI

• During the day you will be visiting two local Hamer villages in close proximity. One visit at sunrise and another at sunset.
• Leaving the hotel at 5:30 AM the short ride will get you to the Hamer village as the people get ready for the day.
• Goats going out to pasture, sorghum being ground, kids milking goats and early morning coffee ceremony are ideal photo shots.
• The Hamer women have high cheekbones and wear thick copper necklaces which indicate first wife status and elaborate custom beads.
• The Hamer are very outgoing and easily engaged. Many of the men wear feathers in their hair and dress in dark green blankets.
• The sunset shot will be in another village 20 minutes away from our lodge. Another trip favorite photo shoot is that of silhouettes.
• Over Night in in Addis Ababa

DAY 11 - ADDIS ABABA

• Today we will fly back to Addis Ababa from the Jinka airport.
• The group will return to Addis early in the afternoon and go to a Fair Trade home goods store that has the highest quality fabrics/ shawls/ linen.
• Those leaving on late-night flights will be driven to the airport. The farewell dinner will be in the hotel.
• Over Night in in Addis Ababa

DAY 12 – DEPARTURE-ADDIS ABABA- HOMEWARD BOUND