Begin your adventure with a morning flight to Jimma, then drive into Chebera Churchura National Park. Discover one of Ethiopia's least visited and most rewarding wildlife areas, where rivers, crater lakes, and rolling hills create a habitat that supports African elephants, buffalo, hippos, lions, and leopards. Settle in with an afternoon game drive.

Spend the next 2 days exploring the park's forests, grasslands, and riverbanks on foot and by vehicle. Let your guide read animal movements and position you well. While elephants are the headline, the birdlife here rewards anyone paying attention, with kingfishers, raptors, and forest species that rarely appear on standard Ethiopia itineraries.

On day 4, drive back to Jimma with a stop at a working coffee plantation. Walk the fields, watch the processing from drying to roasting, and finish with a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony — three rounds, the way it has been done here for centuries, in the region where it all began.

The next day, fly back to Addis Ababa. Spend the afternoon exploring the Merkato market, craft shops, or simply the city at your own pace.

On day 6, fly to Lalibela. Your guide leads you through the northern cluster of rock-hewn churches — Biete Medhane Alem, the largest monolithic church on earth, Biete Maryam with its ancient frescoes, and Biete Giyorgis, carved in the shape of a perfect cross and still the most quietly astonishing thing in Ethiopia.

The next day, explore the southern cluster of churches to complete the Lalibela picture. Then, head out to Yemrehanna Kristos — an 11th-century church built inside a cave, constructed from alternating layers of stone and timber, predating Lalibela's churches and carrying a stillness that's hard to describe. Spend the afternoon exploring local markets and meeting artisans.

On your final day, take an early flight back to Addis Ababa. Enjoy a farewell dinner marking the end of the journey.