ANGOLA 197 AFRICA Imaginative Facts Tour code: KPEA • Activities: Optional fishing and snorkelling • Accommodation: 11 nights basic bush camps ( often with no facilities), 2 nights simple hotel • Transport: 4WD vehicles, plane • Flights: Windhoek to Ondangwa return • Fully Escorted: By Imaginative Traveller leader or local tour leader DAY 1: WINDHOEK- Arrival day. DAY 2: ONDANGWA - RUACANA- Fly to Ondangwa and continue to Ruacana in the far north of Namibia. ( BD) DAY 3: ANGOLAN BORDER- Visit the impressive Ruacana Falls before crossing into Angola and travelling to our remote bush camp. ( BLD) DAY 4: HIMBA PEOPLE AND BAOBAB FOREST- Meet and interact with the semi-nomadic Himba people. Many of them still adhere to traditional customs and dress. Our drive also passes through an enormous stand of Baobab trees. ( BLD) DAY 5: IONA NATIONAL PARK- This is the country's largest national park, contiguous with Namibia's famous Skeleton Coast. It contains varied and exciting scenery, from Mopane forest to vast open plains and mobile dunes. On our long drive we meet more Himba people and explore the unusual rock formations. ( BLD) DAY 6: FOZ DO CUNENE- Travel towards the coast across a spectacular desert landscape that few tourists have travelled through before. ( BLD) DAY 7: BEACH DRIVE- One of the highlights of the trip! A 230km drive up the coast passing high sand dunes and shipwrecks, made all the more special as the route can only be undertaken at certain times of the year due to the tide. We stop at Lake Argo, a hidden treasure located within a canyon before ending up at Flamingo Camp, dramatically situated in the middle of uninhabited coastline. ( BLD) DAY 8: FLAMINGO CAMP- The region surrounding our camp contains fascinating diverse desert landscapes. We spend today exploring these areas of unique beauty and hiking in a nearby canyon. ( BLD) DAY 9: LUBANGO- Out of the desert! Drive across the forested mountains and over the Leba Pass ( where the road descends over 1000m via a series of stomach- churning switchbacks) to the city of Lubango, set in a lush tropical valley guarded by a statue of Christ built high on the overhanging cliffs. Lubango is rich in colonial architecture, a remnant of the days when Angola was a Portuguese colony and we have time to visit bars and restaurants rich with Portuguese heritage. ( BLD) DAY 10: TUNDA VALA- Our camp near Lubango on the volcanic Tunda Vala escarpment gives us the opportunity to hike amidst the beautiful natural surroundings and unusual rock formations. The views from the top of the escarpment, high above the clouds, are simply breathtaking. ( BLD) DAY 11: CAHAMA - OTCHINJAU- We drive to Cahama to see the tanks and military vehicles left abandoned after the war, before continuing to our campsite near Otchinjau. ( BLD) DAY 12: ONDANGWA- Cross the border into Namibia and head back to Ondangwa. ( BLD) DAY 13: WINDHOEK- Fly to Windhoek where the rest of the day is free to explore. ( B) DAY 14: WINDHOEK - Tour ends. ( B) An eye- opening exploration of one of Africa's most intriguing nations • Enjoy dramatic, varied landscapes from pristine coastline to vast desert • Hike amongst volcanic scenery, wild canyons and even above the clouds! • Camp in remote locationswith views of rugged escarpments and dunes • Spend time with the indigenous Himba tribesand visit colonial Lubango • Off limits for so long, now back on the map - but go soon! Expedition to Angola Voluntary Carbon Offset £ 19.74 * Price includes tour price of £ 2149and local payment of US$ 500All prices are subject to currency fluctuations £ 2410pp Land Only * pioneer Tour duration 14 days Starts ThuEnds Wed WindhoekWindhoek 2009 10- Sep- 0923- Sep- 09 Starts TueEnds Mon WindhoekWindhoek 2010 31- Aug- 1013- Sep- 10 new tour for 2009 Save up to 15% on your tour - see page 243

AFRICAETHIOPIA 198 " Excellent itinerary - lots of free time, small groups and good prices. Best part is that there are lots of optional activities and free time so I didn't feel like it was too structured. Great trip!" Wendy Hodge africa Imaginative Facts Tour code: KTEE • Activities: Extensive walking at sites, short trek in Simien Mountains, boat ride on Lake Tana • Accommodation: 11 nights in simple hotels or guesthouses, 2 nights camping in Simien Mountains • Transport: Private bus, 4WD vehicles, boat, plane • Flights: Addis Ababa to Lalibela, Lalibela to Axum, Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa • Fully Escorted: By Imaginative Traveller leader or local tour leader • Imaginative Traveller Suggests: Add our ' Harar Extension' tour DAY 1: ADDIS ABABA- Arrival day. DAY 2: ADDIS ABABA- Today we go on a guided tour around the city, visiting various sites including St George's Cathedral, the site of Emperor Haile Selassie's coronation, as well as the Merkato, East Africa's largest market. ( B) DAYS 3 & 4: LALIBELA- We fly to Lalibela today, home to a spectacular collection of churches hewn out of the surrounding rock, so astounding that many believe they are the creations of angels. We'll visit the churches within the town and then head out into the surrounding countryside, travelling along dirt tracks, to visit some of the churches that lie nearby, all made from the rock and dating back to around the 12th Century. ( BD) DAYS 5 & 6: AXUM- Fly to Axum, a once great city that was under the control of the Queen of Sheba. Axum is home to many fascinating tombs and churches, and has an unusual collection of stelae dating back to the third and fourth centuries. On Day 6 we have a full day sightseeing at Axum, including the Church of St Mary of Zion, which is believed to contain the Ark of the Covenant. ( BD) DAY 7: SIMIEN MOUNTAINS- Heading south, we travel through fantastic scenery to Debark, on the edge of the Simien Mountains National Park. This area is characterised by enormous chasms and gorges, and offers some of the most dramatic scenery in Africa. We take a short trek to Sankaber, where we camp for the night. ( BD) DAY 8: SIMIEN MOUNTAINS- We spend today trekking through these magnificent mountains, hoping to see some of the fascinating wildlife that lives here. We're almost guaranteedto see Gelada baboons, a species that is found nowhere else on earth, and if we're lucky we may see Walia Ibex. ( BLD) DAYS 9 & 10: GONDAR- After a short hike we leave the mountains behind and head to Gondar. Upon arrival we head to Debre Berhan Selassie, perhaps Ethiopia's most beautiful church. The following morning we explore Gondar, the old capital of Ethiopia. Today it is home to the Royal Enclosure, a collection of superbly preserved castles built in the 17th century, and we spend some time exploring these. ( BD) DAY 11: BAHIR DAR- Today we drive to Bahir Dar, a pleasant town situated on the shores of Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest lake and the source of the Blue Nile. This afternoon we head out to the Blue Nile Falls, the second largest in Africa. ( BD) DAY 12: LAKE TANA- A full day visiting the many island monasteries that lie on Lake Tana. We travel by boat to visit some of the more remote monasteries and churches, most of which date back to the 13th Century. We return to Bahir Dar for the night. ( BD) DAY 13: ADDIS ABABA- Today we fly back to Addis Ababa. ( B) DAY 14, ADDIS ABABA- Tour ends. ( B) A trip to one of the most unique and intriguing countries in Africa • Tour the astounding rock- hewn churchesat Lalibela, Africa's ' Petra' • Visit Gondar and Axum, alleged home of the Ark of the Covenant • Trekin some of the most dramatic scenery in Africain the Simien Mtns • Meet friendly locals in traditional marketsand spot Gelada baboons and Ibex • See the Blue Nile Falls and sail on the vast Lake Tana to island monasteries Ethiopian Explorer Ethiopia Ethiopian Explorer Lost Tribes of Ethiopia Ethiopian Odyssey Addis Ababa Lalibela Bahir Dar Gondar Simien Mountain N. P. Axum Arba Minch Jinka Murile Turmi Konso Yabello Wondo Genet Nechisar N. P. Lake Awasa Single Supplement £ 230 ( optional) Voluntary Carbon Offset £ 13.49 * Price includes tour price of £ 910and local payment of US$ 350All prices are subject to currency fluctuations £ 1095pp Land Only * traveller Tour duration 14 days © Imaginative Traveller Starts SunEnds Sat Addis AbabaAddis Ababa 2009 15- Feb- 0928- Feb- 09 29- Mar- 0911- Apr- 09 10- May- 0923- May- 09 27- Sep- 0910- Oct- 09 01- Nov- 0914- Nov- 09 Starts SunEnds Sat Addis AbabaAddis Ababa 2010 14- Feb- 1027- Feb- 10 28- Mar- 1010- Apr- 10 09- May- 1022- May- 10 26- Sep- 1009- Oct- 10 07- Nov- 1020- Nov- 10 We can also offer Extra Accommodation, Adventure Travel Insurance& Flights Save up to 15% on your tour - see page 243