Depart from the USA onboard Ethiopian Airlines. We enjoy dinner, breakfast and lunch on board.

We arrive in Addis Ababa, a name, which means "new flower", early this evening. The city was founded in 1886 by Emperor Menelik II and his consort Queen Taytu. Addis Ababa is the continent's diplomatic capital with over seventy embassies and consular offices and the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. It is a lively city rich with beauty and culture. After clearing customs our representative meets and transfers us to our hotel for a restful evening. Light dinner and overnight in our hotel. (D)

This morning we transfer to the airport for our flight to Lalibela. Considered by some to be the "8th Wonder of the World" Lalibela, with its beautiful rock hewn churches, is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites. Upon arrival we transfer to our hotel for check-in and time for lunch on our own. In the afternoon, we begin our exploration of these unique houses of worship including Bete Medhanialem, Bete Miriam, Bete Denagel, Bete Meskal, the "double-church" of Debra Sina and Bete Golgotha also known as Bete Michael and finally the cross-shaped church Bete Giorgis. Dinner and overnight are at our hotel.

Today we continue our visit of the churches with time to discover: Bete Gabriel and Raphael, Bete Merquorios, Bete Emmanuel and Bete Abba Libanos. Later, we transfer to the airport for our flight to Axum, the cultural, historical and religious heart of Ethiopia. After lunch on our own, we start our sightseeing with visits to the monolithic steles, the ruined palaces of the great Axumite kings, the baths of the legendary Queen of Sheba and the ruins of her palace "Dongour". We continue on to St. Mary of Zion Church revered as the resting place of the original Ark of Covenant. We finish the day with dinner at our hotel.

After breakfast we explore the Archaeological Museum of Axum and its impressive array of regional artifacts, some dating back more than 2,000 years. We have an overview of this ancient city, once the center of Axumite Kingdom, which was at its zenith in the centuries just after the birth of Jesus. Christianity traces its roots here to 327AD. Later we have free time to shop and test our bargaining skills. Dinner and overnight are at our hotel.

This morning we enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then transfer to the airport for our flight back to Addis Ababa. We check-in to the hotel and have time for lunch on our own. This afternoon, we visit of the National Museum to discover fascinating displays of local arts. Later drive to Mount Entoto for a panoramic view of the city and then continue on to country's largest market the "Mercato". We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

We start the day by attending the final portion of a typical service at the Ethiopian Orthodox, Trinity Cathedral. We follow this with a visit to share in services with another local congregation. This afternoon we take in the Ethnographic Museum at the Addis Abeba University and have a final bit of free time. After our evening farewell dinner, we transfer to the airport for our homebound flight.

We arrive in the New York area in the morning in time to connect with our homebound flights.