Tesfa Tours

Tesfa Tours is a community-based trekking and tour operator with its office in the Kebena area of Addis Ababa. The company was set up in 2010 to continue community tourism work developed since 1999 under the guidance of Mark Chapman, and its focus is on travellers who want to stay with rural communities rather than in hotels. Its treks are hosted by more than 20 village communities in the Lalibela, or Wollo, and Tigray highlands, with guests staying in community-owned guesthouses.

For visitors based in Addis Ababa, the most accessible programme is the Gurage Homestay Trails, set in the Gurage highlands a few hours south-west of the capital. The trip lasts four days and three nights, with an extra night possible in any village. Guests stay in three village homes, walk the community-managed Jefoure roads, visit Chebo Mariam village with its gorge views, cross a suspension bridge over a river gorge and pass hilltop churches and riverine woodland where colobus monkeys live. Meals feature local food including kitfo, gomen kitfo, kocho and buna coffee, and evenings can include traditional music and dancing.

The package includes homestay accommodation, breakfast, a picnic lunch, arrival snacks and dinner, tea and coffee, a local guide, and pack animals or porters for luggage of up to 20 kilograms, ideally in soft bags. Transport to the start of the trek and from the finish is not included, nor are bottled drinks or church entry fees, so arrange a car from Addis Ababa or ask the team to help. Supplements apply for solo travellers, late bookings and private guides.

These trips suit active travellers who are comfortable with simple accommodation, long days on foot and unhurried village life. A reasonable level of fitness helps, as the walking crosses highland ridges and gorges. Beyond the treks, Tesfa also designs tailor-made tours across Ethiopia, from the Simien and Bale Mountains to the Omo Valley, so it can build a longer itinerary around a homestay.

Contact the team by phone, WhatsApp or email well before your dates, as village hosts need notice. Check your government's travel advice before booking any trip outside the capital.