4WD Tours
7–9 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 98% of travelers
98% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$160
$144
per group
Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours
Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours
5
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Full view
About
Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours offers exclusive sightseeing city tours in Addis Ababa, captivating private day trips, and enriching multi-day excursions in Ethiopia.
We specialize in creating personalized and immersive experiences that highlight best of Addis Ababa.
Our team of professional friendly guides and tour customization expertise set us apart.
Experience Ethiopia with MERIT!
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tours and Tickets by Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours
Food & Drink
5 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$206
per group
Overnight Tours
2 days
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$846
per group
4WD Tours
10–12 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$375
per group
4WD Tours
7–9 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 100% of travelers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$273
per group
Travelers talk about
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
165 reviews
Excellent
153
Very good
9
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
3
David W
Exmouth, UK5 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We found Muluken through Trip Advisor. We wanted a local guide to help us plan trips in Ethiopia as we were visiting an Ethiopian fiend who lives in Addis, and prefer using local tour operators, rather than UK based companies, so that all funds are spent tin the country visited.
We had a 5day visit to the North, Bahir Dar and Lalibela, and a four night stay in the Rift Valley.
The highlight of our trips was Lalibela.
Muluken organised very good drivers and guides for the different places we went to, especially in Lalibela where the guide Muluken booked was excellent.
Hotel accommodation was generally good, though the bathroom in our room at the Abey Minch Lodge was in need of some work. The Mountain View Hotel in Lalibela and the Sabana Beach Resort at Langano Lake are both highly recommended.
We have recommended that Muluken provides a larger vehicle for journeys of more than two hours given the state of some roads.
Overall we would recommend Muluken who provides a well organised and professional service. It worked well to make all arrangements in advance by email from the UK some months ahead of our visit.
We had a 5day visit to the North, Bahir Dar and Lalibela, and a four night stay in the Rift Valley.
The highlight of our trips was Lalibela.
Muluken organised very good drivers and guides for the different places we went to, especially in Lalibela where the guide Muluken booked was excellent.
Hotel accommodation was generally good, though the bathroom in our room at the Abey Minch Lodge was in need of some work. The Mountain View Hotel in Lalibela and the Sabana Beach Resort at Langano Lake are both highly recommended.
We have recommended that Muluken provides a larger vehicle for journeys of more than two hours given the state of some roads.
Overall we would recommend Muluken who provides a well organised and professional service. It worked well to make all arrangements in advance by email from the UK some months ahead of our visit.
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear David and Linda,
Hello!
Thank you very much for organizing your tour near Addis Ababa and few days tour to Northern Ethiopia with us!!
I take a very good note of the points you mentioned and will consider it to improve the tours we offer at Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours.
Thanks a lot again for taking time to rate and review your tour arrangement with me.
With best regards,
Muluken Girma
Written February 23, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rigmor S
Borlange, Sweden1 contribution
Mar 2020
For the first time after 63 years I was happy to return to Addis Abeba. I got in contact with Muluken Girma, the most perfect Tour Guide. He customized a private city tour for us after having received vage descriptions of my memories from 1957. We appreciated his perfect English that enabled us to improvise, i e stops to take photos or to take walks to get the sense of a certain place. I was very happy. Of course we also went to the more famous attractions and Moloken could tell us about Ethiopian history and fill us in with specific facts. We were also impressed by the driver who made us feel safe in the hectic traffic during Adwa celebration day.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Rigmor and Lars,
Thank you very much for rating and writing a review of your city tour in Addis Ababa with me!
It is really a pleasure to customize your private Addis Ababa city visit as you wanted. I am also very happy that we could see places you were interested to see including the house you lived at in the 1950s.
Thanks a lot again for choosing Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours and work your one day tour of Addis Ababa with me!!
I hope to meet you someday in the future for a longer trip in Ethiopia
Best of my wishes,
Muluken G.
Written March 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Natalie M
London, UK96 contributions
Mar 2020
We have had a fantastic experience with Muluken, who has organised a personalised day tour from Addis Ababa on the day of our layover on our way from Zimbabwe to UK with Ethiopian airlines. The main point of the tour was lake Ziway on a round tour for a total drive on a loop of about 360 km.
We have stopped at different outlooks and enjoyed views of the Ethiopian part of the Great East African Rift Valley. There was also a potential visit to the grave site of Tiya, but, unfortunately, it was closed for renovation. We have visited a local family house where the local ways of preparing food were demonstrated to us, it was a very interesting cultural experience.
We loved the trip on lake Ziway on the speed boat with a cover. It was about an hour, but we have seen a number of birds: great white pelicans, yellow billed storks, marabou storks, African fish eagles, etc. After the boat trip we have had a good lunch. We have chosen to taste Ethiopian meals, which were delicious, but a bit too spicy for us, so keep it in mind considering your order.
We would like to thank Muluken not only for a very well organised tour, but also for his personal input and very nice and warm attitude which made us feel very well looked after by a good friend.
We have stopped at different outlooks and enjoyed views of the Ethiopian part of the Great East African Rift Valley. There was also a potential visit to the grave site of Tiya, but, unfortunately, it was closed for renovation. We have visited a local family house where the local ways of preparing food were demonstrated to us, it was a very interesting cultural experience.
We loved the trip on lake Ziway on the speed boat with a cover. It was about an hour, but we have seen a number of birds: great white pelicans, yellow billed storks, marabou storks, African fish eagles, etc. After the boat trip we have had a good lunch. We have chosen to taste Ethiopian meals, which were delicious, but a bit too spicy for us, so keep it in mind considering your order.
We would like to thank Muluken not only for a very well organised tour, but also for his personal input and very nice and warm attitude which made us feel very well looked after by a good friend.
Written March 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Natalie and Roger,
Hello!!
Thank you very much for choosing to organize your day tour from Addis Ababa to Lake Ziway, and for allowing me to be your tour guide!!
It was such a great day we spent together. I had learnt also a lot from your nature (wildlife) experience. Thank you so much also for taking your precious time to share your day trip from Addis Ababa experience with me on TripAdvisor!!
Thanks again for choosing to tour and experience Ethiopia with MERIT!!
I look forward to show you more of Ethiopia someday
With best wishes,
Muluken G.
Written March 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Leela Dahal
1 contribution
Mar 2023 • Couples
My husband and I took the City tour, 2 days trip to Lalibela and trip to Debre Libanos Monastery and Portuguese bridge. All trips were well organized and comfortable. The guides, Biruk and Driver Suraj were very knowledgeable and always concerned about our comfort during both the city tour and monastery tour. Enjoyed the scenic drive to the Portuguese bridge and lunch after, better than the monastery itself. In the city tour, the chaos of the market tour, although an experience, is best to avoid.
Our trip to Lalibela with tour guide Destav was excellent. He gave clear and good explanations and was always concerned about our comfort. Muluken agreed to change the itinerary to also visit a cave monastery 42 kms from Lalibela and we thoroughly enjoyed this experience.
Our trip to Lalibela with tour guide Destav was excellent. He gave clear and good explanations and was always concerned about our comfort. Muluken agreed to change the itinerary to also visit a cave monastery 42 kms from Lalibela and we thoroughly enjoyed this experience.
Written March 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Leela,
Thank you so much for booking tours in/near Addis Ababa and two days tour to Lalibela with Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours!
It’s wonderful to hear about how much you enjoyed our guided city tour in Addis Ababa, day trip to Debre Libanos Monastery, and 2-days tour to Lalibela Rock Churches. We appreciate you sharing your review!
Thank you for sharing your feelings in visiting the busy Merkato Market in Addis Ababa! I will advise all our tour guides to make sure visitors are comfortable in walking in crowds before stepping out of the tour bus.
Thanks a lot again, Leela!
With best wishes,
Muluken
Written March 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Gene W
1 contribution
Sep 2020
We had booked for this trip for the end of April 2020. Muluken made every effort to adapt the itinerary to fit in with our other travel plans. Then of course the Covid pandemic arrived. Naively, we rebooked again and again; Muluken running around changing our bookings and keeping in contact. Finally, the inevitable - cancelling. Muluken had bought our domestic Ethiopian Airlines tickets for us using the deposit we had paid had him. Getting those tickets refunded by Ethiopian Airlines was never going to be straight forward. However, with Muluken's determination, persistence and a bit of lateral thinking, we go it all sorted. I can only praise Muluken for his organisation, dedication and honesty. We will be in contact with him to take that trip when the world can finally travel again!
Written June 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Gene,
Thank you very much for contacting Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours and started working to book the two days to Harar by flight from Addis Ababa!!
Unfortunately, because of the Corona (Covid-19) pandemic, you couldn’t take the tour to Harar as planned including the rescheduled dates.
I’m sorry for all the inconveniences in getting the refunds for the domestic flight tickets.
Thanks so much for taking time to share how all the process of booking of the Harar tour from Addis Ababa went and failed this time!
I hope I will take you on the same tour someday
Thanks a lot again Gene
Best wishes,
Muluken
Written June 13, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Marcia V
Sao Paulo, SP55 contributions
Mar 2023
Muluken customized our one day tour so we could see the most of Ethiopia in the one day layover we had in Addis Ababa. We visited Mt Entoto (very early in the morning, beautiful!), then headed to the National Museum where Biruk gave us a very good tour - he's knowledgeable and was very patient with my incessant questioning of everything! Then he took us to see the celebration of Victory Day, sitting right across the monument, in a lovely café where we had typical Ethipian food for breakfast. From then we took the road to Mariam rock church (interesting visit) and Tyia (graveyard from the middle ages), where we had the opportunity to watch (eat and drink) the making of the false banana bread and grinding of Ethiopian Coffee before heading back to Addis. A wonderful experience expertly lead by Biruk. I strongly recommend Merit if you are visiting Ethiopia!
Written March 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Marcia,
Hello!
It is such a great pleasure that we helped in customizing your layover tour in Addis Ababa and around to your expectations. Yes, we do our best to help visitors experience the real Ethiopian culture and get close to the locals!
Thank you so much for arranging your private city visits in Addis Ababa and day trip from Addis Ababa to Adadi Mariam Rock Church with Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours. I will share your reviews with Biruk. He is one of Merit’s best tour guides in Addis Ababa.
We are always here to make your trips to Ethiopia a great service!
I thank you very much for the great review with lovely title!!
All the best,
Muluken Girma
Written March 10, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Journey to the heart of the earth
Leicester, UK323 contributions
Jan 2023
If I could give Muluken Girma 10 out of 5 I would do that. Right from the start he was prompt with his emails, gave valuable suggestions and knew exactly what we were looking for. He is accommodating, knowledgeable, kind and proud of his culture. I came away wanting to return to Ethiopia again and if I did, I will look no further for someone to organise my tour again. It will be Muluken and Merit Ethiopia.
Written January 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear visitor,
Hello!
Thank you for arranging your private trip in Ethiopia with Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours!
Thank you so much for the awesome review! We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience visiting best sites in Ethiopia with us.
I'm really proud for adding such a value on your tour experience in Ethiopia!
We always work hard to meet expectations of visitors like yours, and we’re happy to hear we hit the mark for you.
We look forward to taking you on a private tour of Ethiopia again in the future!
Thanks a lot again. Cheers!
Muluken
Written February 1, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jack s
Hanoi, Vietnam75 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
Contacted Merit vis Trip advisor before we left home and Muluken, the manager responded very promptly with details where to pick up upon our airport arrival. He offered to bring us to our hotel first to get rid of the luggage first for no additional charge!
Then when we arrived, Henok, our guide was already waiting. Afterwards we had a brilliant day as we arrived exactly on the biggest celebration of a year in Ethiopia: Timkat.
Henok brought us not only to places in the itinerary but additional places we wanted to and to a local family where they were celebrating.
Excellent day with an excellent guide!
Then when we arrived, Henok, our guide was already waiting. Afterwards we had a brilliant day as we arrived exactly on the biggest celebration of a year in Ethiopia: Timkat.
Henok brought us not only to places in the itinerary but additional places we wanted to and to a local family where they were celebrating.
Excellent day with an excellent guide!
Written January 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Jack,
Hello!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful experience in Addis Ababa with Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours on TripAdvisor! We're thrilled to hear you had such a "brilliant day" visiting Addis Ababa. You are lucky that your trip coincided with the incredible Timkat celebration.
It is such a pleasure to hear that you valued my prompt response and offer to drop you off at your hotel first was helpful. We understand the importance of starting your trip relaxed and comfortable.
Thank you for mentioning Henok's expertise and willingness to go beyond the itinerary. Our guides are passionate about sharing Ethiopia's authentic culture and creating personalized experiences for every guest.
Once again, we're so glad you chose Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours. If you ever return to Ethiopia, please don't hesitate to reach out – we'd love to welcome you back!
Thank you very much, Jack!
All the best,
Muluken G.
Written January 22, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Danielle Goller
11 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
We did the 2 day Lalibela tour which is not shown on trip advisor but you can email him about it. It was spectacular! Muluken was the most responsive from start to finish and took care of every step of the way. In Lalibela we had an amazing guide, Abay, who is from there and took us to see all the hewn churches and we even got to see a holy day with hundreds of locals. We upgraded to Mezena Resort which I highly recommend! This tour is definitely worth the trip and with Mulukens help, you'll have everything well planned!
Written May 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Danielle,
Hello!
Thank you very much for organizing your private 2-days tour to Lalibela with Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours!!
Thanks a lot for the awesome review, Danielle!
I really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience of visiting the rock churches of Lalibela with us. Yes, I agree, Abay is a great tour guide and is truly a gem to have inn our team!
We look forward to taking you on a longer tour in Ethiopia someday
Thanks a lot again
With best wishes,
Muluken
Written June 3, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
sergio g
11 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
I did the Addis Day Tour and it was super. I was taken around to see Addis from many angles and the guide Biruk and the excellent driver were able to answer all my questions so that by the end of the day i was able to have a very good idea of Addis past, present and even future. I highly recommend this tour company.
Written March 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Visitor,
Hello!
Thank you so much for arranging your private Addis Day Tour with Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours!
Thank you very much also for leaving review of your guided tour in Addis Ababa with us on TripAdvisor!
It is fantastic to know Biruk and the driver helped you get the real feel of Addis Ababa.
We hope to see you someday on a longer trip in Ethiopia!
All the best,
Muluken
Written March 29, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
No questions have been asked about this experience