Africa + Indian Ocean
Ethiopia
The destination that should be at the top of any adventurer’s wish list
Ethiopia has emerged as one of Africa’s most exciting destinations – a land of contrasts that is home to some of the oldest civilisations in the world, but also a thrilling developing art and culture scene.
The country has so much to offer from the moment you arrive. Addis Ababa alone boasts the remains of ‘Lucy’, the world’s oldest known almost complete hominid skeleton as well as the Mercato – Africa’s largest market.
For adventurers we recommend hiking through the Simien Mountains in search of its endemic mammals, while culture fans can delve deep into its more recent history by exploring its emperors’ castles in Gondar and visiting the rock hewn churches of Lalibela, which are often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
Luxury tourism is still a relatively new concept for Ethiopia and hotels tend to be comfortable rather than lavish, often with a faded grandeur charm. This is part of the adventure, and what they lack in facilities the staff make up for in kindness, living up to their reputation as some of the most friendly people in Africa.
Our Service
- Initial Conversation
- Your Destination Expert will build a relationship with you and a nuanced understanding of what you want from your holiday.
- Creating an Itinerary
- Once we know you, we can match our years of specialist knowledge to you and begin designing your extraordinary trip.
- Collaborate
- We will continue refining your itinerary adding in those special touches and leaving no stone unturned to make sure that every day is spectacular.
- 24/7 service
- From the moment you leave home, we will be on hand to ensure a totally seamless experience.
We work in some of the most ecologically and culturally sensitive parts of the world, so are always conscious of operating in a way which has a positive impact on both the environment and the people. Tourism is our livelihood and the livelihood of those we work with in our regions. Therefore, it is our responsibility to promote sustainable development in tourism. As a small company, we believe that the best way to have a positive impact is to work with individuals who share our values. Similar to the locally owned, small-scale lodges and hotels which we tend to favour for our clients, we also seek out charities that affect tangible change through small, local projects.
Our service includes booking both international and domestic flights, however clients can also book their own international flights if they would prefer.
We have a fantastic VIP service in place to help you navigate the airport to make your journey as smooth and easy as possible.
We understand that one of the most important factors to our clients is flexibility to give you as much assurance as possible when booking your next trip. For clients who have been unable to travel due to COVID-19 in the last few months, we have had outstanding success at making alternative arrangements and deferring their bookings to a more suitable time in the future – in most cases, at no additional cost. Similarly, in the event of cancellation, we have actively worked with our suppliers on the ground to recover funds and, to date, have either managed to recover 100% of the funds, or the majority of the funds, with the balance in the form of a credit note where possible.
Going forward, we can guarantee that should you not be able to travel due to COVID-19, we can defer your ground arrangements to a date that you are able to travel, subject to availability and seasonality, at zero cost to you and have secured a no increase agreement with our suppliers for travel until the end of 2021. We are also able to change both international and domestic flights, but this may incur additional cancellation and alteration fees imposed by the airline, which we will mitigate when we can. For added peace of mind, all client funds deposited with us or suppliers are held in a distinct ring-fenced account, until such time as they become payable.
We have excellent relationships with a handful of insurance companies who provide various forms of COVID-19 cover in the event that you, or a member of your party, contract the virus either before or during your trip. Each one offers a different policy with varying terms and conditions, so we strongly recommend getting a series of quotes and discussing your personal requirements in detail with them in order to find the best one for you. Get in touch with us to find out more.
Booking and travelling with an accredited tour operator is more important than ever. cazenove+loyd is ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Our ATOL number is 3208. This means that the UK government guarantees all funds paid out to a bonded operator and is bound to pay in full if the bond holder is unable to deliver as contracted. This gives our clients peace of mind and full financial protection. Please see our booking conditions for further information.
We have put the relevant measures in place so that our destinations are ready to welcome you safely once borders are open. In all of our destinations, sanitation and hygiene in our vehicles and the properties we work with are extensive, with cleaning protocols rigidly followed as well as other necessary safety requirements. Every trip starts with a blank piece of paper and is totally tailor-made to you. However, we understand the demand for destinations that can be reached by direct flight and itineraries designed to avoid built-up and crowded areas and staying in smaller hotels, private houses and on boats that you can take with family and friends. We always arrange private vehicles and guides for our clients when travelling in a destination and can also organise private charters and private jet travel for both international and domestic flights.
The price of our service is dependent on the intricacies of the itinerary. No two trips are the same. Our philosophy is to make every detail tailored just to you.
We fully appreciate that paying the full balance for your holiday 60 days or more in advance, when it’s not clear if your trip can take place, is a daunting prospect. To offer further reassurance and allow you to defer payment of your balance for as long as possible, we have agreed with our suppliers to make balance payments as late as 30 days prior to departure, allowing us to ensure your trip is viable before asking for any balance payment. To allow for payment to be received from you and paid to the relevant suppliers in time, we will invoice you a week to 10 days prior to that balance payment being due. There are some exceptions to this added flexibility, which are private boat charters and bookings over the Christmas and New Year period, where balance payments may be requested sooner, due to the nature and/or timing of the booking. Should this apply to your booking, it will be communicated to you in advance.
WHY CAZENOVE + LOYD?
A highly exclusive and innovative way to travel
We would love to hear from you
Each of our dedicated experts has extensive knowledge of the destinations they specialise in. They are continuously re-visiting, trying and testing so that they can offer you up to date and little-known insights into the regions they are so passionate about.
