Haile was an excellent guide. As some other traveller said, his connection with the peoples and tribes you visit is genuine, and that makes the trip a totally different experience.... read more He engages with the communities and finds the most interesting local guides. Like Franco, an amazing and knowledgable guide for the Hamer People.

The only small recommendation to Haile it's to try to prepare a little bit more information about the itinerary, the costs and the activities on the trip. But I wouldn't recommend anyone else for this area, and I am sure we will be asking for his services again!!

  Just did a five day trip with Haile to the Omo valley. Tribes, Markets, Trekking around Jinka. Decided to go during my trip to Ethiopia and at first reaching out... read more to tour guides from
On the road seemed tough as there are many companies around and you have no idea who might be good. He was one of the tour companies that came up on
My google search. From all the companies i contacted from on the road Communication with him was great from the first contact. Quick feedback. Good information. Totally ok with my asks and changes for the trip an very accommodating to my not fixed travel times. Trip down south was great. Reliable car, good camping gear, amazing driver. And he is from the area!! Seems everyone in every town and village knows him.He has great contacts in the villages and to local guides. I decided to go a bit more budget as for a solo traveller its quite expensive. So camping and more basic (but completely fine) Accomodation. But you if you have a bit more money to spend he can arrange everything else that is availble here too and provide whats high end down here. Last 5 days were one of the best travel experiences in my life.

Ulf

  I did a three day tour (in reality two and a half day tour + half day for driver to go back to Arba Minch).

I flew to Arba... read more Minch on Day 0 and was received at the airport by Haile, and taken to the Arba Minch Tourist Hotel and settled in. The hotel was OK but no WiFi on the third floor at all.

Day 1: at the breakfast, Haile told me he had a death in the family and needed to stay back but he included my breakfast and dinners and promised I would have local guides everywhere. He also gave me his WiFi card with 100 Birr a day loaded. We started off with China who is an excellent driver. We visited Komso tribe (local guide took me around and showed things but no home visits). Then we continued on to Turmi where we had late lunch at the Tourist Hotel and visited a Hamer village with guide Gale - Gale was excellent and we spent close to two hours at the village and had lot of excellent interaction with the Hamer village people. This was an excellent experience. Back to Turmi and overnight in Dobo Hotel.

Day 2: we started early at 7, had breakfast at Touirist Hotel and continued to drive down to Omorate which is a border town with the Northwest Kenya to visit the Dasenetch tribe - had a river crossing in a dugout canoe and visited a Dasenetch village which was also another excellent experience. Returned to Turmi to attend the Hamer Market. Continued drive to Jinka - en route we also visited a Bunna tribal people at their farm and had great interaction with them. Continued to Jinka and visited the museum and the Ari Tribe. Overnight at the Jinka NASA hotel, which was excellent - so was the restaurant in Jinka.

Day 3: again we started at 7, had an excellent breakfast and drove down to see the Mursi village (popularly known for their attractive culture, women wearing large clay plates into their lower lips) with an escort as well as army convoy. This was another excellent experience, though very dusty drive! Drove back to Jinka and was transferred to Airport for flight back to Addis Ababa.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable and informative tour and everything Haile said we will do, we did. China was helpful and courteous thru-out as well as very punctual. Haile kept in constant touch twice a day to ensure everything was taken care of.

I highly recommend to do this tour with Haile and China - if possible add a day or two to visit a few more tribes. This is an experience you are not likely to forget anytime soon.

  Haile and his company are very good for clients because he is always on time and respect his customers. I really appreciate his service with maximum respect. Trust me Haile... read more Ethiopia Tours is highly recommended .

  I repost my review because he replied me and just said something like I was lying. I can’t accept it at all and I promise everything is 100% truth. ... read more /> At first I didn’t write all things just because hope he understand it was not correct and improve his service but I made a big mistake. So I will post all now.
1. we met two Mursi boys on the road, the other group tourists gave them two bags as gift but after they left, [other guide Haile just took these two bags and told me they don’t want, I saw these boys cry] and the second day, he wear one of these bags.
2. In Mursi village, the kids asked me for bananas I bought on the road, but Haile saw it and took all many banana, and all kids were crowded with him. But you know what he did??? he throw all bananas far away on the ground and all kids chased bananas and eat on the ground. this made me feel he treat these kids like animal, that was really disgusting.
3. Remember, every village you are going to visit need a local guide with a license. but we visited a harmer village without another guide, which means this was illegal and he can got entrance fee himself, actually we just drove in their house and stayed about 10 min and left. there were only 3 houses. and 2 weeks later, I and my friends visited harmer tribe again with another tour guide , the tribe was much bigger and there was a tour guide just waited us outside of the village. why do I visited it again? because during my traveling, I met other people and we shared pics, and I saw the tribe they have visited was better as well as a tour guide with license, so I wanted to check if he was illegal and visit a more unfordable village.
4. He charged the prices same as many other company I asked both in Addis or Arba Minch. But he offered low quality. He promised me the hotels with hot water everyday but not at all! and one company I asked offered me the same price like him proving hotel worth 880Bri per nigh but the hotel he provided us was worth to 460 Bri( the most expensive one)
5. The car he offered was the worst I saw during my omo village tirp(no considering local bus, only for toursits cars)
6. He was late every day.
7. he added one more tourist the last day without telling me and my friend, and cuz we had waited this guy for a longtime, one tribe we were supposed to visit are missed. btw, we visited Konso village twice just because this new tourist.

8. Btw, the last day during our breakfast, he asked me and my friend to give him good review on trip advisor but we refused. so when he said all other reviews are evidence, I will just smile.
9. And I just can’t believe he begged me to delete my review and said brother please, we had good time balabalabala….. but here, just said don’t know me and his company is awesome.
10. and the company and guide I had was haile, the man in the picture I post this time. (Cuz he said I am talking about another company) And the other two pics are my last posted review and his reply.

  Haile picked us up at the airport and accompanied us until we left; he was an extremely friendly, knowledgeable and fun guide to be with. He knew what hours were... read more good to visit the various tribes and he was right. We had a wonderful experience visiting the Mursi tribe and thoroughly enjoyed being invited in Ari houses and talking with the Benna. Our walk around Jinka market was fun too. Meanwhile, Haile was flexible with the things we asked for which was nice. He was very accommodating. Nice hotel. Overall a wonderful experience and will certainly go down to the Omo valley again with Haile.