Ethio Backpacker Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- ASTA & ITAT
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $1,721 to $5,508 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
FR
Email Donnie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I enjoyed my short trip in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!
I had the pleasure of a one-day guided tour in Addis Ababa with Tsehaynew, and it was an exceptional experience. Tsehaynew was well-spoken, kind, and his explanations beautifully conveyed the rich culture of Ethiopia. He went above and beyond to show me the best of the city and introduced me to the local people. I enjoyed it very much!
LU
Email Kbaul | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect!!!
We travel in Ethiopia with Ethio Backpacker Tours in April 2024 Three days in the Danakil and Two Days Tigray Churches Trip and 3 days Omo Valley, all the trips were amazing! The organization was perfect from the pick up to the drop off. The guides were excellent and very knowledgeable. We highly recommend all tours as you would see something really unique!
Email Harrison | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Astounding culture and teams!
We have spend with small group of friends for a few days in the Omo Valley, visiting tribes, national parks and attending local ceremonies. It's an unforgivable experience and it's totally recommended to Ethio Backpacker Tours. The Boss (CEO) is Gashaw, but he has also an excellent team's.
PY
Email Zoltan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a very unique experience and professional Operations!
The tour operators were very professional and made sure our every concern was addressed. They made the Itinerary flexible that was our need of post ponding our staying and our travel guide (Tsehaynew) is excellent and he has been with us for the Whole trips and he were very familiar of the attractions everywhere we go. We are so thankful and recommend this agency who needs unforgettable trips in Ethiopia.
FI
Email MARVIN | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Tour Operation!
We can never thank you enough for everything which has been provided by the the specialist of Ethiopian Tour Operator. Our friend's has been recommended Gashaw for our trips in Ethiopia and everything went perfect. We are intending to return with our kids and family sooner.
Email Wafana | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A must visited sites in Ethiopia!!!!
I’ve always wanted to go to Ethiopia and visit to the Omo Valley and eventually, I made it and my trip was for five days. Visited the Karo, Hammer (we were lucky to see a bull jumping ceremony which is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before), Daasanach (getting there was quite the adventure in itself, and we had to cross the Omo River in a narrow traditional dugout canoe. Fun!) and the Mursi tribe with the lip plates. Planning a trip here is so hard if you don’t have a tour company, and the destinations are spread apart. Thanks to Gashaw and the teams of EBPT They booked all my flights, accommodation, put me in touch with a local guide, organized a local private 4X4 with a driver to take me around.
PL
Email Wojciech | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
NIGHTMARE, avoid at any cost!! Most stresfull trip ever
Unfortunately, everything written in the previous negative reviews turned out to be true. I was aware of this, but decided to take the risk due to the numerous other positive reviews and the low price of the services offered by Gashaw.
From the beginning, my plan included 3 days in Omo, 4 days in Simien Mountains and 3 days in Danakil. I requested to skip sightseeing in Addis/other cities because I was primarily interested in nature, so I requested to avoid the cities on the route. I was supposed to go to Omo on the very first day just couple of hours after my arrival.
After landing in Addis, it turned out my plan had been turned upside down. I began my sightseeing with a half-day city tour and a full day in the capital, something I hadn't planned. Despite everything, the day was pleasant, but the attractions were planned only for half a day. Then, instead of Omo, I was informed I will be flying to Semera (Danakil) the next day. The next day, upon my arrival to Semera it turned out that the Danakil tours hadn't been running for several days. Gashaw had several tourists stuck in the hotel waiting for a tour. Day after day, he promised them "we'll go tomorrow," but there was always either no fuel, a road problem, or not enough tourists to coplete the group. It turned out that we wouldn't be going to Danakil that day nor the next (despite Gashaw's numerous promises), and that I would be spending the next two days in the hotel doing absolutely nothing (there is literally nothing to do in Semera). Why did he even changed my plan and sent me to Semera first if he knew there was a problem for several days already??!!
I found couple of other local tour operators that had available tours and asked Gashaw to pay another tour operator to go with me, since he couldn't take me himself. Gashaw asked me to send him the phone numbers of other tour operators and that he will arrange the tour for me. Gashaw called every single tour operator I gave him, calling them scammers and liars, telling them they were ruining his business and trying to steal his tourists. At that point many tour operators advised me to report Gashaw to tourist police as he was well known scammer for them. He simply refused to organize anything for me or pay anyone else claiming everyeone else are scammers and i can not go with anyone esle. Later, Gashaw told me that if I wasn't happy with it, I should organize everything myself and he wouldn't do anything else for me (even though I'd paid him the full amount already). He left me ALONE and stopped answering my calls. It was incredibly stressful in a foreign country!! A nightmare, I felt so hopless because a person I paid 2100 usd for whole the tour just ignores me and tells to organise on my own and he is tired of me. Gashaw generally stops answering the phone everytime there's a problem and just ignores you. By evening, he agreed that I could go with another agency to Danakil, and he'd pay them a maximum of $300. If it was more expensive, I'd have to cover the difference. I agreed and found an agency that had a trip the next day for $280. Gashaw started to bargain with me, saying he could pay $230 and I would pay $50. I asked why, since he'd previously agreed to $300. He stopped answering my calls again and avoided me. A nightmare again. He also scammed some French guy who I met at hotel- the guy was waiting 3 days to get the Danakil tour, eventually quited and asked Gashaw to return his money and buy him return flight- Gashaw assured him that he will and asked him to go to the airport, then stopped answer the calls and blocked the guy...
Next days, it turned out he booked me a flight to Gondar (Simien ) for "Ethiopian Nationals," which was detected at the airport, and I had to pay an extra $70, which he never refunded me, despite many promises. When I was in Gondar, it turned out Gashaw hadn't even checked the flight schedule to Jinka (Omo) and didnt book flight for me. I was supposed to go there May 16-18, but I discovered there were no flights to Jinka on May 16 nor 18, and I was already leaving Ethiopia on May 19. I called Gashaw to see how he planned to resolve the situation, as he was the one to change the plan and its order and didnt even check the flights. He then informed me that I wouldn't be flying to Omo, that he wasn't organizing anything further for me, and that if I didn't like anything, he could cancel the Simien Mountains trip. A NIGHTMARE AND STRESS!! I have never been so stressed out while traveling in my life! He stopped answering calls and responding to messages again. Ultimately, instead of being in Simien for 4 days, I only stayed 1.5 days to return earlier and fly to Omo, where I also stayed 1 day shorter than planned. In the end, when in Omo I asked him 1000x times to book my return flight, as I had an international flight coming the next day. Of course, I checked the day before departure and found that the flights were already sold out, and Gashaw had forgotten to book my return flight again. If it weren't for my intervention and the STRESS AND NERVES again, there's a chance I would have missed my international flight and never returned home. A LOT OF STRESS, NOT WORTH IT!!!
TLDR: Gashaw doesn't check flights or schedules, books everything blindly and without thinking it through. And when your plans fall apart, he tells you that if you're unhappy, make your own arrangements and he won't be doing anything more for you. He stops answering his phone and responding to messages. I've honestly never been so stressed in my life while traveling, wondering every day what was going to happen today. It's a nightmare.
If anyone of you is wondering about going with Gashaw PLEASE DON'T. For your own good. If you have any hesitancies please contact me by email [email protected] and I will be glad to share you more info, screenshots etc. about this scammer. Just don't ruin your vacations and health.
PT
Email Maria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not well managed and will no respect to the environment
We booked the 3 day Danakil depression tour with Ethio Backpacker Tours.
Danakil depression is an incredible place, definitely worth visiting. The sights we visited during the tour were great, and our guide Aman was friendly and very attentive. Our driver was great too.
It should also be noted that unlike the rest of the group, we had to finish our tour in Semera. The guide managed to arrange a special agenda for us on the last day so that we didn't miss anything. We are very grateful for that. And the food was also very good.
However, there were many things we didn't like.
1. Gashaw told us the group size will be 15 people max, in reality because of some last minute bookings it was about 30. Which is a huge difference, we would not book it if we knew we'd be in a crowd.
2. On the first day of the tour there was some fuel issue which caused us some 4-5 hour delay. As we learned later, it could have been prevented.
3. The camping sites are very dirty with plastic bottles and other garbage. It's painful to see the nature being treated this way. Nobody seems to care.
4. Travelling long distances with 5 people per car (4 passengers and driver) is quite uncomfortable.
5. The sleeping places in one of the camps were right next to the kitchen, so when the chef started cooking at 2 am, everybody woke up. Almost nobody had proper sleep that night.
My impression is that the operator just took on more clients than they could manage properly. So maybe it was an exception and not a rule.
Throwing out plastic bottles and not cleaning the camp sites is a serious issue though. I hope they will start paying attention to this.
IT
Email Lasaro | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The specialists of Ethiopian Tourist Destinations!
If you are looking for an unforgettable experience, look no further than Ethio Backpacker Tours. They offer amazing services, and their guides are knowledgeable about the history, culture, and traditions of Ethiopia. I traveled with them to Bahir dar, Gonder, Lalibela and Omo Valley for the best unforgettable week! Highly recommended!
IT
Email Alberto | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary Experience!!!!
I had a marvelous time in Ethiopia ! As a solo travellers Gashaw he organized all our tours, ensuring that every moment was filled with delight and adventure. I wholeheartedly recommend this extraordinary experience to anyone seeking unparalleled joy and wonders.