Young Pioneer Tours are offering fully guided Eritrea tours for 2024 and 2025. Join us and discover Eritrea’s pristine coastline, untouched Red Sea islands, as well as some of the best-kept colonial architecture in Africa. Influenced by Africa, the Middle East and Europe, Eritrea is rich in history and culture.
Join YPT on our Eritrea tours and experience the hospitality of the Eritrean people, their culture, gastronomy and language. Discover Asmara, the capital city influenced by modernism and having the best Art-Deco architecture in Africa – to the point that during the Italian colonial rule, it was known as Piccolo Roma – the Little Rome!
YPT tours to Eritrea
We’re offering a number of group tours to Eritrea throughout the year, as well as independent Eritrea tours. Our group tours to Eritrea consist of 4 nights and 5 days, while our bespoke Eritrea tours are tailored around your schedule and availability. Our group tours to can be combined with Djibouti, Somaliland and Mogadishu, Somalia to make the most of your time in the Horn of Africa.
Group Tours to Eritrea in 2024 and 2025
Currently we’re offering the following group tours to Eritrea for 2024 and 2025. We’re planning on adding more Eritrea tours – keep watching this page and our social media to get all the news. Our group tours have limited spaces for group members, spots fill up quick due to our Eritrea tours being the best for quality and prices compared to our competitors – click here to express your interest.
Djibouti, Somaliland, Eritrea & Somalia: Horn of Africa Independence Combo Tour – May 14th – 27th 2025 – $3445
Our most popular and sought after tour of the Horn of Africa. Discover each country’s charm and beauty and celebrate Independence Day in Somaliland and Eritrea. Experience the culture, kindness and warmth of the people and see the impact of borders and politics have on the Horn of Africa.
Eritrea National Day Tour – May 20th – May 25th 2025 – $1545
Celebrate Independence Day and join amongst the locals for the largest festival in Eritrea. Discover and experience the countries rich culture and heritage – influenced by Africa, the Middle East and Europe and still un-touristy making it one of the best destinations in the region.
Best of Eritrea & Somalia Tour – October 2nd- October 6th/8th 2024 – $1545 / $3040
Experience the hospitality, culture and embrace the beauty of Eritrea, boasting some of the best colonial architecture, pristine beaches and amazing cuisine. Delve deeper into the Horn of Africa’s less frequented country, Somalia, and experience the people and culture not shown on western media.
INDEPENDENT TOURS TO ERITREA
We understand that it’s not always feasible to join our scheduled group tours or that you like a more in-depth experience. We can thus offer bespoke tours to Eritrea and arrange everything you require for an independent tour.
Our guides speak English, Arabic, French, Russian, Italian, German, and Chinese.
Sample Itinerary in Eritrea
Day 1 – Asmara
- Arrival at your convenience to Asmara – the capital city of Eritrea which has flights between Addis Ababa, Dubai, Cairo, Istanbul, or Jeddah.
- Be greeted at the airport by our driver and dropped off to your hotel –Expo Hotel to check in.
- Dinner and overnight in Asmara
Day 2 – Asmara – Keren
Morning
- After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll will begin your morning walking tour of Asmara. You will see the spectacular art deco of Asmara built by the Italians at the turn of the last century, such as the Fiat Tagliero building, Cinema Roma, the former Opera house of Asmara, the Post Office built 1916, Albergo Italia built in 1899, the Hotel Hamasien built in 1916, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, the metal recycling market, the central fish market, and many other sites along the way!
- Visit the City Hall to see various photo displays in commemoration of the thirty-years bitter struggle and the post-independence progress. The City Hall was established by the Italians in 1890 and is one of the oldest institutions in Africa.
Afternoon
- Lunch in Asmara and then begin your 100km northwest journey to Keren – the second largest city in Eritrea. Keren is the junction between the highlands and lowlands.
- We’ll arrange several stops at points of interests along the way
- Dinner and overnight in Keren
Day 3 – Keren – Massawa
Morning
- Breakfast at hotel, and head to the Keren market. This bustling market is complete with vendors selling livestock such as camels, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
- Visit the Italian and Commonwealth War Cemetery – Keren holds a historical significance as it was the site of one of the most intense battles between the Commonwealth and Italian forces in 1941. The capture of Keren by the advancing Commonwealth military marked the end of Italian occupation in Eritrea.
- Explore the locally famous Mariam Dearit temple – this small Catholic shrine to the Virgin Mary is built into a baobab tree said to be 500 years old or more.
Afternoon
- Lunch in Keren and continue 200km towards Massawa – a colourful port town mixed with Italian, Egyptian and Ottoman architecture built along Africa’s Red Sea coastline. On the way we’ll stop for scenic photos of the forgotten railway connecting Asmara to Massawa constructed between 1887 and 1932 during the Italian Eritrea colony. Sadly, this line is no longer in operation.
- Once arriving in Massawa visit the 3 Tanks Monument – a memorial of three tanks (Tiger, Jaguar, Commander) that were instrumental in Operation Fenkil which led to the liberation of Massawa after a brutal Ethiopian occupation.
- Dinner on arrival at a local restaurant for YPT’s favourite meal in Massawa. There, you can try Ja-Ja fish, an incredible stir-fry made up of thick pieces of fish.
- Overnight in Massawa at a hotel reminiscent of the era of the Italians, the Grand Dahlak Hotel with a giant swimming pool and bar serving Eritrean gin and cognac.
Day 4 – Massawa – Asmara
- Visit the Northern Red Sea Regional Museum – artifacts from 800BCE all the way to the struggle of the independence war is displayed and explained by a local English speaking museum guide.
- Walking tour to take in the unique mixture of Turkish and Italian architectural designs stopping at all sites of interest – Massawa was the capital of the Italian Colony of Eritrea until the seat of the colonial government was moved to Asmara in 1897. Decades of war during Eritrea’s struggle for independence, which it won in 1991, have taken their toll on Massawa’s buildings, many of which are now on the brink of collapse.
- Explore the former winter residence of Emperor Haile Selassie which was originally constructed in 1872 by the Ottomans.
- Begin the drive back to Asmara
Afternoon
- Lunch at our favourite spot in Asmara that serves the best Kitcha fit-fit – a staple dish of Eritrean cuisine.
- Visit the largest tank graveyard YPT has ever discovered. APCs, Soviet tanks, aircrafts, vintage cars.. this place has it all! Most are leftovers from the war with Ethiopia.
- Visit the Italian Cemetery which is still funded and looked after by the Italian embassy in Asmara.
- Stroll along Harnett Street – the busiest street in Asmara. We’ll pass shops to buy Eritrean souvenirs and pop into a local bar for coffee or the famous Eritrean beer in an unmarked bottle.
- Stop by the Eritrean bowling alley for a game – a 70-year-old relic of the 20th century and first used by the US military servicemen during their stay at Kagnew station in Asmara. There have been no upgrades or changes to the bowling alley, and visiting it is like stepping back in time.
- Dinner and drinks at a traditional restaurant, Hed Mona, where you can sample injera and local alcohol.
- Overnight at the hotel in Expo Hotel.
Day 5 – Asmara
Morning
- Breakfast at hotel and anything missed on previous days can be done on this morning.
- Transfer to the airport for departure
BESPOKE TOURS TO ERITREA
Our bespoke tours are created to your desire and specification, therefore not all our tours are listed. Here are some examples of independent tours we can offer.
- Asmara city tour – A modernist capital with a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is perfect for country collectors, we can create a bespoke itinerary to explore capital city – the second highest capital in Africa boasts in-depth culture, amazing architecture and retro café/bars.
- Massawa city tour – located east of Asmara on the Red Sea coast, this unique port town has heavy Italian, Egyptian and Ottoman influence.
- Keren city tour – the second largest city in Eritrea. Keren is the junction between the highlands and lowlands. You can visit the bustling Keren market, opened only on Mondays, the Italian and Commonwealth War Cemetery (Keren holds a historical significance as it was the site of one of the most intense battles between the Commonwealth and Italian forces in 1941), and the Mariam Dearit temple. This small Catholic shrine to the Virgin Mary is built into a baobab tree said to be 500 years old or more.
- Eritrea Culinary Tour – Here we can cater to everything you desire from hidden restaurants to traditional Eritrean food to Italian Eritrean dishes. Eritrea has a bustling café and bar scene. We can arrange a coffee ceremony experience or even try suwa, a home-brewed beer typically consumed for celebrations.
- Architecture Tour of Eritrea – Known as Africa’s “Little Rome”, Asmara has some beautifully preserved Art deco architecture, including cinemas, cafés, bowling alleys, pizzerias, and the Fiat Tagliero service station. The bygone era is defiantly worth experiencing for those interested in architecture.
- Eritrea Heritage Tour – From the ancient Kingdom of D’mt and Aksum, to Italian colonial rule and the annexation by Ethiopia, Eritrea has lots to offer in terms of history Our bespoke itinerary can take you through the ages and make you visit various sites along the timeline of this truly amazing country.
- University Tours to Eritrea – We not only cater for universities but also colleges and schools trips. Eritrea is truly a unique place with a number of archaeological site, museums, colonial influence making our educational tours extremely informative and meaningful.
- Language Programmes – Eritrea is culturally rich and diverse country which boasts multilingual society. YPT can arrange a language exchange programme which is popular with our polyglot’s community.
- Eritrea Media Tour – This is ideal for those who are avid photographers and videographers. We can organise everything you need for the contents you require and arrange transports, permits, accommodations, translators and much more so you can focus on your contents.
- Eritrea Locomotive Tour – prior to the pandemic the old Italian steam train was available for charter services but unfortunately both the locomotive and the railway line have been decommissioned.
- Eritrea Road Trip – This is perfect way to explore tiny local villages, sites and stunning scenery during the road trip meeting genuine curious friendly locals along the way. We can arrange a vehicle, permits, a guide and even a support vehicle to join you.
- Nomadic Tribal Tour – We can arrange a bespoke tour to accommodate you with various farming and nomadic tribes. This includes the Kunama and Rashaidas tribes, where you can stay with them and get involved in daily life.
- Eritrean monasteries Tour – there a number of remote stunning Orthodox monasteries located around Eritrea. We can arrange a unique tour visiting to these fascinating religious communities including Tsaeda Emba Selassie, Debre Bizen Monastery to ancient ruins of Qohaito.
- Alternative Eritrea Tour – This is for those dark tourism fans. We can arrange an itinerary to explore and experience a tank graveyard loaded with destroyed Soviet era military hardware. Visit the Medeber Market, where scrap waste gets a second life and many sites associated with Eritrea’s war of liberation.
Eritrea tour guides
YPT are renowned not only for the obscure, less frequented countries we visit but also the guides we hire and local partners we work with. We take pride and strive towards creating a unique itinerary and experience on our tours – something that both our locals and YPT guides are passionate about.
During your Eritrea group tours, you are always joined by an experienced YPT guide and by our expert local guide. They are not only passionate about their country but also the hospitality they provide. All our guides are fluent in English, but should you require a different language (Italian, French, Arabic) for an independent tour to Eritrea, then please get in touch.
