Tuesday 20th May – Asmara, Eritrea

• Arrival at your convenience to Asmara – the capital city of Eritrea which has flights between Addis Ababa, Dubai, Cairo, Istanbul, or Jeddah. Those who are joining us from Somaliland will arrive on FlyDubai flight at 10:15pm in Asmara.
• Be greeted at the airport by our Eritrean driver and dropped off to our hotel – Expo Hotel.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel at 7:30pm to discuss tour itinerary and to meet new fellow travellers.
• Head out for dinner and drinks at Harnassien Restaurant.
• Overnight in Asmara

Wednesday 21^st May – Asmara – Keren

• Breakfast at hotel
• 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 at a famous Italian joint where you can try classic Italian cuisines or popular Eritrean dishes.
• Begin our 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
• Check-in to our hotel to freshen up and head out for dinner
• Overnight in Keren

Thursday 22^nd May – Keren – Massawa

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel, and head to the Keren market. This 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. We’ll also stop to explore the abandoned sparkling water factory, a tank and an abandoned railway station.
• Check into our hotel reminiscent of the era of the Italians, the Grand Dahlak Hotel.
• Dinner at Almaz Bar & Restaurant, YPT’s favourite meal in Massawa. There, we can try Ja-Ja fish, an incredible stir-fry made up of thick pieces of fish
• Explore the nightlife of Massawa and find some bars to mingle.
• Overnight in Massawa

Friday 23^rd May – Massawa – Asmara

Morning

• Breakfast at our hotel and begin our 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.
• 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.
• We’ll then board a boat and set to Green Island located 5km off Massawa – one of our favourite beaches in all of Africa. The white sandy beach and crystal blue waters offers a fantastic spot to unwind and enjoy a swim. Snorkelling is also available.

Afternoon

• Lunch at our hotel, this will also give a chance to shower and refreshen up before returning back to Asmara
• On the way we’ll stop at 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.
• On arrival into Asmara check into hotel.
• Tonight, Harnett Street is packed with carnival celebrations so we’ll head there to check out the various pre-Independence Day celebrations including modern and folklore dances, and live music!
• For those keen we’ll stop by the bowling alley for a step back in time.
• Dinner and overnight in Asmara

Saturday 24^th May – Asmara: Independence Day!

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel
• Explore one of the largest tank graveyards 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.
• Stop by the old railway station of Asmara – frozen in time, the railway station is located near the railway holding yard where the classic mallet locomotives are resting.
• We’ll use this morning to catch up on any sites that may have been missed on our first day in Asmara or to further show you the city.

Afternoon

• After lunch, we’ll take you to our favourite bar to watch the Eritrean President address the public and deliver a speech on the occasion of the Independence Day live on TV.
• Dinner and drinks to close out the Independence celebrations at a traditional restaurant, Hed Mona, where you can sample injera and Asmara gin.. followed by more celebrations on the streets! TBA – fireworks in the city.
• Overnight at the hotel in Asmara.

Sunday 25th May – Asmara

• Breakfast at hotel
• Tour our concludes – YPT is able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for ongoing flights

Read More