Tsige and the pilgrimage of Saint Arsema

Your dates in the sacred calendar

The entries below come from our Ethiopian and Gregorian calendar, using Ethiopian dates for fixed commemorations and the recorded Tinsaye dates for movable observances. They identify what falls within the travel window, not unrestricted access to a service.

Tradition and the seasonal landscape

As the main rains ease, walking can become more inviting, but paths and mountain access still need local checks. We choose a route for the group rather than treating a demanding ascent as compulsory.

Our women-led team and our partners guide you through the places that receive us. We explain the meaning of the observances, prepare you for the local expectations and let the community’s worship shape our approach. You may observe respectfully without taking part in a rite outside your own conviction.

Making the dates work

The Saint Arsema observance is listed at Asheten Mountain. An ascent, service access and a gentler alternative must be agreed with local hosts.

These dates define a proposed joinable journey. The service times, transport, hotels and price must be agreed before it is offered as a confirmed booking. Read the day-by-day plan to see which observances fall while you are in Lalibela and which require an adjusted arrival or return.

9 days, shaped around this departure

This proposed flow uses 2 opening nights in Addis Ababa and 6 nights in St. Lalibela. Return to Addis Ababa is on the final day, subject to a workable onward connection. A transit night can be added. This differs from the flexible nine-day private sample where the feast or journey length calls for it.

Ordinary visit suggestions are deliberately flexible. A dated feast, service access, weather and the group’s needs take priority. No flight, ceremony, meal with a household or rural visit is promised before arrangements are confirmed.

Your accommodation

• Addis Ababa: Golden Tulip or similar.
• St. Lalibela: Tukul Village Ecolodge.

The accommodation and room arrangements will be set out in your written proposal, subject to availability.

Tailor the journey or continue further

For a private version, we can adjust your arrival, pace, accommodation and number of nights, or shape the journey around a saint’s day that matters to you. Gondar and Lake Tana, Aksum and Gheralta require additional days, separate route checks and an agreed proposal. They are not included in the dates above.

Groups should allow at least three months to plan. Individuals should allow at least two weeks. Last-minute requests depend on actual availability and whether the journey can be responsibly arranged.

Planning this particular departure

5 to 13 October 2027 · 9 days. Package price: US$1,800 per person. Single supplement: US$500 per person. Booking fee: 10% of the total package. Your written proposal will set out the exact inclusions and payment arrangements.

The Saint Arsema observance is listed at Asheten Mountain. An ascent, service access and a gentler alternative must be agreed with local hosts.

Read current travel advice for Lalibela and our extensions ↗

Every St. Lalibela pilgrimage begins with the same question: what has drawn you here? Each of our month pages offers a nine-day journey shaped around that month's feasts and season. The essentials below apply to every journey we arrange, and explain what we ask of every guest in return.

Planning Times and Your Proposal

Please contact us at least three months before travel for a group, and at least two weeks ahead as an individual. These are minimum lead times, not promises of availability. An earlier enquiry gives us the best chance of securing the right guides, rooms and transport around a busy feast. We do consider later requests, within the availability of partners we trust.

Once we understand your hopes, we prepare a written proposal setting out the route, inclusions, price and conditions. Preparing it also tells us what to ask our local partners: what the church calendar allows, where an experienced guide adds most, how long a transfer really takes, and when a quiet hour will serve you better than another appointment. Your feedback shapes the next version before anything is confirmed.

Investment and What Is Included

This departure package is US$1,800 per person, with a US$500 single supplement per person and a booking fee of 10% of the total package. Your written quotation will reflect the season, dates, group size, room configuration, accommodation standard, route, agreed activities and support required.

Your proposal normally includes:

• Eight nights' accommodation
• Private ground transfers and transport
• Knowledgeable local guiding
• Coordination by our team throughout
• The agreed ground programme

Meals, entrance arrangements and additional services are included only where your proposal says so. International and domestic flights are not included: our responsibility is your ground arrangements, from the agreed arrival point to the agreed departure point. We are glad to advise on flight timings.

What We Mean by Care

For us, a high standard of service means attentive Christian hospitality, thoughtful preparation and continuity of care. You should always know who is receiving you, why a day is arranged as it is and what might change. Guiding is interpretation and accompaniment, never a race through landmarks. Our women-led team and our partners, including guides, drivers and hosts, each bring their own skills, and together we make the journey possible.

Pace, Mobility and Honest Limits

Before confirming, we talk through mobility, uneven steps, altitude, standing during worship, dietary needs and the physical character of any proposed walk. We explain likely limits honestly and offer suitable alternatives where we can. Church hours, ceremonies, weather and community needs may change a plan, and a thoughtful adjustment protects both the integrity of the visit and the value of your investment.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is required for every guest. It should suit your circumstances and the activities in your agreed plan, and we will ask for confirmation before finalising arrangements.

Visiting Places of Worship

The churches of St. Lalibela are places of active worship. Following our guidance for church visits is a condition of every journey: dress, photography, privacy, routes, and any instruction from clergy or custodians. We explain the reasons with respect, and we ask for the same respect in return. No guide can sell entry into worship, a blessing, a private conversation with clergy or access to a restricted area.

What We Will Not Promise

We will not promise an exact feast programme, unrestricted church access or an unchanged route before the responsible local people have confirmed it. Your proposal will set out what is included, what remains to be confirmed and what sensible alternatives exist. If a particular service, room feature or form of physical support is essential to you, please tell us early, so we can judge honestly whether we can provide it well.

Begin With a Conversation

Tell us the month or the feast that has brought St. Lalibela to mind, and we will begin shaping a journey around it.

Flight information

Ethiopian Airlines connects Addis Ababa with Lalibela. Flight schedules and availability can change, so we check the service for your intended dates before agreeing your arrival and departure arrangements. Share your international and domestic flight details with us early, allowing time for connections and a comfortable arrival. We can help you coordinate the flight timings with your pilgrimage, accommodation and airport transfers. All international and domestic flights are excluded from our ground-handling proposal and are booked and paid for separately.

Meeting and Greeting

Your welcome can begin in Addis Ababa or here in St. Lalibela. If you would like us to organise your stay in the capital, we can help book accommodation with our partner hotels at preferential rates, subject to availability, and arrange airport transfers and city tours suited to your interests and pace. Tell us whether you would prefer time to rest, explore the city or combine both before travelling onwards.

If you are making your own arrangements in Addis Ababa and joining us directly in St. Lalibela, our local representatives will meet and greet you at Lalibela Airport and arrange your onward transfer as agreed in your proposal. We confirm the meeting point and contact details before you travel, so you know whom to look for on arrival. Share any changes to your flight with us so we can coordinate your welcome.