Hello! We had unforgettable two weeks vacation in Ethiopia, thanks Kebede Dache. He is a very honest man with charismatic personality. He took care for us like we were small kids. Kebede is a very knowledgeable guide. Because of his outgoing nature, he has a lot of friends around his country and it helps him to create very interesting itineraries. I highly recommend him as your guide around Ethiopia.
We discovered Kebede Dache through friends who had visited Ethiopia and recommended him after their enjoyable three week tour across the country. He knows Ethiopia well. We spent a month traveling with him, along with his brother as driver, while we explored the history, culture and scenic wonders that are here. Kebede took good care of us, adapting the schedule to our needs as he learned more about our interests along the way. He made sure that we were well taken care of for accommodation and meals. He quickly noticed our interest in birds and began stopping for them along our drives, as well as selecting locations where we could enjoy seeing more.
Kebede brings an admirable (and useful) background, running his own businesses from childhood and skillful in many practical ways. He speaks good English, German and Swiss German, plus several local languages and...surprise...a bit of Japanese. He truly embraces all the people he meets so he has useful friendships all over the country. He frequently stopped to ask locals about their farms and lifestyle and he loved sharing tribal culture with us, especially in the south. We were invited to a local home for coffee leaf tea simply because he stopped to ask about the family farm. It was a delight. We were also invited to a pleasant dinner and coffee at his family home, where we shared the garden with several of his siblings and their spouses.
We are 73 and 62 and travel full-time. As such we are less flexible than many travelers. For us it is not a vacation, but a continuation of life on the road. Kebede figured this out and adapted to our needs for internet and electricity as we went along. Sometimes we wished we had a fuller briefing on recommended items to pack or wear for the day and on what to expect for length and intensity of activities along the way. But Kebede was very responsive to questions on these, and understood our preparation needs better over time.
I have organized tours with local guides on six continents and would put Kebe in the class of experts and above. He has an extraordinary ability to communicate with locals and understands their culture, history, and needs. He believes in showing his clients a true Ethiopia, while respecting local culture and finding ways to make life better for Ethiopians. Kebe has a kind nature, good sense of humor, high level of integrity and a good heart. I highly recommend him as your guide in Ethiopia.
I spent about 2 weeks in Southern Ethiopia and enjoyed every minute of it. Kebe and Ademasu were extremely helpful in organizing the trip.
Since I had quite specific requirements, Amha the driver went above and beyond to ensure I had access to all the places I wanted. I never felt unsafe or taken advantage of, which is something I feared after reading so many trip reports and comments on the usual travel boards.
Suffice it to say that when I ever go back to Ethiopia (and I surely will), I will not think twice before contacting Kebe and Ademasu again.
We have travelled for 18 days in the north Ethiopia with Ethiopia Individual Tours. We kept in contact with Kebede before leaving to plan the itinerary (very flexible, as we like) and and we could take advantage of his valuable suggestions. We rented a car with driver at a very competitive price. The driver was very expert, not only about the road and itinerary, but also about the knowledge of the country. We didn’t book any accomodation in advance, and he was very helpful in finding good accomodations at a very reasonable price and he took care of our needs in any moment. We highly recommend this company.
We have used Kebe as our guide and driver on 6 different trips to all parts of Ethiopia and have always found him extremely honest and reliable. He has a great knowledge of the south and is willing to make a huge effort to visit smaller places where you will see the true Ethiopian life. Kebe is passionate about helping his people and empowering women so that they will be able to educate their families. He is also fun to be with and we have had some wonderful adventures together. We are planning on returning next year to visit some new areas that we have not been to. Ethiopia is such a diverse country that you need to allow time and go back many times when you fall in love with it like we have. Kebe thank you for sharing your hospitality and your beautiful family with us.
Kebe lead my family of 5 on a wonderous 10 day adventure to discover the tribes in the Omo Valley.
His intimate knowledge of the country, warmth, empathy allowed us to see the hidden and unique parts of the country others don't get to see. Kebe also tailored the tour to our wishs to include nature walks, talking with tribal leaders, visiting markets.
We cannot recommebd Kebe highly enough.
Pam and David Vennin.
We have travelled through more than 15 African countries between us - from Angola to Zambia - and Kebe and his team definitely feature in the top 3 organised guides and drivers that we have had the pleasure to travel with.
We met a couple in Madagascar who raved about their trip to Ethiopia, and the tour company they travelled with - Ethiopian Individual Tours.
Six months later we also travelled to Ethiopia and also travelled with Ethiopian Individual Tours.
This is why:
1. We contacted several tour operators with the same basic itinerary. Ethiopian Individual Tours came in half the price of the next most competitive company. And that is exactly what we paid.
2. Kebe, the owner, organised two Skype calls before we left so he could offer suggestions on the itinerary, make recommendations and answer any questions or concerns face-to-face
3. Kebe employs drivers familiar with the regions being visited and has known them all for years - our driver, Fitsume, was exceptional - spoke excellent English, always called ahead checking accommodation bookings
hadn't been forgotten, made sure any trips or guides were prepared, always drove safely, respectfully and was constantly conscious of our needs.
4. We never felt uncomfortable asking Fitsume to drive us anywhere and he was always more than willing to wait, whether it was 30 min or 6 hours, while we explored alley ways or riverbeds.
5. Kebe would call Fitsume every day / second day of the trip to ensure that nothing additional was required, at the same time speaking with us to
make sure we were happy, which of course we always were.
Over 10 days from Harar to the Bale Mountains through to Addis we found Ethiopian Individual Tours (both Kebe and Fitsume) to be passionate,
caring, knowledgable, safety conscious and extremely reliable. They delivered an experience to an extremely high standard without ever
over-imposing themselves. Fitsume made sure we saw rare Ethiopian wolves, Bale Mountain monkeys, hyena and so much more.
We did not expect a brand new four wheel drive. And it wasn¹t. But we were in an excellent four wheel drive that took us wherever we needed to go.
We are still in contact with Kebe today, we will be going back and we recommend him for any traveller with a sense of adventure.
Excellent value and excellent service.
Ich kenne Kebe schon seit ein paar Jahren und habe mit ihm eine Omo-Reise gemacht. Er weiss wo, auch ausser den Touristenpfaden, echte Dörfer zu besichtigen sind und der Kontakt zu den Omostämmen interessant ist. Zu empfehlen.
The most exciting tour guide absolutely recommended. We have spent 3 weeks on our tour, everything went very smooth and absolutely no complications. We felt a spirit of Africa in Ethiopia. We would recommend to choose a personal tour and of course Kebede as a guide. He is very positive and optimistic - nice and very well educated guide. You won't see a tribe next to the main road because he will take you to the middle of nowhere and you can feel a real spirit and see a real life. Kebede won't be your guide - he will be your best friend!
Es war WUNDERBAR mit Kebe den wilden Süden zu entdecken. Es blieben keine Wünsche offen. Wir haben uns stets sicher gefühlt und konnten völlig gelassen eintauchen in das Abenteuer Südäthiopien.
Großes Lob auch an den Driver "safty first" war sein Gebot. Ich finde Kebe ist hochmotiviert und -engagiert. Er hat mir auch gezeigt, wie man Kultur mit Humor entdecken kann!
GREAT BOY! Fabolous driver, I felt always secure and in perfect mood, He is highly motivated an engaged. He show me how to understand cultur with humor!
Please again... Heike