1. 7 days/6 nights Tour to Hamer Village
BOBA TOUR & TRAVEL PLC
THE COLLETION OF WELL TRAINED PROFESIONALS
Hamer Tribe
Are well knownasthe hamar or hammer,theyare one of the most knowntribesinSoutern Ethiopia.
Theyinhabitthe territoryeastof the Omo Riverandhave villagesinTurmi andDimeka.Touristsvisitthe

2. hamerhopingto see a traditional leapingceremony(the jumpingof bulls).
Theyare cattle herdersandpractice agriculture.Verycolorful braceletsandbeadsare wornintheirhair
and aroundtheirwaistsandarms. The practice of bodymodificationisusedbycuttingthemselvesand
packingthe woundwithashand charcoal. Some of the womenwearcircularwedge necklacesindicating
that they are married.Menpaintthemselveswithwhite chalktoprepare fora ceremony.Hair
ornamentswornbythe menindicate apreviouskill of anenemyoranimal.
The traditional bull jumpingisarite of passage formencomingof age.The eventlastthree days and
involvesonlycastratedcattle.The manmustjumpovera line of 10 to 30 bullsfourtimescompletey
nude withoutfalling.If thistaskiscomplete,the manjoinsthe ranksof the Maza. Maza are othermen
that have successfullycompletedthe bulljumpingevent.Duringthisceremony,the womenof the tribe
provoke the mazato whipthemon theirbare backs.This isextrememlypainful andcausessevere
scaringon the women.The scars are a symbol of devotiontothe menandare encourgedbythe tribe.
Nightdancingcalledevangadi isalsoahamertradition.The Hammershave unique hutsthatare made
up of mud,woodand straw.
$840/person
We will decrease the above price depending on the group number
For more information contact us
Email-contact@bobatour.com
Mobile-+251926719478
+251973053343/+251929079117
What's included?
 6 nights’ accommodation
 Entrance fees
 National park fees
 Breakfast
 Professional guide
 Hotel pickup and drop-off
 Fare well dinner
What isn't included?
 Lunch and dinner
 Excess luggage charges (where applicable)
 Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase

3. Day 1 - Arrive in Addis Ababa
Arrive at Bole International Airport. Boba Tours representative will meet you and transfer you to
hotel & we will give you some briefing about the tour if you not tired.
Day 02 City Tour in Addis Ababa
Visit the Ethnographic Museum, a great introduction to Ethiopian culture and history. Visit the
Mercato, one of the East Africa's largest outdoor markets, and Trinity Cathedral, resting place of
Emperor Haile Selassie & Entoto mountains the beautiful over view of the city Addis
Overnight Hotel - Addis Ababa
Day 3 Drive to Arba-minch

4. Depart early from the hotel, for the drive to Arba Minch (450km, 8 hours), via the 10th century
stone stelae of Tiya and Butajira. Enjoy dinner at Soma Restaurant.
Overnight: Swaynes Hotel or Paradise Lodge
Day 4 Drive Arba-Minch-Turmi [291km]
In this day starting early we will drive Turmi-Arbaminch via Erbore on the way we will Visit
ERBORE-VILLAGE. After arriving at Turmi we will transfer you to Buska- Lodge , at night we
will move to the Arena in order to attend the unique cultural night dance of Hamer called
Evangadi.
Overnight stay in Buska Lodge
Day 5 Attending Bull-Jumping

5. The Hamar have “rites of passage” which celebrate transitions from one age grade to the next.
The most dramatic and significant ritual is Bull-Jumping ceremony (Ukuli Bula) which represent
a life –Changing event for the young man (Ukuli) who passes from boyhood in to adulthood.
This rite of passage must be done before a man is permitted to marry. This is a ceremony which
determines whether a young Hamar man is ready to make the social jump from immature
member of his society to responsibility of marriage and raising a family.
Bull Jumping Ceremony is usually held after harvest time, July to first half of September. But
nowadays because of big climatic change and confused rain time, it became usual to see the bull
jumping eyen up to March. The ceremony lasts the whole day, but the most spectacular part of it
begins in the afternoon after four o’clock.
First the family of the boy to be initiated delivers invitations to their relatives, neighbors and
friends in the form of rope made of dried grass knotted(tied) in several equal number of places.
This is like a calendar for the days of the celebration of that particular Bull Jumping Ceremony.
Each day the guest must unite one of the knots until the day of the ceremony arrives. The boy
also carries with him a small phallic carved wood (Bokko), which he hands to girls he meets
along the way; they must kiss it three times as a form of blessing and then return it to him. The
ceremonies end with several days of feasting, including the typical jumping dances, accompanied
by sorghum made beer and coffee which the Bull-jumper’s family provides to the guests.

6. Each young man to be initiated undergoes an individual ceremony. On the day several hundred
guests gather, among them the Maza (who are still single and have recently done the bull
jumping ceremony) who arrive in a long line decorated with feathers, necklaces, and bracelets
and carrying long thin flexible branches which will be used as whips. They participate in a coffee
drinking ceremony, which is regarded as a blessing. The main responsibility of the Maza is to
help the initiate during the rituals of preparation prior to jumping, but they are also mandated to
participate with him in various ways in the initiation ceremony itself. An early task, for which
only the Maza are ritually qualified, involves whipping the young female relatives of the
jumping boy. The young women of the Ukuli family with the exception of the mother, come to
the ceremony highly decorated, their hair and bodies covered with butter dancing, singing,
whistling, and blowing horn in circles, beg for whip the Mazas.
The Maza with their whips ready, observe the dance from their seats in the shade. So, one of the
girls from the group positions herself in front of the seated or the Maza declaring her love for the
Ukuli and also her desire to be whipped. The Maza choose their whips and check the branch has
no sharp points or thorns, so as to leave a clean mark. When the Maza stands up, the girl follows
him and places herself in front of him slightly jumping up and down with her right hand raised
and her left hand down. The Maza strikes the girl so that the end of the whip hits her on the back.
It is in this way the hamar women can demonstrate the strength of their devotion to the boy. The
more abundant and extensive the bleeding of their back from the whip. The deeper the girls
affection to the boy who is about to became a man. From this moment on, the girls proudly stay
with scar marks on their back as proof of their courage, integrity and capacity for love.
In late afternoon, after all the dancing and coffee and sorghum beer drinking, and before the
jumping takes place, they make some secrete ritual ceremony. For this ceremony the Ukuli sits
on ox hide on the ground and circling him previously chosen Mazas. A type of communication is
established between the young men, the Ukuli and the Maza which follow the instructions given
to them by the elders. This is a ritual which protect the Ukuli from falling during the jumping.
The next job is selecting and lining the cattle for the jump. Now, the Maza walk once around the
cattle gathered at the nearby and the senior most Maza leads them and they encircle the cattle
four times. Then they are told to take hold of the cattle. Again the senior most Maza grabs an ox
to put at the beginning of the row, and then other cattle are caught and pulled in to line. They line

7. up about 15 cattle side by side one holding the head and another the tail of each animal and hold
them closely together in a specially chosen area, mostly dry river bed near to the village of the
relatives of the Ukuli. These cattle are cows and castrated oxen, which represent the women
and children of the tribe. The lined cattle are smeared with dung to make
them slippery, to make the jumping very challenging. The lined cattle are smeared with dung to
make them slippery, or to make the jumping very challenging.
Following all this process, the most recently initiated Mazas greased with oil and charcoal circle
the animals. The Ukuli then brought in, totally naked accompanied by two of his best friends. en
they release him, he runs towards the cattle, jumps onto the back of the first small caw (handled
by his close relatives) and then runs across all the remaining animals. At the far end of the line he
jumps down, turns around, then leaps back up again and repeats the routine in the other direction.
He makes at least four runs and finally – if everything has gone well – the Maza lead him out
through the exit along with wild dancing and excitement.
The Mazas are also charged with the important job of steadying the cattle over which the Ukuli
must jump. Late in the afternoon, the elders and Mazas line up about 15 cows and castrated male
cattle, which represent the women and children of the tribe. They line up side by side ,one
holding the head and another the tail of each animal and hold them closely together in a specially
chosen area, mostly dry river bed near to the village of the relatives of the Ukuli. The lined cattle
are smeared with dung to make them slippery. The most recently initiated Mazas greased with oil
and charcoal
circle the animals. The ukuli then brought in, totally naked accompanied by two of his best
friends. When they release him, he runs towards the cattle, jumps onto the back of the first small
caw (handled by his close relatives) and then runs across all the remaining animals. At the far
end of the line he jumps down, turns around, then leaps back up again and repeats the routine in
the other direction. He makes at least four runs and finally – if everything has gone well – the
Maza lead him out through the exit along with wild dancing and excitement. While the was
jumping, the Ukuli’s mother, sisters, brothers and relatives were holding sticks horizontally
above their heads .
This is carried out so that he may not fall that he may cross the backs of the cattle well.
After successful jump the Maza bless the Ukuliand the cattle by spraying on them. When the
cattle have left, the mother’s brothers and sisters also bless him while he looks towards the
mountains of Hamar.
After all this ceremony, as a Hamar man and a mature member of his tribe may has the freedom
to make marriage. The Ukuli the young initiated man, once he jumped the bulls, he become
Cherkari( a social stage that he stays only for eight days). After eight days he transfer to the
stage of Maza, and stay at this status until he marries and become Danza, the name for married
Hamar men. Overnight stay in Buska Lodge.
Day 6 Tourmi –Arbaminch via Konso

8. In this morning early we will drive to Arbaminch on the way stop at Konso in orde to visit
Konso structural land escape w/c registered in UNESCO as a world Heritage & visit the Generic
pole of the people. After lunch, take a boat trip on Lake Chamo to visit the Crocodile Market
. Overnight: Swaynes Hotel or Paradise Lodge
Day 7 Arbaminch-Addis Ababa
In this day early we will drive to Addis Ababa and at the evening we will have far-well dinner at
Ethiopian Traditional restaurant, and after attending Ethiopian Traditional dinner in the evening
departure to home.
Back home
Flight back home.