I am a woman who often travels solo and a tour is a nice way to experience a city and meet someone new. This one did not disappoint! I saw so many amazing things and had wonderful conversation with the incredibly knowledgeable and engaged guide. This was not just another tour with a canned script, he was authentic and conversant in so many things including politics, history and even able to answer my random questions about cuneiform and recycling. He made me feel comfortable as a solo woman traveler walking around the market. If I could give him six stars I would!

I had an unexpected layover in Addis Ababa. I found Gashaw on trip advisor with a 5 star review so I booked him for the day. Gashaw expertly drove me around Addis including just outside where I had a tremendous view of the whole city. We packed in so many thing in such a short period - museums, churches, delicious lunch, coffee, short hike, market - with Gashaw all the while explaining Ethiopia’s fascinating history and geography. I couldn’t have asked for a more knowledgeable, friendly guide and I highly recommend Gashaw and his company Aspire Ethiopia to anyone and everyone.

It has been a dream of mine forever to visit Ethiopia, and Aspire Tours made that first time experience so much better than I could have ever imagined! Though I was only able to spend a day touring Addis, I had so much fun on my private tour with my guide Gashaw that I truly can’t wait to return and go on one of the company’s longer trips to see the entire country! I have traveled all over the world, and this was easily one of the best tour experiences I have ever had. Gashaw was very easy to communicate with over email and WhatsApp, and he responded to all my requests quickly. I booked the full day experience in Addis, and told him some of my particular interests. The prices are super affordable for the level of quality. Gashaw is truly a phenomenal guide! From the moment he picked me up at my hotel, he was an absolute wealth of knowledge about Ethiopia’s culture, history, politics, religion, and much more. It was fascinating to learn so much from him- so much great information that I almost wanted to take notes so I wouldn’t forget! We started with a literal private tour of the National Museum first thing in the morning when there were no other guests there, and we saw art, cultural artifacts, and of course the archeological finds like Lucy! Next we visited Addis’ famous church, where I learned about religion, got to wear traditional robes, and had a beautiful candlelight tour of the church museum. We visited the highest viewpoint of the city and did a mini hike through a gorgeous eucalyptus forest. Next, was so excited to eat some of the best food I’ve ever had at an authentic restaurant, and drink the best coffee ever at the oldest coffee shop in the city. We ended the tour with a drive through Merkato and saw some of the other notable buildings in the city before Gashaw dropped me at the airport for my return flight to the US. Even did some quick stops to check out souvenirs and buy coffee beans. Gashaw even helped me out with a portable Wi-Fi transmitter so I could deal with some flight delay issues over the phone. The tour was the perfect mix of highlights and off the beaten path spots that I wouldn’t have been able to navigate on my own. It never felt touristy and was perfectly tailored to my time and interests. I am so glad I was able to do this experience, as I really fell in love with Ethiopia, the kind people, and of course the amazing food and drink! Gashaw was not just a guide; by the end of the day I felt like I had made a great new friend in Ethiopia. He was always kind, professional, patient, and super interesting to talk to. This is definitely a must do in Addis and the best way to see the city!

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Addis Ababa thanks to Aspire tour. We had around 6 hours to explore ADDIS and called Aspire at the very last minute and they were able to arrange a tour for us; Adisu, our guide was at our hotel in less than an hour . We visited the national museum , Saint George’s cathedral ,Mt Entoto park atop the mountains and the market. Adisu was very knowledgeable and made our museum visit one of the best ever . The church was closed but Adisu was able to work through his contacts and we got a very personal visit to the inside of the church which was very fascinating . Had a lovely cup of coffee atop the mountains and the drove through the busy market streets. We also wanted to try some local cuisine and Adisu took us to a great restaurant with the finest local beer and food. Cannot recommend Aspire tours enough . Thank you Adisu and Aspire tours for making this a very memorable trip!

was a solo traveler and I made the best decision to book this tour! My guide, Addis, was very kind and he really did his best to meet my requests!! Merkato was my favourite spot and if you find 10 minutes I would really suggest you to ask Addis to make you try the best fruit juice of your life!

Gashaw is a very friendly and knowledgly guide. He organized a trip for me to Danakil, Semien and Lalibela and we also did a Addis city tour together. Everything went well and he is also very helpful and punctual. Would definitely recommend him and book with him again if I come to Ethiopia again.

We booked a half-day guided city tour with Aspire. They picked us up from our house in a comfortable bus. The aspire team consisted of one driver and one guide. The guide knew his Addis Ababa & Ethiopia history. It was especially useful to have a guide when we visited St. Georges Church as we as foreigners wouldn’t know how to behave appropriately. Our guide took us inside and we were even allowed to witness some ceremonial chanting and praying that was going on at the time. Quite magic. Thanks for a lovely half day in Addis Ababa

I had a 14 hour layover in Addis Ababa between flights and was looking for a quick and fun way to see the city’s highlights. My tour guide Gashaw was excellent and very knowledgeable about the city and it’s history. In addition to hitting the major sites including the National Museum, St. George’s Cathedral and Entoto, we had a chance to explore more localized areas of the city that were highlights of the tour. Gashaw tailored the tour exactly to fit the layover of my schedule and it was a fantastic day exploring a new city to me. I highly recommend and will absolutely use again next time I am in Ethiopia.

Once I realised that my Ethiopian Airlines itinerary would involve a lengthy daytime stopover in Addis Ababa, I was keen to make use of the time to see what I could in and around the capital city and to get a flavour of local life and culture. After reading some very positive reviews of Aspire Ethiopia Tours, I established contact with founder & general manager Gashaw. His enthusiasm was infectious. We soon put together a tailored programme of sightseeing & activities. On the day itself, a member of Gashaw’s team - Beki - arrived at my hotel as arranged, together with a car and driver. I thoroughly enjoyed a stimulating guided tour of several of the city’s key attractions, ranging from everyday ‘street life’, local markets, the National Museum, to a fascinating visit to a family in a rural area, and the chance to experience traditional Ethiopian cuisine in a totally authentic setting (these latter two activities being my personal highlights !). As a keen amateur photographer, I was especially glad of the many photo opportunities throughout the tour. My time went all too quickly, but that has motivated me to revisit the country - and for a longer spell, rather than just a one-day stopover. If and when I hopefully do return, I need look no further than Aspire Ethiopia for all my travel arrangements, confident in the knowledge that they can provide a totally professional, personalised service (including prompt & efficient communication in advance of actual arrival in the country). My thanks once again to Gashaw and the team, whose services I can strongly recommend to other visitors to Addis Ababa.

Fantastic tour! I got to experience so many things, from national monuments to local shops, across Addis. My tour was during an afternoon/evening stopover in Addis, so I was picked and dropped at the airport. I was traveling alone and this ended up being the perfect tour to really see Addis. My guide Gashaw is so knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. I’m grateful that I met him and hopefully will meet again for another tour in the future.

I had a tour to Bishoftu and it was amazing. The tour was comfortable with a knowledgeable tour guide. I am glad I took out time to do the tour on my last day in Addis Ababa.

Aspire Ethiopia's day tour of Addis Ababa was exceptional. I've travelled extensively and prefer to book small tours offered by locals. This tour, which was a private one for my husband and I, was one of THE best tours I've ever experienced, anywhere. We were piloted around Addis in the back seat of our guide's car, which was the ideal vehicle for darting in and out of busy Addis traffic and for tucking into tiny parking spaces. Our guide, named Gashaw, is co-owner of this gem of a company, and his enthusiasm when showing visitors the wonderful sites of his city was infectious. Gashaw, whose English is excellent, regaled us with fascinating stories and facts about the history of Addis Ababa, and the uniqueness of Ethiopian culture. He took us to the nostalgically fading palace of Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, which houses fascinating cultural artefacts and happens to be a Mecca for Rastafarians who regard Emperor Haile as their saviour. We had an insider peek into an Ethiopian orthodox cathedral, St. George's, which was unlike any European cathedral I’ve ever visited; we stopped for fragrant coffee (which Gashaw assured us was the best in the city) at a funky coffee shop that felt very Ethiopian. As well, Gashaw drove us through the different districts of the city (the street scene is lively to say the least) up to the gorgeous Entoto Park, which offers a stunning view over the city, as well as restaurants and coffee shops, trails, and the ever-present fragrance of eucalyptus arising from the surrounding forest. Our tour with Gashaw was for six hours. We were in Addis on an 18 hour lay-over, travelling from South Africa to Toronto. Even in this short time, we felt we had a genuine experience of Addis Ababa thanks to Gashaw’s superlative guiding. It’s a fascinating city, and impressed me in ways I wasn’t expecting. I highly recommend you visit Addis…and if you find yourself with a lengthly layover, do yourself a favour and book a day tour with Aspire Ethiopia. I’m certain you will have a day that will live long and well in your memory.

This is my first time ever visiting Addis and as a solo traveler I wanted to get out learn about the history/culture.I came across Aspire Ethiopia Tours and Gashaw was my tour guide. He made me feel very comfortable from the beginning which was very nice. Very friendly and outgoing person. My favorite part was how safe and knowledgeable Gashaw was thru everything and every place we went to. He went above and beyond and far exceeded my expectations! Thank you Aspire Ethiopia Tours. I have a new friend/brother in Addis Ababa.

In spite of having only 10 days, Aspire organized for us a really interesting itinerary including Dallol, in Danakil depression (one of the most amazing places I’ve known) and a trekking through the impressive mountains near Lalibela, sleeping with the “highlanders”. Gashaw, our guide, speaking perfect English, not only was very professional but a very easy and friendly companion for the trip. I recommend Aspire absolutely.

We are two seasoned travelers in our 70’s. I have now visited well over 100 countries. We traveled in Ethiopia for three weeks in 2018, visiting the historical sites in the northern highlands, the tribal areas in the south, and Harar to the east. The tour consisted of my wife and I, Gashaw Newt as guide, and local drivers. The trip included several long drives and 6 internal flights. Gashaw speaks very good English, is knowledgeable about each part of the country and was always interesting company during the long rides. He planned out the daily details, knew the best points to stop, took us to the best available restaurants, and made changes to the itinerary, with our approval, whenever he thought it would be an improvement. He taught us Ethiopian history and also introduced us to Ethiopian music which he played in the car. We found Ethiopia to be a truly fascinating country. It has its own cuisine, national language, music, calendar, time, and of course history. We spent several days hiking around Simien National Park at heights approaching 10,000 feet. We went to Gondar for the extraordinary Timket Festival, and he helped us climb through the tricky rock hewn churches of Lalibela. In the Omo Valley, in the far south, the tribes we visited each have their own language and unique customs. Thanks to Gashaw’s relationships with local guides and government officials we were able to interact with the villagers and get more out of each visit than just taking photos. I teach at Columbia University and simply put he was everything one would want in a teacher, or a guide. We think he is a gem.

We had an awesome day today in and around Addis Abeba with Moges, our tour guide. This tour is the best recommendation ever for anybody who wants to get in touch with authentic life in Ethiopians Capital as well as the very long and interesting history of this country. Moges has a profound knowledge of Ethiopians History and Culture and he shows it in so many interesting stories and examples that I truely had not any single moment when I did not listen curiously, asking all the little questions that still came up. And still Moges understood it perfectly to plan the day around our needs as his guests, so it was a good mixture of sightseeing, taking a rest, and getting to know all the little places that show authentic Ethiopian Lifestyle - places that you would never find with a tourguide book. So all thumbs up here and all the best wishes for the future!

Gashaw is the only way to experience Addis, great guy, great company and he knows his stuff....100% coming back to experience more of Ethiopia!!

It was wonderful experience travelling with Aspire Ethiopia Tours, Gashaw and David around Ethiopia in nearly 2 weeks. Gashaw has rich knowledge and able to explain in wonderful way about Ethiopia in every place we visited. He is one of the best caring and professional tour guide I ever met. Highly recommend!

Tours with Gashaw is always a good idea. Had a great time around Addis and Bishoftu. A lot of positive energy. He makes the travel very enjoyable. Definitely recommend it.

The tour was really great - highly recommend! I only had one day free for sightseeing and was able to see a lot of different places in Addis without feeling rushed. Gashaw was an excellent tour guide and shared a lot of interesting information about Ethiopia's history and contemporary society. What I loved most is that you get to see all of the major sites in Addis while also discovering some places that are a little more off the beaten path and lesser known by tourists. I will definitely reach out again next time I'm in Addis!