Out2TheJungle™ | USA → Ethiopia

Out2TheJungle™ (NJ Moonlanding LLC, DBA Out2TheJungle) is a U.S.-based adventure company designing unique, small-group 4×4 journeys with departures from U.S. cities. We are for travelers who want something raw, real, and extraordinary. We hike volcanoes, cross deserts, explore jungles, and reach remote places most travelers never will. This group is for anyone who wants to visit or has already visited Ethiopia with us: the Omo Valley, Lalibela, and the Danakil Depression. This network is centered on U.S. departures, but travelers from other countries are welcome. If you are outside the U.S., we will coordinate a meet point in Addis Ababa.

In the Omo Valley
We will cross rivers, camp in remote areas, and spend time with everyday life deep inside the valley. Ethiopia largely kept its sovereignty (aside from a brief Italian occupation in 1936 to 1941), and you feel that continuity here. Along the Omo River, communities like the Suri, Hamar, Mursi, Karo, Dassanech, Nyangatom, and Ari speak dozens of distinct languages across several families. What visitors call “costumes” are not props. They are living codes of identity: beadwork, hairstyles, scarification, and body painting that signal age-sets, kinship, and ceremony. We move slowly, ask first, and keep portraits consent-first and fair. Expect long tracks, market days, river crossings, and big skies at dawn and dusk. It is not a checklist; it is real people at a real pace. Our tour leader has guided National Geographic teams during documentary filming, so you are in experienced hands. Logistics, safety, and access done right.
In Lalibela
We will follow sunken walkways into UNESCO-listed rock-hewn churches carved from volcanic tuff and alive with daily worship. Dawn brings chant and incense; priests in white shamma cloth lift hand-crosses as pilgrims file through narrow trenches to Bete Giyorgis and neighboring churches. This is not a museum stop; it is a living pilgrimage city. We move with respect: shoes off inside, shoulders covered, no flash, and portraits only with permission (and a small donation when appropriate). If our dates align with feast days, you will see processions and late-night services. If not, the everyday rhythm is just as powerful: bells, prayer staffs, and pages of Geʽez turning. Outside the church compounds, we keep it simple: markets, a coffee ceremony or two, highland views around 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), and time to breathe. We handle logistics and protocols so you can focus on quiet moments, honest images, and stories you will keep.
In the Danakil Depression (Afar)
We will drop below sea level to salt flats that shimmer, bright mineral pools at Dallol, and, if open and safe, a night push toward Erta Ale. It is raw, hot, and unforgettable. We travel with Afar guides, follow local rules, and move in convoy with the right permits so you see the good stuff without cutting corners. This is an extreme environment: early starts, long heat breaks, lots of water, sun protection, and closed-toe shoes that can handle salt and crust. At Dallol we stay on marked ground. Do not touch the pools. Around the salt pans and camel caravans, we ask before photos and pay customary local fees. Work comes first; our pictures second. If conditions allow, we will do the Erta Ale overnight for a crater view. Lava activity changes, so we set expectations honestly. Danakil is not a casual detour, but with the right team, permits, and pace, it becomes a chapter you will be glad you did.
Check upcoming departures at **out2thejungle.com** and say hello in the group. We will help you find the right cohort and date.