I am an experienced traveller, with high expectations, travelling several times a year in different countries in the world, only with customized private tours that I carefully plan with local travel agencies. During such tours, I wish to interact with people and tribes, to understand their culture and values, and also to share their way of life. I am fond of wildlife and beautiful well-preserved natural environments. I wish to have an in-depth understanding of the countries I visit and to avoid the usual tourist routes.

I already visited Ethiopia twice during two 18-day tours: in the West and the South in December 2003 and the North in December 2004, with Teddy. Those two tours were among the best travel experiences I had anywhere in the world. Ethiopia an amazing country: apart from the more common tourist attractions, I could but only strongly recommend to visit the tribes in the South Omo region, Bale National Park and its fabulous endemic wildlife, the rock-hewn churches of Tigray and the Danakil Depression. Off-Road Ethiopia Tours is a perfect travel partner: besides taking me to the usual tourist places, I asked them to organise complicated tours in rarely visited parts of the country (such as the Omo National Park by crossing the Omo river or going down to the yet seldom visited Danakil Depression), they advised me wisely and everything was as well organised and planned as could be, making the discovery of those regions a true adventure experience that I would recommend to anyone who wishes to go to rarely seen off-the-beaten-track areas of East Africa. Teddy was incredibly helpful in making my dreams come true, and he also had an unusual talent to help me meet with people and discover Ethiopia in the best possible way. The logistics were perfect (and this is certainly fundamental in very remote areas), and the enthusiasm of Teddy was so communicative that I believe I enjoyed some of the best human encounters in Ethiopia with him. I liked it so much that I am planning to visit some other areas of Ethiopia with Off-Road Ethiopia Tours in 2006.

My recommendations if you wish to visit Ethiopia 'the real way':
- prepare for some adventure and don't expect too much comfort except at the Sheraton in Addis.
- don't stick to the usual tourist attractions only, or you will miss some of the best of the country
- meet with the people as much as you can: they are the gem of the country.
- 2 weeks is a minimum... there is so much to see... and you'll wish to come back anyway
- don't hesitate to use domestic flights on Ethiopian Airlines: they are very cheap and will cut some long driving on twisty dirt roads
- have a reasonably good physical condition... otherwise you will miss out on many great places!
- don't be afraid of heights and of climbing in Tigray (this is really breathtaking), and you will discover unique churches with friendly priests and monks
- ask Teddy for anything you have in mind, and he will make it come true
- the 2 best books to prepare your tour:
* the Bradt guidebook on Ethiopia is by far the best guidebook available (Lonely Planet is not extensive enough)
* 'African Ark' by Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher (Editor: Abrams ISBN 0-8109-1902-8) for the incredible pictures of those two photographers Please don't hesitate to contact me if you wish to have further feedback or advice on Ethiopia or on Off-Road Ethiopia Tours
Francois O. Dommergues
e-mail: fod@urgentmail.com
Paris, France (May 2005 and April 2006)

Traveling is my passion .Many times a year I go in a different beautiful spot of the world. There are the places where you don’t see mass tourism, where respect individuality and independence of people are simply overwhelming .Even though I saw many such incredible places, Ethiopia is my first country where I came beck after ten months.
Going to Ethiopia for the second time I had another goal on my mind .I wanted to show this country to my husband and a friend .I wanted them to fall in love in Ethiopia just like me.
It has succeeded the very first day! We plan to go to Ethiopia after half and year, again!

In learning about beautiful culture, colorful nature, spicy kitchen, incredible history have helped us perfect guide-drivers from Off-Road Ethiopia Tour agency: Asmamaw and Kassahun . They know about Ethiopian history , culture , tradition everything .Besides they are very friendly , helpful , kind and joyful .With Asmamaw and Kassahun we were traveling like a family .Now we are very good friends and we call each other very often .Bad roads (off road) in Ethiopia are the reason that You have to have good car and good driver. Off-Road Ethiopia Tour is guarantees all of them.

We want to come back many times to Ethiopia because in this country you can have:

- contact with friendly people who are constantly smiling and helpful ; No matter if you are in the North of Ethiopia or in the South among colorful tribes of Hammar , Mursi , Konso …,
- contact with beautiful , unpolluted nature ; very diverse and different from other African countries ,
- close contact with history which You certainly wont find anywhere else ,
- music : moving and cheerful sounds ; natural dancing ,
- At last: kitchen spicy smelling and delicious! All fresh! And the juices will remind you the test once lost in paradise .Dig in!!!

For me Ethiopia is: color, voice, smell, taste and touch –You simply absorb it with all senses. Do you need anything more? No, you don’t. So let’s go to Ethiopia with Off-Road Ethiopia Tour! And Have a nice trip with Kassahun and Asmamaw.

Bozena, Staszek and Maya from Poland
October 2007
plaforbb@pro.onet.pl

It was a very nice and deep experience even with some "pirates" memorable pictures, breath taking land scapes impressing and touching people
Gabi + Christina
gabi.englert@web.de 
Germany

The most impressive visit was Blue Nile Falls, even February is a dry season in Ethiopia, but heavy fall of water you could see and hear a fascinating voice from the Falls.If I have chance I must go to Ethiopia again enabling me to understand this country more and of course Teddy’s professional performance is very impressive that made my trip unforgettable.
Iris Tang, Hong Kong
Email : iris_tang122@hotmail.com Cell : 97508699
Hong Kong

I am quite happy to recommend your company to others. You responded well to our concerns and we had an enjoyable time.
Mekdes
e-mail: mekdes.blackwell@btinternet.com
Tele - 01934624570
Britain

As a couple of seasoned travelers who are older we did research our trip about Ethiopia and decided to spend our time with Off Road Travel. We were delighted and not disappointed. We covered the historical north, the cultural east and the Omo valley all in 26 tough but fascinating days. Our driver/guide Fitsum was a caring person as well as a good mechanic who could fix anything and on occasion did. He deferred to the local guides when appropiate but we knew he was equally knowledgeable as they were.

We decided to drive the whole way, not take the air route for any segment. The benefits of seeing up close and personal the people, landscape and villages far out weighted the rough roads and the ever present dust. Yes there is dust but if they keep putting asphalt down as saw them doing it should get better in the future.
If you want the adventure of your lifetime and can spend 3 to 4 weeks of time We recommend the Off Road trips.
Kirk and Joyce Douglass
Feb 27, 2009
jkirkdouglass@gmail.com
USA

First of all, I would like to tell you good news. We have aired four Ethiopia episodes so far, and we have received positive reviews. In Taiwan, we have more than one hundred TV channels. "The King of Adventure - Ethiopia" can always be on the top 20. Because of that, many Taiwanese start truly knowing Ethiopia and learn that there are many beautiful natural villages and modern cities in Ethiopia, and this is all because the efforts that you made for us. Our team has good experience in working with international travel agencies, and I have to say that your team was very professional. We understand that it is much harder to assist TV crews, compare to regular travelers, not to mention that we very much emphasized on the interactivity with locals. Because of your assistance and arrangement, we could have this chance to join those families' activities and finally showed our audiences the most natural life in Ethiopia.

In order to make those 25 filming days go smooth, every topic and every filming place needed to be well arranged. We appreciate your prompt responses with patient. If it weren't because of your professional service, we could not have made it. Throughout our experience in the past with other African countries, Ethiopia was the one that has given us a great experience.

We also would like to thank all the crews, Getaw, Ashenefi, fezone, and Getathew. Getaw was a professional tour guide. We were also very impressed by the humor of Fezone and Getathew. They helped us to deal all the problems. Also, of all the great experiences, we miss Ashenefi's cooking the most. He always used the materials that he had and made good meals, like magic. During the week in Omo Velley, after a long day filming, we were all looking forward to enjoying the food he made. Until now, I can still feel the taste of the BBQ that we had at the camping place. Of course, Teddy was the person that we appreciate the most. Because of your arrangement, we could accomplish our missions. I was very touched that you came all the way from Addis Ababa to assist us. From the way that you dropped your busy routines and unconditionally helped your customers, we can see that you are a trustworthy and respectful team leader.I just wanted to say "Teddy, you amazed me!!"

Thanks a lot for making a completely new travel experience for us! I had a wonderful tour with Getaw and the driver in the southern circuit. Both displayed professionalism and we were glad to have them in the tour.

Whenever our friends are planning to go to Ethiopia, we would have no hesitation to
Recommend off road Ethiopia tour to them.

Dear Teddy,

What a spectacular trip to the Omo! Our driver and guide were excellent - knowledgeable, safe driving, always watching over us, thoughtful, and fun! Considering the remote locations I had expected very poor accommodations and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the lodges were.

The villages we visited were fascinating. I could not believe my eyes -- so many different tribes. These were not some "tourist villages" -- this was the real thing. What an incredible trip we had seeing these wonderful sights.

Thank you for all your help and guidance in providing me and my friend such a fantastic trip to Ethiopia. Also, thank you for your patience in responding to my MANY email questions sent while planning the trip.

Please feel free to use me as a reference if you have a client ask for one.

September 2009
With appreciation,
Susan Rutherford
Houston, Texas, USA
repetti2@aol.com

Hello Teddy,

Me back from Nepal, sorry there was poor internet access there so I could not write you back, I tried to find a place in your website so I can comment but well, I could not so I just write it down for your website update

I had my first trip to Ethiopia in Oct 2008 and was wondering how if I can find any truth worthy travel agency there, a friend of mine just recommended me to contact this master travel agency and am happy that I did so.

The travel advice I got from them were so useful, I traveled with them, and can say they are indeed know what they do. Having a good knowledge of places, tours and what to do and dnt.

I would recommend them to any one who likes to enjoy a good trip in charming Ethiopia.

I can change some parts depending on what points you like me to infesise more on.

Regards from flaming Tehran.

October 2008
Mohsen
mhashemi_2000@yahoo.com
Iran

On behalf of Television Broadcasts Limited (Hong Kong), I would like to express my special thanks to Teddy and his colleagues from Off-Road Ethiopia Tour for their excellent job in assisting our filming in Ethiopia which has turned out to be a great success.

We produced a documentary series called "Being" in 2009. Featuring human evolution and tribal lives, we were tempted to explore the remote corners of Ethiopia. As our guide and fixer, Teddy had performed professionally in providing information of various tribes, local attractions and in all the logistics of transportation, catering and accommodation. He was also our translator and liaison officer with various tribes and local chieftains. With the precious help of Teddy and the Off-Road Ethiopia Tour, we managed to film in the Omo Valley and capture the most spectacular landscape of Southern Ethiopia and witness the unique culture and livings of various tribes including Mursi, Hammar, Karo and Konso. With Teddy's co-ordination and a little bit of luck, we managed to film the traditional "Bull- jumping Ceremony" which had turned Hong Kong audience's eyes wide open.

To our filming crew, Teddy is not just a fixer, but a caring friend. During shooting, our host, Mr. Ho, was accidentally injured in the remote part of Turmi, thousand miles from Addis Ababa and from home. As immediate medical treatments were needed, Teddy and his colleague had tried their best to accompany Mr. Ho back to the Capital to seek for proper treatments . And finally Mr. Ho travelled back to Hong Kong safely and after surgery, Mr. Ho was recovered.

Ethiopia is a great country. Ethiopians are nice people. And Teddy is a trust-worthy friend who will guide you through this beautiful country whole-heartedly.

Joani Tang
Production Executive,
Television Broadcasts Limited,
Hong Kong.
Email: joani.tang@tvb.com.hk

Off-Road-Ethiopia Review:
Travelers included me (fairly experienced traveler) and my parents which are relatively new to international travel. Travel dates were 4-13 April 2010 to the Lower Omo Valley. Although we were told this was the rainy season in this area, we lucked out with perfect weather and no rain that interfered with day time activities.
In choosing a tour company for this trip I picked several from a variety of online reviews, travel book reviews and web searches. After sending out several inquiries, less than a handful responded. Tewodros at Off-Road-Ethiopia was one of those. He proceeded to patiently and timely answer every question I had via email. He did not merely respond with a cookie-cutter reply of the itinerary that he suggests. It was this timely, thorough and personalized email information that made my decision to choose this company an easy one.
We got car/driver from Off-Road-Ethiopia. I was assured that our driver spoke and understood English well. Tewodros, car and driver met us at airport at the early time promised. Initially I was a little skeptical at the "driver speaks/understands English well" promise, as this didn't seem to be the case. When I asked Tewodros about this, he said that the English was adequate and shouldn't get in the way of any of the dealings and communications we need throughout the trip and that he would always have mobile phone contact if needed. This slight moment of skepticism and doubt was the last. As our driver Hobtamu quickly won us over with his kind, gentle character and patient personality! And as Tewodros promised, the language barrier was never really an issue. Furthermore, everything else appeared as promised including the exact make, model and year (and condition) of vehicle - which is important in a trip like this.
We cannot say enough about Hobtamu. We feel very fortunate to have gotten a driver like him and cannot imagine having anyone else for a trip like this. Not only was he a very good driver, but he always had our best interest in mind and quickly learned our travel style. He obviously assisted with all facets of the trip from dealings in the local languages to helping us negotiate hotels and set us up with some excellent local guides. He also knew how badly we wanted to see a Bull Jumping ceremony and did some extra footwork to get us to this authentic experience (not a tourist rendition) which proved to be the highlight of our trip! By the end of the 8-9 days, Hobtamu wasn't merely our driver, rather our friend whom we laughed and joked with!
On our way back to Addis, Tewodros lined-up a hotel room for us which we were very thankful for. Tewodros and Hobtamu also remained flexible in allowing us to use their services for an extra half day.
Besides the amazing offerings of a trip to Southern Ethiopia, this goes without saying; Tewodros and Hobtamu (Off-Road Ethiopia Tours) come highly recommended. I will and already have recommended them to friends that have shown an interest in traveling to Ethiopia. You will get honesty and trustworthy service from these individuals to go along with an experience and trip of a lifetime!

Dana
(Colorado, USA)

To simply call Ethiopia a land of marvels would be a vast understatement.

And it is not just her landscapes and the native fauna that make her marvellous, but the richness of her people's multi-faceted culture and history.
During our journey through the north of the country we saw an incredible historical heritage, rich with relics and monuments that literally left us speechless, that transported us into a past while giving free reign to our fantasy to imagine just how great the Empires that once ruled over this amazing land really were. We had a chance to observe and admire the archaeological aspects, stopping at such fascinating places as Gondar, Axum, Lalibela and others, all the while enriching our own cultural awareness as we marvelled at the great edifices erected by these fascinating people.
And what can we say about the people we encountered? The men and women we came across along our historical route were imbued with a beauty that went beyond aesthetics, it was an inner beauty.  Children would pop out at us from everywhere and stare at us, fascinated by our cameras, posing and, in the end, asking not for a "birr" (the local currency) but for a "biro", or ballpoint pen... to take to school!
So many wonderful smiles, so many wide-eyed looks and such vivacious curiosity - it was, unfortunately, impossible to satisfy them all.
It was a trip that taught us about human values, an encounter with cultures that give simplicity a new and rich meaning, and with a natural heritage that has remained unaltered by time.
Ethiopia is all of this.

The following is a show of appreciation for the tour organised for us by Off-Road.

We owe our thanks, first of all, to Tewodros Getnet (Teddy) for having put together this amazing and spectacular journey. 
Our deep felt appreciation also goes to Getau, our guide, not only for having had the patience to answer all of our banal questions, but also for his tremendous expertise and the in-depth historical knowledge he so enthusiastically shared with us.
And we must also not undermine the services of Habtamu, our driver, who drove us with great care and showed no end of patience with our many requests during the journey. We know it cannot have been easy to keep cool and calm driving over 2,500 km of very difficult and challenging roads, but he managed to do so and at the same time imbue us with a deep sense of safety.  And last, but not least, our thanks go to Seifu, who drove us for the last two days in and around Addis Abeba.
In conclusion, to all of those who seek to take a journey through this magnificent country, we can honestly recommend the fine services of Off-Road. Their expertise and experience is a sure guarantee for a successful adventure in Ethiopia. 
All of our best wishes go to the staff of the agency, we hope to meet up with you again to enjoy other new adventures together, but most of all to share the delicious food you introduced us to, like injera and the different types of wot!

Giovanni and Sonia
From Italy
gnardotto@gmail.com