Welcome to Sunrise Tours Ethiopia website!
Hopefully this is just the first step to help you understand and come to discover the many wonders of our country.
Yacob and Emanuele met in 2011, when they were both working in different tour companies. From the start, besides the business relationship, a sincere friendship developed that later led to a joint business project in 2018. Since then, they have been working side by side, partaking in the inevitable joys and challenges of an attentive local tour operator in Ethiopia. Sharing a common view on the meaning of tourism, their two very different backgrounds provide Sunrise Tours with a deep knowledge of both the local reality and the foreign traveller’s needs.
First and foremost though, both Yacob and Emanuele share the love for this incredible land, and that’s why “Sunrise means passion for Ethiopia”.
I started to work in tourism out of passion. After a university degree in agriculture, my job took me around the country and so, while in the rural areas, I got to discover the incredible cultural heritage of Ethiopia. Little by little I found myself recommending visits, creating special itineraries and guiding clients of the farming project to some special spots etc. It was not long before I decided to work in tourism full time, so I went back to study and graduated also in Tourism Management (Level 5) at CTTI in Addis Ababa.
Since 2008, I have been an active player in Ethiopian tourism, visiting all corners of this amazing country and experiencing its varied attractions. Apart from being the GM of Sunrise Tours, I am serving as Board member of Tourism Ethiopia [Assigned by the Prime Minister], Board member of the CTTI – Government Tourism School [Assigned by the Tourism Minister], President of the Ethiopian Tour Operator Association [Elected by over 200 members] and Member of the National Tourism Think-Tank group [Appointed by Tourism Minister].
I set my first step in Ethiopia back in 2007 and I immediately fell in love with its genuine people, magnificent landscapes and “simplicity” of life. This special connection, combined with the natural curiosity for new places, has meant that I not only came back several times but actually decided to move to Addis Abeba with the whole family in 2010!
The previous experience in marketing and photography, as well as the many languages spoken, enabled me to successfully enter the Ethiopian Tourism scene by joining a prominent tour operator as Tour Manager. The job gave me the privilege to travel to almost every corner of the country and familiarize with all the aspects of tour operating, from designing tours and expeditions to market the destination at the international level. In 2018, feeling confident to start on my own, it was very natural to enter into a business partnership with Yacob, My role in the company is Marketing and Tour Design Manager.
Each of our vehicles goes through a detailed inspection before commencing a trip and hotels and lodges are selected after a careful visit and survey. Above all, we are always ready to ask and listen carefully our guests’ feedback on their travel experience in order to keep up the quality and, eventually, improving any possible detail for the future.