Must-see attractions in Northern Ethiopia

  • The Sunken Rock Hewn church of Bet Giyorgis (St  George), Lalibela, Northern Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Africa

    Bet Giyorgis

    Lalibela

    When you think of Lalibela, you're thinking of Bet Giyorgis. Resting off on its own, St George’s Church is Lalibela’s masterpiece. Representing the apogee…

  • Simien Mountains National Park

    Northern Ethiopia

    No matter how you look at it, the Unesco World Heritage–listed Simien Mountains National Park is one of Africa’s most beautiful ranges. This massive…

  • Orthodox Christian pilgrim men being hauled up a 15m cliff face by monks to reach the mountain-top church and monastery of Debre Damo, Northern Tigray province, Ethiopia.

    Debre Damo

    Northern Ethiopia

    Debre Damo is one of Ethiopia's most important monasteries and is thought to date back to Aksumite times and the 6th-century reign of King Gebre Meskel…

  • Bet Maryam, rock-cut church in Lalibela, Ethiopia.

    Bet Maryam

    Lalibela

    Connected to Bet Medhane Alem by a tunnel is a large courtyard containing three churches. The first, Bet Maryam, is small, yet designed and decorated to…

  • Bet Medhane Alem, rock-cut church in Lalibela, Ethiopia.

    Bet Medhane Alem

    Lalibela

    Resembling a massive Greek temple more than a traditional Ethiopian church, Bet Medhane Alem is impressive for its size and majesty. Said to be the…

  • Bet Amanuel rock-hewn church in Lalibela, Ethiopia.

    Bet Amanuel

    Lalibela

    Free-standing and monolithic, Bet Amanuel is Lalibela’s most finely carved church. Some have suggested it was the royal family’s private chapel. It…

  • Yemrehanna Kristos

    Lalibela

    Despite Yemrehanna Kristos being one of Ethiopia’s best-preserved late-Aksumite buildings, few people reward themselves with a visit. And a reward it is…

  • Ashetan Maryam

    Lalibela

    Set at 3150m, atop Abune Yosef mountain, is this monastery where the local priests believe they’re ‘closer to heaven and God’, and it’s easy to see why…

  • Mekina Medane Alem

    Lalibela

    Two to three hours’ walk from Geneta Maryam and six hours’ walk from Lalibela, this remote church was, according to Ethiopian tradition, constructed by…

  • Monday Market

    Northern Ethiopia

    Attracting up to 10,000 Afar, Oromo and Amhara, and even some traders from Djibouti, this market is epic. It’s Ethiopia’s largest after Addis Ababa’s…

  • Tis Abay Waterfall, The Blue Nile, Ethiopia, Africa

    Blue Nile Falls (Tis Abay)

    Northern Ethiopia

    The Blue Nile looks like a sluggish beast as it meanders out of Lake Tana, but not far out of Bahir Dar you’ll see the Nile in a very different mood. The…

  • Cross shapped windows in Bet Merkorios

    Bet Merkorios

    Lalibela

    Reached via a series of trenches and tunnels (one is long, narrow and pitch-black) that starts from Bet Gabriel-Rufael, this church may have started as…

  • Debre Libanos Monastery

    Northern Ethiopia

    Although no trace of the 13th-century monastery remains (a casualty of the Muslim–Christian Wars), the modern site is impressively set beneath a waterfall…

  • Bet Gabriel-Rufael

    Lalibela

    Its entrance flanked by a sloping sliver of rock known as the ‘Way to Heaven’, this imposing twin-church marks the main entrance to the southeastern group…

  • Bet Golgotha & Bet Mikael

    Lalibela

    A trench at the southern end of the Bet Maryam courtyard connects it to the twin churches of Bet Golgotha and Bet Mikael (also known as Bet Debre Sina)…

  • Church of Debre Sina

    Northern Ethiopia

    The most interesting relic of Gorgora’s former days as a short-lived capital is the attractive Debre Sina church. Built in 1608 by Emperor Susenyos’ son…

  • Geneta Maryam

    Lalibela

    Geneta Maryam is thought to have been built around 1270 by Yekuno Amlak, who restored the Solomonic line. With its rectangular shape and 20 massive…

  • Bilbila Giyorgis

    Lalibela

    Lying west of Arbatu Ensessa, around 32km from Lalibela, Bilbila Giyorgis is attributed to King Kaleb. It resembles Bet Abba Libanos in design. According…

  • Bet Abba Libanos

    Lalibela

    Hewn into a rock face, Bet Abba Libanos is unique among Lalibela’s churches because only the roof and floor remain attached to the strata. Many of its…

  • Blue Nile Gorge

    Northern Ethiopia

    Around 200km from Addis Ababa, one of Ethiopia’s most dramatic stretches of road begins its serpentine descent to the bottom of the Blue Nile Gorge, 1km…

  • Jinbar Waterfall

    Simien Mountains National Park

    The 15-minute walk from the roadside to the lookout across the chasm to Jinbar Waterfall is well worth taking. The views are vertiginous and they're at…

  • Yeha

    Northern Ethiopia

    Yeha is considered the birthplace of Ethiopia’s earliest known civilisation nearly three millennia ago. Many features here, such as the immense,…

  • Monastery of Abba Garima

    Northern Ethiopia

    In the mountains about 5km due east of Adwa, the monastery of Abba Garima is said to have been founded by one of the Nine Saints in the 6th century. It’s…

  • Na’akuto La‘ab

    Lalibela

    Lying 7km from Lalibela, just off the airport road, is this simple but attractive church (apart from the outer security wall). It’s attributed to King…

  • Mandaba Medhane Alem

    Northern Ethiopia

    Of Tana’s four far-northern monasteries, all west of Gorgora, Mandaba Medhane Alem, which hosts ancient biblical manuscripts and some of Ethiopia’s most…

  • Lalibela Cultural Center

    Lalibela

    This excellent new museum has beautifully presented displays about Lalibela’s history, both past and present. The exhibits range from cultural artefacts…

  • Guzara Castle

    Northern Ethiopia

    Though there’s little solid evidence about its history, this tall castle peering out over Lake Tana could have been built in the 1580s by Emperor Za…

  • Portuguese Bridge

    Northern Ethiopia

    Though local guides insist the small stone-arch Portuguese bridge near Debre Libanos was erected by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it was actually…

  • Arbatu Ensessa

    Lalibela

    On the way to Yemrehanna Kristos, around 35km from Lalibela, is this three-quarter monolith church in a wild, overgrown but rather beautiful setting. It’s…

  • Bet Danaghel

    Lalibela

    To the south of the Bet Maryam courtyard is the pleasingly primitive and grotto-like chapel of Bet Danaghel (House of the Virgins), said to have been…

  • Susenyos’ Old Palace

    Northern Ethiopia

    Emperor Susenyos (r 1607–32) built his palace, known by locals as Susenyos Ghimb, on a peninsula (called Old Gorgora) 10km west of town. It can be reached…

  • Bet Uraiel

    Lalibela

    In the trench fronting the western facade of Bet Golgotha, past the symbolic Tomb of Adam (a giant, hollowed-out block of stone), Bet Uraiel opened as a…

  • Bilbila Chirkos

    Lalibela

    Near Arbatu Ensessa, 41km off the Yemrehanna Kristos road, this is an interesting three-quarter monolith known particularly for its ancient frescoes…

  • Birgida Maryam

    Northern Ethiopia

    The most rewarding of the monasteries is known for its jungle and dedicated monks. The building itself is fairly standard, but the highlight is a lovely…

  • Galila

    Northern Ethiopia

    The oldest monastery, Galila, is a one-hour boat journey southwest of Gorgora. Although destroyed by invading armies in the 16th century, the church was…

  • Bet Meskel

    Lalibela

    Carved into the courtyard’s northern wall at Bet Maryam is the tiny semi-chapel of Bet Meskel. Four pillars divide the gallery into two aisles spanned by…

  • Hayk Estifanos Monastery

    Northern Ethiopia

    The museum at Hayk Estifanos Monastery, on a long peninsula 4km northeast of town, dates from the mid-13th century and was founded by Abba Iyasus Moa…

  • Zengana Lake

    Northern Ethiopia

    Although not as dramatic as the crater lakes in southern Ethiopia, Zengana Lake is still beautiful with its perfectly circular shore. The 3.4km track…

  • Portuguese Cathedral

    Northern Ethiopia

    Near Susenyos’ palace is the Portuguese Cathedral he funded. The decrepit state (due largely to a 1995 earthquake) evokes his failed attempt to force…

  • Mussolini’s Stele

    Northern Ethiopia

    Gorgora was a hard-fought prize during the Italian occupation and on the way into town you’ll pass Mussolini’s stele, high on a hill, which commemorates…