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…
Must-see attractions in Northern Ethiopia
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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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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…
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…
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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…
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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…
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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)…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Northern Ethiopia
Yeha is considered the birthplace of Ethiopia’s earliest known civilisation nearly three millennia ago. Many features here, such as the immense,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Lalibela
This excellent new museum has beautifully presented displays about Lalibela’s history, both past and present. The exhibits range from cultural artefacts…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Lalibela
Near Arbatu Ensessa, 41km off the Yemrehanna Kristos road, this is an interesting three-quarter monolith known particularly for its ancient frescoes…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
