Things to do in Ethiopia
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Simien Mountains National Park
The Simien Mountains National Park is easily accessible and excellent for trekking, with stirring views and a large variety of wildlife. The mountains are home to three of Ethiopia's larger endemic mammals: the walia ibex, the gelada baboon and the elusive Ethiopian wolf. Other mammals sometimes seen are rock hyraxes, jackals, bushbucks and klipspringers.
Endemic bird species include the commonly seen thick-billed raven, and the less common black-headed siskin, white-collared pigeon, white-billed starling, wattled ibis, spot-breasted plover, white-backed black tit and Ankober seedeater or serin. Although common, one of the most memorable sights (and sounds!) is the huge…
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Lalibela
The Middle-East has Petra, Ethiopia has Lalibela. Its rock-hewn churches are arguably Ethiopia's top attraction, and they elicit an instinctive awe, whether you're a religious architecture buff or not.
Perched at an altitude of 2630m (8629ft), Lalibela also remains a very isolated place, and a centre of pilgrimage. More than anywhere else in the world, you'll get the impression you've landed in a kingdom at least seven centuries behind your own.
Lalibela's 11 churches are cut straight from the bedrock, so their roofs are at ground level. All 11 churches were built within one century; some, according to legend, with the help of angels. The churches have been kept alive by…
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Kaldi's Coffee
While lawyers may eventually kibosh Kaldi's Starbucks-like sign, logo, interior, uniforms and menu, thirsty expats dropping around Br14 for fabulous frappuccinos will ensure Kaldi's contagious coffee lives on.
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Debre Berhan Selassie
Despite the walls of Debre Berhan Selassie hosting the most vibrant ecclesiastical artwork in the nation, it's the ceiling that captures the most visitors' imagination. Think of Mona Lisa's mysterious smile and multiply it 104 times over! Yes, each of the 104 winged Ethiopian cherubs dotting the beamed ceiling seem to have slightly different, but equally quizzical expressions.
Full of all the colour, life, wit and humanity of Ethiopian art at its best, the walls provide a compendium of Ethiopian saints, martyrs and lore. The devilish Bosch-like depiction of Hell has to be our favourite. A close second is the Prophet Mohammed atop a camel being led by a devil. Although…
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Geech Camp to Chenek via Imet Gogo
Geech to Chenek takes about five to six hours, but you'd be crazy not to take in Imet Gogo, around 5km northeast of Geech. It takes 1½ to two hours one way.
The promontory, at 3926m, affords some of the most spectacular views of the Simien Mountains. To make a day of it, you could continue to the viewpoint known as Saha. From Saha, you can head for the viewpoint at Kadavit (2.5km, 30 to 40 minutes), then return to camp.
You can also trek to Chenek via Imet Gogo using Saha as a starting point (eight to nine hours). Saha lies around 3km from Geech.
From Imet Gogo you have two choices: the first is to return to Geech by your outward route, then head directly south, back…
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Ethiopian Explorer
44 days (Gonder)
by Intrepid
Spot Ethiopia's exotic wildlife on a game drive, Be amazed by the pink brilliance of flocks of flamingos, Experience distinct local cultures and traditions in…Not LP reviewed
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Alert Handicraft Shop
There are shops that are a great way to support the city's hard-working less fortunate. At Alert Handicraft Shop, the Berhan Taye Leprosy Disabled Persons Work Group produce and sell beautiful items emblazoned with vibrant embroidery.
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Ethiopia Explorer
11 days (Addis Ababa)
Explore Ethiopia's unique cultural heritage and spectacular mountain scenery.
Not LP reviewed
from USD$2,390 -
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Unique Restaurant
Opposite the Asheton Hotel, this dark and understated little restaurant, serving cheap and tasty Ethiopian dishes, has received rave reviews from a number of readers.
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Former Women's Fuelwood Carriers Project
The Former Women's Fuelwood Carriers Project is a modest little shop, tucked about 300m west of Entoto Market and sells colourful hand-woven shawls.
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Lime Tree
Tuck into a pita stuffed with tabouleh or falafel, or savour a chicken coconut curry. Its creative juices are thirst slayers.
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Tomoca
Coffee is serious business at this old Italian Piazza café, where beans are roasted on-site.
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Fendika Azmari Beat
This azmari beat rivals Yewedale and is only a few minutes' walk down the street.
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Royal Enclosure
It's hard not to notice Gonder's impressive Royal Enclosure, with its castles and high stone walls sitting streetside. The entire 70,000-sq-metre site (also known as Fasil Ghebbi) was declared a World Heritage site by Unesco in 1979.
Free 90-minute guided tours (a tip will be expected) are worthwhile and available weekdays. On weekends, you can hire a local licensed guide near the gate.
Almost completely restored with the help of Unesco, Fasiladas' Palace (in the compound's south) is the oldest and most impressive castle. It stands 32m tall and has a crenulated parapet and four domed towers. Made of roughly hewn stones, it's reputedly the work of an Indian architect, and…
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Tombs of Kings Kaleb & Gebre Meskel
Set on a small hill and offering views of the distant jagged mountains of Adwa are the monumental Tombs of Kings Kaleb & Gebre Meskel . According to local tradition, they're attributed to the 6th-century King Kaleb and his son, King Gebre Meskel. Kaleb was one of Aksum's most important rulers and succeeded in bringing southern Arabia under Aksumite rule.
Although the twin tombs' architecture resembles the Tomb of the False Door, they actually show more sophistication, using irregular-shaped self-locking stones that don't require iron clamps. The 19th-century British traveller Theodore Bent exclaimed magnanimously that the tombs were 'built with a regularity which if found…
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Rock-Hewn Churches
Lalibela's Rock-Hewn Churches are remarkable for three main reasons: because many are not carved into the rock, but freed entirely from it (unlike most of Petra); because the buildings are so refined; and because there are so many within such a small area.
The ticket office (;08:00-noon & 14:00-17:00) lies beside the path leading to the northern group of churches and Bet Medhane Alem. Tickets give access to all churches in town for the duration of your stay. Don't forget to bring your torch!
Although time has treated the churches with remarkably gentle gloves, Unesco has built rather hideous scaffolding and roofing over most churches to protect frescoes from water seepage.…
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Trekking, Classic Route
Most trekking is fairly gentle and undemanding, following good, well-trodden paths or sheep tracks. But don't forget that altitude makes easy-looking terrain quite heavy going.
The trekking routes cover a relatively small area, and most treks last six days, or four days with a vehicle. The following routes and approximate trekking times have been devised in consultation with local guides.
Day One: Work your way southwest up the Web Valley towards the Finch' Abera Waterfall (two or three hours from the park headquarters), before continuing on to Mararo, where there's a pleasant campsite.
Day Two: Keep an eye out for giant molerats while trekking through the Wasema Valley.…
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Harari National Cultural Centre
Visiting a traditional Adare house is a must, but you'll probably need a guide to find one. The easiest house to find, not far from the Erer Gate (known locally as Argobari), houses the Harari National Cultural Centre. This typical Adare house contains examples of traditional arts and crafts.
Several Adare houses also double as family-run souvenir shops. If you don't buy anything, it's customary to tip the owner for the tour.
A distinct architectural feature in Harar, the gegar (traditional Adare house) is a rectangular, two-storey structure with a flat roof. The house is carefully constructed to remain cool whatever the outside temperature: clay reinforced with wooden…
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St Mary of Zion Churches
Opposite the Northern Stelae Field in a walled compound lie the two St Mary of Zion Churches .The rectangular old church is a remarkable example of traditional architecture and was built by the Emperor Fasiladas, the founder of Gonder, in 1665. It's thought that the old podium on which it sits may well belong to Africa's first church, which was erected by King Ezana or King Kaleb in the 4th or 6th century.
Unfortunately, the original church was destroyed during the incursions of Mohammed Gragn the Left-Handed in 1535. Inside there are fine murals, including a painting of the Nine Saints and a collection of ceremonial musical instruments.
A carefully guarded chapel in the…
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Hyena Feeding
Are you ready to sample the thrill of a lifetime? You came to the right place. Possibly Harar's greatest attraction is the hyena men of Harar. As night falls (from around 19:00), the last remaining hyena men (about four) set themselves up just outside the city walls. Sometimes the hyena men risk feeding the animals from their own mouths - you can have a go at this, too, if you like! We didn't… The hyena men know the animals as individuals and call them by the names they have given them.
Though the tradition of feeding spotted hyenas like this has existed for no more that 35 years, the ritual is less of a tourist show than some travellers imagine. The Hararis have long…
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Bet Golgotha & Bet Mikael
A tunnel at the southern end of the Bet Maryam courtyard connects it to the twin churches of Bet Golgotha & Bet Mikael .
Bet Mikael serves as an anteroom to the Selassie Chapel, one of Lalibela's holiest sanctuaries. It contains three monolithic altars. One is decorated with a beautiful relief of four winged creatures with their hands held up in prayer; it's thought to represent the four evangelists. Unfortunately, the chapel is very rarely open to the public.
Bet Golgotha is known for containing some of the best early examples of Ethiopian Christian art. On the so-called Tomb of Christ (an arched recess in the northeast of the church) a recumbent figure is carved in high…
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Bet Maryam
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 an exceptionally high standard. Dedicated to the Virgin, who's particularly venerated in Ethiopia, this is the most popular church among pilgrims. Some believe it may have been the first church built by Lalibela.
On its eastern wall you'll see two sets of three windows. According to scholars, the upper set is thought to represent the Holy Trinity, while the lower three, set below a small cross-shaped window, are believed to represent the crucifixion of Jesus and the two sinners. The lower right window has a small…
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Rome Stele
At 24.6m high, the Rome Stele - or Aksum Obelisk to those in Rome - is the second-largest stele ever produced at Aksum and the largest to have ever been successfully raised. Like the Great Stele, its ornate carvings of multistoried windows and doors adorn all four sides. Pillagers raiding the site are believed to have accidentally caused its collapse sometime between the 10th and 16th centuries.
In 1937 its broken remains were shipped to Italy on Mussolini's personal orders. There it was reassembled and raised once more, this time in Rome's Piazza di Porta Capena. It remained in Rome until 2005, when decades of negotiations finally overcame diplomatic feet-dragging.
After…
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Great Stele
Lying like a broken soldier, this massive 33m Great Stele is believed to be the largest single block of stone that humans have ever attempted to erect, and overshadows even the Egyptian obelisks in its conception and ambition. Scholars theorise that it fell during its erection sometime early in the 4th century.
Comparing the unworked 'root' to the sleek, carved base and the intricate walia ibex carvings near its top gives you a vivid idea of the precision, finesse and technical competence of Aksumite's stone workers.
As it toppled it collided with the massive 360-tonne stone sheltering the central chamber of Nefas Mawcha's tomb. This shattered the upper portion of stele…
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Fasiladas' Bath
Around 2km northwest of town centre lies Fasiladas' Bath, a shady, beautiful and historical spot attributed to both Fasiladas and Iyasu I.
The large, rectangular sunken pool is overlooked by a small but charming building, thought by some to be Fasiladas' second residence. Almost out of Cambodia's Angkor Thom, snakelike tree roots envelop, support and digest sections of the stone wall surrounding the pool.
Although the complex was used for bathing (royalty used to don inflated goatskin lifejackets for their refreshing dips!), it was likely constructed for religious celebrations, the likes of which still go on today. Once a year, Fasiladas' Bath is filled with water for…
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