Must-see attractions in Ethiopia

  • Royal archive and library buildings in the Royal Enclosure in Gondar, Ethiopia

    Royal Enclosure

    Gonder

    The Gonder of yesteryear was a city of extreme brutality and immense wealth. Today the wealth and brutality are gone, but the memories linger in this…

  • 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…

  • Holy Trinity Cathedral, Arat Kilo.

    Holy Trinity Cathedral

    Addis Ababa

    This massive and ornate cathedral is the second-most important place of worship in Ethiopia (ranking behind the Old Church of St Mary of Zion in Aksum)…

  • The walls of the fortified historic city Jugol, Ethiopia

    Old Town

    Harar

    Harar’s old walled town (known as Jugal) is a fascinating place that begs exploration. The thick, 5m-high walls running 3.5km around town were erected in…

  • 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…

  • Omo National Park

    Southern Ethiopia

    Omo National Park has long been one of the most remote parks in Ethiopia and travelling here can be incredibly tough – but never less than fascinating…

  • Gambela National Park

    Western Ethiopia

    Gambela National Park is Ethiopia's greatest wildlife show-in-waiting, and being difficult to get to doesn't change that. It has vast herds of migrating…

  • Lakes Afambo & Gumare

    Eastern Ethiopia

    The little-explored territory and salt lakes scattered around Asaita are something of a holy grail for serious adventurers. This area remains one of the…

  • 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…

  • Hyena-man of Harar feeding a spotted hyena.

    Northern Hyena Feeding Site

    Harar

    Located north of Fallana Gate, this is one of Harar's two hyena feeding stations. A highlight of any visit to Harar, this impressive spectacle begins…

  • Gobodura Hill

    Aksum

    A site known as Wuchate Golo is one of Aksum's four ancient quarries, the birthplace of the famous stelae. Several stelae (all unmarked) were almost…

  • Eastern Hyena Feeding Site

    Harar

    One of Harar's two infamous hyena feeding sites, it is located about 1.5km east of Erer Gate (near the garbage dump). This site is usually more productive…

  • Old Church of St Mary of Zion

    Aksum

    The rectangular, men-only old church at the southern end of the complex of churches here is a remarkable example of traditional architecture built by the…

  • 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…

  • Washa Mikael Church

    Addis Ababa

    The Washa Mikael Church is a few kilometres east of Addis Ababa's town centre. Though local priests date it back to the 3rd century AD, it most probably…

  • Maryam Papaseit

    Rock-hewn Churches of Tigray

    In a pretty valley south of Hawzien and signposted off the Megab-Wukro road, Maryam Papaseit is one of the most accessible and rewarding churches in the…

  • King Bazen's Tomb

    Aksum

    Despite being the crudest of tombs, roughly hewn into solid rock instead of constructed with fine masonry, this place has a slightly magical feel…

  • King Ezana's Inscription

    Aksum

    On the way up to the tombs of Kings Kaleb and Gebre Meskel, you’ll pass a small shack containing a remarkable find that three farmers stumbled upon in…

  • 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…

  • Outlet of the Blue Nile

    Lake Tana & its Monasteries

    The Blue Nile outlet, a 20-minute boat ride east of Bahir Dar, has far greater geographical significance than it does natural beauty, although there's…

  • 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…

  • Medhane Alem Kesho

    Rock-hewn Churches of Tigray

    Also known as Adi Kesho, after its location, this is one of Tigray’s oldest, tallest and finest rock-hewn churches. Its exterior and interior walls are…

  • Abuna Gebre Mikael

    Rock-hewn Churches of Tigray

    Though not visited very often, this is considered one of Gheralta’s finest churches. The cruciform plan is hewn into a dome-like rock and it has good…

  • Azuwa Maryam

    Lake Tana & its Monasteries

    The thatch roof atop the church at Azuwa Maryam helps make it the best-looking church on Zege (currently Bete Maryam is the only other church with thatch)…

  • St Mary of Zion Church Museum

    Aksum

    The museum inside the St Mary of Zion Church complex contains an impressive haul of treasure, including an unsurpassed collection of former Ethiopian…

  • 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…

  • Daniel Korkor

    Rock-hewn Churches of Tigray

    Just a couple of minutes’ walk from Maryam Korkor is the seldom-used church of Daniel Korkor. It sits atop a paralysing precipice, offers astounding views…

  • House and pool at Fasiladas' Bath

    Fasiladas' Bath

    Gonder

    Around 2km northwest of the piazza lies Fasiladas’ Bath, which has been attributed to both Fasiladas and Iyasu I. The large rectangular pool is overlooked…

  • 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,…

  • Shoppers in Merkato (market).

    Merkato

    Addis Ababa

    Wading into the market chaos known as Merkato, just west of Addis' centre, can be as rewarding as it is exasperating. You may find the most eloquent aroma…

  • Awash National Park

    Eastern Ethiopia

    Easily accessible from Addis Ababa, 756-sq-km Awash National Park is one of Ethiopia’s most visited parks. However, if you’re here for the thrill of…

  • Abba Yohanni rock hewn church on the cliffs of Debre Ansa.

    Abba Yohanni

    Rock-hewn Churches of Tigray

    Impressively located halfway up a 300m-high sheer cliff face, this church is reached by a 15-minute climb using steps, tunnels and little bridges. The…

  • Empress Mentewab’s Kuskuam Complex

    Gonder

    It mightn't be as well-preserved as the Royal Enclosure, or as sacred as Debre Berhan Selassie, but what this royal compound, known as Kuskuam, lacks in…

  • Tombs of Kings Kaleb & Gebre Meskel

    Aksum

    Set on a small hill 1.8km northeast of the Northern Stelae Field and offering views of the jagged mountains of Adwa are these two tombs that local…

  • Plains zebra (Equus burchellii), Nechisar National Park.

    Nechisar Plain

    Southern Ethiopia

    The main wildlife-watching circuit crosses the Bridge of God to the park’s namesake savannah, but the road is so atrocious that many tour companies prefer…

  • Sof Omar Cave

    Southern Ethiopia

    Around 100km east of Robe, the fast-flowing Web River runs through a deep gorge and then cuts straight through a limestone hill. Though underground for…

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