Hello,
We'll be two weeks in Ethiopia, and are most interested in people and cultural experiences. We'll therefore spend most of the time in Omo valley and Harar, but we would also like to see Lalibela (as the only destination in the north). We'll fly up early Saturday, and start with the Saturday market (how big is it? How much time should we plan for this?). Then we'll see St Giyorgis church, and some of the northwestern churches. Will this pe possible to doo in one day (Saturday)? We'll need a lunch in between, and we'll stay overnight and return to Addis Abeba Sunday morning. If necessary, we could stay Sunday, too, and return Monday, but this will give us less time in the South, so if possible, we'll just spend Saturday in Lalibela. From the map and guidebooks, this seems possible, but we would like the opinion from people that have been there.
Thank you!
If you like to be in the rush, yes.
If you like the slow travel, two days are better.
It's up to you...
Michel
I would miss out the market if I were you. And if you are going to see all the churches in one day, take some food and drink and find a quiet spot to have a rest inbetween the two clusters. If you can manage two days, go to Yemrehane Kirstos, it is amazing. I would have hated to have missed seeing it when I was there.
Most tourists take a day to see all the churches in Lalibela but it took us 2,5 hours with a guide. We challenged him to do a shortened version but not to rush. I don't like to stroll around with a guide for a whole day. It worked out quite well. We learned a lot and have seen all the churches. We still spend three days/two nights in Lalibela and also went to the churches on our own at a different time. The churches are close together and it's easy to have lunch in between (for example at John Caffe). You could also take a tuktuk up the hill or else it's a 10 minute walk from the northern cluster.
If you're in Lalibela don't miss the Ben Abeba restaurant, especially at daylight for the views and architecture and by night for the campfire!
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