"An unknown jewel" Top 5 Page for this destination Ethiopia by SirRichard

Ethiopia Travel Guide: 1,769 reviews and 6,800 photos

Priest visiting Tis Abay Falls - Ethiopia

More than deserts and hungry kids

I have just returned from a 17 days trip to Ethiopia. I went there independent, bought a Lufthansa air ticket and after arriving in Addis i started taking buses to do all the "Historic Route" in the north, clockwise to Bahir Dar, Gonder, Axum, Tigray and Lalibela. As things went much better than expected, I still had 3 days left in Addis, so I took another bus to follow the steps of my admired Burton and enter the muslim city of Harar, in the East.
In spite of the common western perception of Ethiopia as a dry desert where everybody is hungry, I have discovered a wonderful green country with lots of interesting treasures and monuments, water (maybe too much, I went in rainy season) and friendly people.

A rich heritage

Inside a Tigray church

What attracts most visitors to Ethiopia are the fantastic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, but there are many other top attractions in the country. This is what I saw:
- Bahir Dar: The Blue Nile source and Falls. Lake Tana and its orthodox monasteries.
- Gonder: Medieval Castles and the incredible H.D.Selassie church with amazing paintings on walls and ceiling.
- Axum: the monolite stelae, the church of St.Mary of Sion (where the Ark of the Covenant is said to be).
- Tigray: the many remote monasteries and churches in the rocks (yes, IN!), Yeha archeological site and Debre Damo holy monastery.
- Lalibela: the world know rock-hewn churches.
- Harar: a walls surrounded citadel, the muslim markets, the feeding of the hyaenas.
- Addis: museums, the Merkato market, restaurants, Entoto Hills.

Green Ethiopia, gorgeous landscapes

Painting in Debre Damo

Travelling around the north gives you the chance to admire somre incredible green mountain landscapes.
It was a trip full of surprises: pushing the bus out of the mud became a daily activity, sleping with the monks in Debre Damo isolated monastery was an unique experience, travelling in trucks, donkeys, and even a UN Peace Forces pickup near the Eritrean border made the trip interesting, travelling by bus in Ethiopia is a resistance challenge, with bus rides of 10-12 hours daily...

In the pic you can see me painting my Travel Diary on top of Debre Damo monastery.

Last visit to Ethiopia: Aug 2006
Intro Updated Sep 2, 2006
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Reviews (32)

Macchiato Restaurants (4)

If you ask for a coffee in Ethiopia you will get a small glass of BLACK coffee with 2 spoons of sugar. If you rather... more travel advice

On top of the plateau. Pic from the bell tower. - Ethiopia

Debre Damo Monastery Things to Do (5)

Debre Damo is an orthodox monastery in the north, between Axum and Adigrat. It is located on top of a plateau, where... more travel advice

Bahar Dar (also called Bahir Dar) Things to Do (5)

Bahar Dar is a small town set on the southeastern shore of Lake Tana (Ethiopia's largest lake), where local fishermen... more travel advice

Guides Tourist Traps (1)

Not a tourist trap really but you should be warned. While walking by the streets in touristic places, many young men and... more travel advice

Favorites (6)
See All Ethiopians
Sports & Outdoors (1)
Climbing in Debre Damo
Local Customs (4)
See All The coffee ceremony
Transportation (4)
See All Muddy roads

Warnings and Dangers (1)
Butcher shops
What to Pack (1)
Rainy season
Hotels (2)
See All Africa Hotel in Axum
Off The Beaten Path (3)
See All Raiders of the Lost Ark

Travelogues (3)

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Comments (56)

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muguruki Mar 5, 2010 at 8:29 AM

Great tips, lovely photos. One of these days I'll get to Ethiopia but I reckon I'll eat a lot of spaghetti as I'm a long way from acquiring a taste for injeera.
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jennyrobot Oct 30, 2007 at 7:38 AM

An absoutely beautiful collection of works. Simply inspiring. Thank you.
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northeast80 Oct 27, 2007 at 12:21 AM

What fantastic pages, informative and very interesting to look at, you get a real sense of the place through your paintings.
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uaamom Oct 25, 2007 at 10:14 PM

Your watercolor diaries are absolutely charming! I need to work on my Spanish though!
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Ekahau Jun 21, 2007 at 3:08 PM

Lalibela is such a cool place great pages Sir Richard and Injhera with several kinds of Wat oh tasty. wonderful photos. A place I have been back to 12 times but 6 of them were so far back Haile Selassie was the king of Kings
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madamx Jan 20, 2007 at 6:07 PM

Thoroughly enjoyed your page, plus your beautiful watercolors; I always thought of Ethiopia as desert too! Thanks for a great page ~ Helen
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Pawtuxet Dec 31, 2006 at 4:36 PM

Bet that coffee would make my hair stand straight up!! :-) Thanks for a good tour. Happy New Year!
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mikarov99 Dec 10, 2006 at 10:52 PM

very interesting pages, and nice pics, Ethiopia is own top my whish list to visit.
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titti Oct 16, 2006 at 1:05 PM

Wondeful water colours!! Ciao.
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alza Oct 13, 2006 at 10:31 AM

'Plus léger qu'un bouchon...' happy to find Rimbaud's drunken ship here. Wonderful depiction, Joaquin!