Comprising eleven churches and two chapels, Ethiopia’s labyrinthine ‘New Jerusalem’, excavated by King Lalibela in the 12th century and still in active use today, has been dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. Hand-carved into the rock flake by painstaking flake, a process that would have required around 40,000 man-years to complete, Lalibela represents the apex of an Ethiopian church-excavating tradition that dates to the arrival of Christianity circa 350 AD.

What to See?

  • Many of Lalibela’s churches are subterranean monoliths, created in two stages. First, a quadrangle of trenches up to 15 meters deep would be hand-cut into a horizontal rock surface. Only then could the artisans commence work on the actual church, which was excavated into a massive freestanding central block enclosed by the artificial trenches.
  • The church of Bete Medhane Alem, set in one such subterranean courtyard, is the world’s largest rock-hewn excavation, supported by 36 internal and 36 external pillars.
  • The most iconic church at Lalibela, Bete Giyorgis is a free-standing monolith carved in the shape of a cross and dedicated to its namesake Saint George. Legend has it that Saint George was so delighted when he saw his church that he rode his horse right over the entrance tunnel, leaving behind hoof prints that are still visible today.
  • The impact of Lalibela is not limited to its architecture. This is also one of the very few UNESCO World Heritage Sites of comparable vintage that functions as a living shrine, one whose ancient stone churches have remained in active use since their excavation almost nine centuries ago.
  • The countryside around Lalibela is studded with many other ancient churches. These include Yemrehanna Kristos, one of the finest surviving examples of Aksumite architecture, constructed in the 11th century with alternating layers of wood and gypsum-faced granite.

Lalibela lies 170km from Weldiya, 300km from Bahir Dar, 360km from Gondar, and 390km from Aksum by road. All routes are mostly surfaced but involve some travel on gravel. The shortest road distance between Addis Ababa and Lalibela is 680km via Dessie and Weldiya. Lalibela Airport, 25km from the town center along a surfaced road, is serviced by daily Ethiopian Airlines flights from Addis Ababa, Gondar, Bahir Dar and Aksum (www.ethiopianairlines.com). All flights are met by private operators offering transfers into town.

The complex of 11 churches in Lalibela town can only be explored on foot. A guide is strongly recommended and can be obtained at the ticket office outside the Northern church cluster. Transport and logistics for visiting other churches further afield can be handled by most hotels and guides, local tour operators or the Community Tourism Guiding Enterprise.

The town of Lalibela has a large selection of hotels such as Sora Lodge, Maribela Hotel, Seven Olives Hotel, Mountain View Hotel, Honeyland Hotel, Panoramic View Hotel, Top Twelve Hotel, Lal Hotel, Degosach Eco Lodge, Fikir and Ray Lodge, Tabor Hotel and others catering to all tastes and budgets. Out-of-town options include a network of 11 community-managed lodges linked by hiking trails and a similar hut in the Mount Abuna Yoseph Community Conservation Area.

Ethiopia’s Christian holidays are all celebrated vigorously, particularly Meskel and Timkat, which attract pilgrims from all around the country to Lalibela, and are also very popular with tourists. Key holidays are Ethiopian New Year (11 September), Meskel (Finding of the True Cross; 27 September), Gena (Ethiopian Christmas; 7 January) and Timkat (Epiphany; 19 January). Holidays fall one day later in leap years.

Shopping

Lalibela is a good place to purchase Ethiopian handicrafts. Craft stalls are clustered on the main square and along the main road south of the churches.

Camping Tours

Camping trips by GE

Most of the time when tourists go most remote sites like parks and pristine areas, they set up camps. But for recreation purpose camping in near areas especially at night with a campfire is so marvelous. in Ethiopia the Gheralta and Semien mountain in the northern part of the country and in the southern part Turmi area are the best camping sites which are suitable and safe for tourists

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Desert Tours

Desert Holidays by AET

Bubbling volcanoes light up the night sky, sulfurous mounds of yellow contort into other-worldly shapes, and mirages of camels cross lakes of salt. Lying 100m and more below sea level, the Danakil Depression (የደንከል በረሃ) is about the hottest and most inhospitable place on earth. In fact, it’s so surreal that it doesn’t feel like part of earth at all. If you want genuine, raw adventure, few corners of the globe can match this overwhelming wilderness. But come prepared because with temperatures frequently saying hello to 50°C and appalling ‘roads’, visiting this region is more an expedition than a tour.

This fascinating Ethiopia Tour flies to northern Ethiopia to explore the famous historical sites of this ancient country and the Simien Mountains Park, before flying...
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Lalibela is a must-visit in northern Ethiopia, famous for its incredible rock-carved churches and beautiful scenery. It's also a significant center of Ethiopian Christianity. But...
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Festival Tours

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Ethiopian culture through our exclusive festival tours. Experience the heart and soul of the nation as you participate in a kaleidoscope of national, religious, and historic ceremonies and events. From the rhythmic beats of traditional music to the colorful processions of ancient rituals, our expertly curated tours offer an unparalleled opportunity to witness Ethiopia’s living heritage up close. Join us as we celebrate life, faith, and history together.

Highlights include:

  • National Celebrations: Be part of the euphoria as Ethiopia commemorates its rich history and cultural diversity.
  • Religious Festivals: Witness the devotion and spirituality of the Ethiopian people through sacred ceremonies and pilgrimages.
  • Historic Reenactments: Step back in time and relive iconic moments in Ethiopian history.

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Historical Tours

Historic Travels to Ethiopia by AET

Details on the origins of all the peoples that make up the population of highland Ethiopia were still matters for research and debate in the early 1990s. Anthropologists believe that East Africa’s Great Rift Valley is the site of humankind’s origins. (The valley traverses Ethiopia from southwest to northeast.) In 1974 archaeologists excavating sites in the Awash River valley discovered 3.5-million-year- old fossil skeletons, which they named Australopithecus afarensis. These earliest known hominids stood upright, lived in groups, and had adapted to living in open areas rather than in forests.

Coming forward to the late Stone Age, recent research in historical linguistics–and increasingly in archaeology as well–has begun to clarify the broad outlines of the prehistoric populations of present-day Ethiopia. These populations spoke languages that belong to the Afro-Asiatic super-language family, a group of related languages that includes Omotic, Cushitic, and Semitic, all of which are found in Ethiopia today. Linguists postulate that the original home of the Afro-Asiatic cluster of languages was somewhere in northeastern Africa, possibly in the area between the Nile River and the Red Sea in modern Sudan. From here the major languages of the family gradually dispersed at different times and in different directions–these languages being ancestral to those spoken today in northern and northeastern Africa and far southwestern Asia.

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This fascinating Ethiopia Tour flies to northern Ethiopia to explore the famous historical sites of this ancient country and the Simien Mountains Park, before flying...
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Lalibela is a must-visit in northern Ethiopia, famous for its incredible rock-carved churches and beautiful scenery. It's also a significant center of Ethiopian Christianity. But...
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Explore the rock churches and landscapes of Tigray.  You will base yourself at the wonderfully designed with the backdrop of the Gheralta Mountains providing a great view from your...
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Trekking and Hiking Tours

Get Adventurous on the glorious mountains of Ethiopia

Hike Gheralta Mountainsthe Roof of Ancient Ethiopia. Dramatic sandstone peaks pierce the sky, sheltering ancient rock-hewn churches. Hike rugged trails and explore Ethiopia’s forgotten past.

The Simien Mountains offer some of the most stunning trekking in the whole of Africa. The National Park boasts truly incredible mountain scenery and is teeming with endemic wildlife. bale mountains 4,000m above sea level, a place where natural selection has been hard at work; plants, animals, and birds have all been fine-tuned to withstand the extremes of temperature, oxygen depletion, fierce winds and extreme ultraviolet radiation.

This fascinating Ethiopia Tour flies to northern Ethiopia to explore the famous historical sites of this ancient country and the Simien Mountains Park, before flying...
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5 Days
Lalibela is a must-visit in northern Ethiopia, famous for its incredible rock-carved churches and beautiful scenery. It's also a significant center of Ethiopian Christianity. But...
Available through out the year:
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
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Explore the rock churches and landscapes of Tigray.  You will base yourself at the wonderfully designed with the backdrop of the Gheralta Mountains providing a great view from your...
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Other Trips

These are other trips.

Unleash Your Inner Explorer: Educational and Study Tours with Ethiopia Tigray Tours Embrace the Tapestry of Ethiopian Knowledge Ethiopia Tigray Tours ignites a passion for...
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