Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is a rugged, landlocked country split by the Great Rift Valley. With archaeological finds dating back more than 3 million years, it’s a place of ancient culture.
Ethiopia is like nowhere else on the planet, a beautiful country blessed with a peerless history, fabulous wildlife and some of Africa's most soulful peoples.
Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is a rugged, landlocked country split by the Great Rift Valley. With archaeological finds dating back more than 3 million years, it’s a place of ancient culture.
3:00pm-9:30am : Lalibela
10:00am-12:30pm : Church of St. George
1:00pm-1:30pm : The Fine Art Gallery
2:00pm-6:00pm : Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela
A pilgrim destination and World Heritage Site, Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela lie deep in the mountains at the heart of Ethiopia. Located in one of the country's holiest cities, the 11 monolithic Ethiopian Orthodox churches are believed to have been hand-carved out of rock between the 12th and 14th centuries, resembling Jerusalem in their layout. Two groups of churches cluster between the River Jordan, interlinked by drainage systems and ceremonial passages for visitors to explore.
6:30pm-8:00pm : Gonder
10:00am-11:00am : Fasiladas Bath Timket
Enjoy a stroll through the scenic gardens at Fasiladas Bath Timket, a large rectangular pool used for baptism in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. A stone summer house (built as a summer residence for royalty) overlooks the water, surrounded by a green park. The pool is filled with water once a year for the country's most important festival, making it the final destination of Ethiopia's colorful holiday procession, the Timket, emulating Christ's baptism.
11:30am-12:30pm : Debre Berhan Selassie Church
Admired the beamed painted ceiling Debre Berhan Selassie Church in Gondar, the hearth of Ethiopia. Originally built in 1693 by Emperor Iyasu the Great, who received a bell from the Dutch governor of India, the present-day structures was rebuilt in the 1880s after Mahdists dervishes from Sudan had damaged it. Like many Eastern Orthodox churches, this one, too, has an unassuming stone-and-brick exterior with double-arched entrance door and two-tiered thatched roof but once you get it, angles shine on you with light and color. Interior walls and ceiling are fully covered by painted images of 123 winged faces with big eyes staring at you as well and biblical scenes and various saints. Try to find a priest if you want more details but do make a small donation upon leave.
1:00pm-3:00pm : Fasil Ghebbi
Multiple towers and corridors define Fasil Ghebbi, an impressive remains of a fortress city that was once home of Ethiopia's emperors; today it is designated as a World Heritage Site. Built over the 16th and 17th centuries, the city's 900 m (2,952 ft) long walls protect Nubian-style palaces and a castle, three Orthodox churches, a monastery, and a bunch of public and private buildings blending Hindu and Arab influences. Jesuit missionaries gave the final baroque touch to the complex. Surrounded by scenic hills, these brick and stone remains, which span 7 hectares (17 acres), also feature a large banqueting hall, stables, and mansions.
3:30pm-4:00pm : Ploughshare Women Crafts Training Centre
4:00pm-5:30pm : Kuskuam Church
6:30pm-9:30pm : Bahir Dar
10:00am-10:30am : St George Church
12:30pm-4:30pm : Lake Tana
Experience pristine nature and traditional lifestyle as you learn about Ethiopian Christian heritage at Lake Tana, the largest lake in the country. Source of the Blue Nile and an important Christian center in the 13th-15th century, the lake area features about 20 shelter churches with impressive murals. Standing at 1,830 m (6,000 ft) on a basalt plateau, the lake has a unique ecosystem with endemic barbs and stone loaches, molluscs and freshwater sponges, as well as the African softshell turtle. Bird-watchers can spot great white pelicans and African darters. Gaze at the papyrus fishing boats bobbing on the water, visit a thatched hut village, and enjoy a meal of freshwater fish.
10:30am-1:30pm : Blue Nile Falls
Marvel at the force of the river at Blue Nile Falls, accessible via a 1.5 km (1 mi) footpath leading through a traditional village. The entire 0.8 km (0.5 mi) wide river plunges from a 45 m (150 ft) basalt ridge, sending out a spray of droplets known as the "great smoke." Lush vegetation around the water supports numerous birds, like the blue-breasted bee-eater and yellow-fronted parrot. One of the most popular tourist attractions in Ethiopia, the area buzzes with locals selling tea from calabash gourds, snacks, and handicrafts. Cross the oldest stone bridge in the country, built in 1626 in the vicinity of the falls.
2:30pm-3:00pm : Church of Debre Sina Maryam
3:00pm-5:30pm : CHE CHE Ido
10:00am-11:30am : Ethnological Museum
See the imperial bedroom and a variety of tribal heritage at Ethnological Museum, a former imperial palace of Haile Sellassie detailing the tradition of Ethiopian nations. More than 80 language groups are represented in an impressive collection of artifacts, well laid-out and detailed in period settings. Tour the collection, considered one of the best in Africa, and deepen your understanding of the country's layered history. Eastern Orthodox saints painted on wood, elaborate censers, illuminated medieval books, cowry shell jewelry, woodwork statues and carved stones, folk instruments, and exquisite neck rests show the full complexity of traditional life and culture of Ethiopia.
12:00pm-1:00pm : Mount Entoto
Enjoy panoramic views of the capital from Mount Entoto, a popular outing spot for local families. The area houses a former summer palace of King Menelik II, who developed the hills and densely forested them with eucalyptus trees imported from Australia at the end of the 19th century. Known as the lungs of Addis Ababa, the hills also serve as the training grounds for Ethiopian athletes. Reaching a height of 3,200 m (10,500 ft), the mountain features a government-run space observatory on the top, as well as a number of monasteries. Visit the small local museum in a colorful hexagonal church.
1:30pm-4:30pm : National Museum of Ethiopia
A center of history and culture in the capital, National Museum of Ethiopia charts not just Ethiopia's, but humankind's ancient legacy. Established in 1958 from the country's archaeology institution, the museum now sprawls across three floors, presenting many of the nation's artistic collection, alongside ancient relics of some of the first known-hominids and ethnological artifacts from across the centuries. Don't miss the main exhibit, "Lucy", showcasing casts of the skeleton of a 3.2 million-year-old female hominid discovered in the 1970s to worldwide acclaim. English-speaking guides are available.
5:00pm-6:00pm : Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum
Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum provides a powerful reminder of the scale of atrocity during the Red Terror massacres under the Derg Regime. Established in 2010 to memorialize the 500,000 victims of the late 1970s violent Marxist political campaign, the museum educates visitors about the events leading up to and including the massacre. Learn the history of the government's assault on its own people through artifacts from mass graves, torture instruments, and a harrowing collection of photographs of those who perished. Some areas include little signage, but a tour guide will add an in-depth history to accompany the displays.
10:00am-10:30am : Leather Exotica
11:00am-12:00pm : Holy Trinity Cathedral
Admire stained glass windows and see the massive imperial red granite tombs at Holy Trinity Cathedral, the most important Orthodox cathedral in the capital. Built from 1931 to 1944 to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italian colonization, the cathedral features biblical images with African motifs and a dazzling play of light in the interior. Arched colonnades and colorful murals with homegrown saints add to the ornate design. Other parts of the complex include a wooden church, a school, a seminary, and a museum dedicated to civilians killed during Italian reprisals in 1937. A number of important national figures also lie buried within the cathedral, plus one foreigner--British suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst.
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