Cultural trip to Ethiopia: Historic towns, Simien and churches of Lalibela

Discover the highlights of this cultural trip to Ethiopia

We will visit historic cities

Gondar

On this cultural trip to Ethiopia, we will explore the most important and emblematic places in Gondar, as well as the Royal Enclosure, with six castles and several other buildings. In addition, we will visit the Fasilidas pool, which continues to be used today for the Timkat celebration, and the Debre Birhan Selassie church, which houses the most famous ceiling in Ethiopia, decorated in red, blue and gold tones.

Axum

We will dedicate a whole day of this cultural trip to Ethiopia to visit Axum. There we will see its famous obelisks, which were recently recovered after the Italian plunder, the Archaeological Museum, the palace and bath of the Queen of Sheba, which supplies water to Axum throughout the year, the Ezana inscription, the tomb of King Kaleb, and the tomb of King Bazen. In addition, we will visit the church of Saint Mary of Zion, where the Ark of the Covenant is preserved. Only men are allowed to enter this ancient church, and, unfortunately, no one (except for some specially chosen monks) is allowed to enter the chapel where the Ark is kept.

Yeha

During this cultural tour to Ethiopia, we will visit the ruins of Yeha, dating back to the 8th to 5th centuries BC. This city is believed to have been the capital of the Ethiopian civilization before Axum. Also, we will visit the Debre Damo Monastery, where men must climb a 15-meter rope to enter it.

We will visit rock-hewn churches

During this cultural trip to Ethiopia, we will visit many Orthodox churches and monasteries. We will explore the mythical churches of Lalibela and Gheralta, as well as other less-known ones. Also, we will take a boat trip on Lake Tana to visit different monasteries hidden on the islands and shores of this sacred lake. We will visit the Zege peninsula, the monasteries and the mouth of the mythical Blue Nile River. Crossing the state of Tigray during this trip to northern Ethiopia, we will take the opportunity to visit the rock-hewn church of Medhane Alem Adi Kesho.

Lalibela churches

On this cultural trip to Ethiopia, we will visit the famous rock-cut churches of Lalibela. We will visit the northwest group of sacred temples: Bet Medhane Alem, Bet Maryam, Bet Meskel, Bet Danaghel, Bet Mikael and Bet Golgotha. After lunch, we will continue with the group of southeastern churches: Bet Gabriel-Rufael, Bet Merkorios, Bet Amanual and Bet Abba Libanos. Finally, we will go to the most famous church of all: Bet Giyorgis, built in honor of Saint George, patron saint of Ethiopia.

Gheralta churches

We will tour the Gheralta Mountains, which offer one of the most striking and distinguished landscapes in all of Ethiopia. Its picturesque surroundings, its height and its ancient churches with cave paintings from the Middle Ages make it one of the highlights of this cultural trip to Ethiopia. According to Orthodox tradition, the churches of the Gheralta Mountains were built in the 4th century by the first Christian kings of Ethiopia, Abraha and Atsbeha. Despite this belief, it is most likely that many are constructions from the 6th century, at the time when monasticism spread throughout the region. Many of the hermitage caves were expanded to become enormous buildings that can now be admired by candlelight, amidst the murmurs of worshipers wrapped in cream-colored shawls. These churches were hand-carved directly into the slopes of the mountains, and only thin rock pillars have been built to prevent them from collapsing. The most fascinating and visited churches are Gheralta, Abune Yemata Guh, Maryam Korkor and Daniel Korkor. Abuna Yemata Guh is a beautifully painted church, carved into a high sandstone pinnacle, accessed by a cliff. Although regular worshipers climb easily, travelers often scale this rock face using ropes and harnesses.

Simien Mountains National Park

During this cultural trip to Ethiopia, we will explore the Simien National Park. Known as 'the roof of Africa', the Simien National Park presents extraordinary terrain formations. We will carry out a walk, lasting between four and five hours, in which we will be able to observe herds of gelada baboons, bearded vultures and different antelopes.

© Photos by Xavi de las Heras and Aníbal Bueno taken during a cultural trip to Ethiopia.

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