Northern Ethiopia Historic Tour

The journey to Bahir Dar will take most of the day, but it's a good chance to view the changing landscapes of the highlands and to see day-to-day life in rural Ethiopia.  

• Admire Big Ben, Buckingham Palace And St Paul’s Cathedral
• Chance To Spot Prominent Landmarks Of The City

In the morning, you'll take a boat cruise on Lake Tana, stopping to explore some of the island churches and monasteries containing relics and frescos dating from the 16th century.  In the afternoon, you'll take a trip to the Blue Nile Falls at Tisisat, meaning "smoking water" in Amharic. The spectacular falls are 100m wide and plunge 45m, sending spray high in the air.  A short walk and a trip across a 17th century bridge gives a great close-up view of the falls.    

From Bahir Dar, it's about a 3 hour drive to Gondar, after which you'll take a sightseeing tour of the city.  Gondar is a historic settlement with an atmosphere of mystery and there are views from the city which extend across the surrounding farmland back to Lake Tana.  Founded by Emperor Fasilidas around 1635, Gondar has become one of Ethiopia's largest and most impressive cities.  It is most famed for its walled Royal Enclosure which contains several well-preserved and very medieval-looking castles, dating from as early as 1650. The castles are unusual for the Horn Of Africa, deriving their architectural style from the Moors and the Portuguese. Additionally, Gondar has dozens of churches, the most important being Debre Berhan Selassie (Trinity Church of the Mountain of Light), which has an impressive hilltop location. The priest there will explain the story of the many paintings and carvings inside the church.  

Leaving Gondar, you'll have a scenic 2 to 3-hour drive to Debark, a small market town at an altitude of 2,700 metres, on the edge of the Simien Mountains National Park.  After lunch, there's a trip into the park to see the spectacular landscapes which led to it being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  There'll be a chance to stretch your legs, appreciate the views and possibly even spot some endemic wildlife before returning to Debark for the night.  

Early in the morning, you'll leave Debark for a scenic day of driving to the city of Lalibela.  

A full day of sightseeing in and around Lalibela.  Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities and a centre of pilgrimage for much of the country.  It was built in the 12th century to be the ‘New Jerusalem’ following the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin, and was laid out to resemble that city.  Lalibela is most famous for its rock-hewn churches which, like those of Tigray, are literally carved out of the surrounding rock.  In all there are 11 ‘rock churches’. Bete Giyorgis (the Church of Saint George) in the Western group is the best known and most impressive. Described as the eighth wonder of the world, the church is carved in the shape of the cross and stands 12m high in a square cut ‘hole’ in the rock outcrop from which it is carved.  

From Lalibela, you'll start the journey back towards Addis.  On the way, you'll visit Genete Maryam, a monolithic rock-hewn church with interesting architectural representations.  According to local tradition, the church was established by Yekuno Amlak, the king who 'restored' the Solomonic Dynasty in the late 13th century.  The church resembles Bete-medhane Alem, the house of the redeemer of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela.  You'll stay overnight at the town of Kombolcha.  

From Kombolcha, you'll complete the journey back to Addis, stopping on the way to see the historically important town of Ankober.  The tour ends with dinner at a cultural restaurant in Addis Ababa, where you can sample local dishes and watch energetic traditional dances from across the country.