Top Attractions in Ethiopia

1. Fasil Ghebbi

Fasil Ghebbi was developed into a fortified compound surrounded by a 900 metre long wall and contained palaces, churches, monasteries, and other buildings View here.  It is also referred to as the “Camelot of Ethiopia.” Although the fortress was established by Emperor Fasilides his successors also added their own structures to the royal complex.

Fasil Ghebbi was the residence of the Ethiopian emperor Fasilides and his successors in the 17th century. The walled compound functioned as the centre of the Ethiopian government until 1864. The site comprises the buildings within the fortress and also seven further Ethiopian-Orthodox monasteries and palaces in and around the city of Gondar.

2. Simien Mountains National Park.

Simien Mountains National Park, in northern Ethiopia is a spectacular landscape, Check here where massive erosion over millions of years has created jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 m. The park is of global significance for biodiversity conservation because it is home to globally threatened species, including the iconic Walia ibex, a wild mountain goat found nowhere else in the world, the Gelada baboon and the Ethiopian wolf.

3. Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela

A labyrinth of tunnels with grottoes and galleries connects 11 impressive churches built under King Lalibela out of red volcanic rock.

Their construction is attributed to King Lalibela (approximately 1181-1221), of the Zagwe dynasty, who attempted to create a new Jerusalem on African soil, accessible to all Ethiopians. Even the names of Lalibela’s features echo those of Jerusalem: the river Jordan, the church of Golgotha, and the Tomb of Adam. The churches are still used for daily worship and special ceremonies, receiving pilgrims and large crowds during holidays such as Christmas and Easter. The churches, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978, are sculpted out of solid volcanic rock and are often connected by long underground tunnels and trenches. The main cluster of 11 churches is divided in two groups: a northern group with five churches and an eastern group with another five, while Biet Gyorgis, perhaps the most famous, is an isolated church.

4. Blue Nile Falls

The Blue Nile Falls is a waterfall on the Blue Nile river in West Gojjam, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. It is known as Tis Abay in Amharic, meaning 'Smoke Abay'. It is situated on the upper course of the river, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) downstream from the town of Bahir Dar and Lake Tana. The falls are one of Ethiopia's best-known tourist attractions.

5. Danakil Depression

It’s been called one of the most alien places on earth — a “gateway to hell” and, in the words of British explorer Wilfred Thesiger, a veritable “land of death.”

The sulfurous hot springs, acid pools, steaming fissures and salt mountains of the Danakil Depression resemble scenes from a science fiction movie. But the area is very real — and it’s one of Ethiopia’s top attractions.

One of the hottest places on earth (by average daily temperature) as well as one of the lowest (over 400 feet below sea level), the Danakil Depression entices three main types of people to the area: salt miners, scientists and travelers.

As they have done for centuries, miners travel hours — often by camel caravans — to extract salt slabs from the flat pans around Lake Afar. Salt is the region’s “white gold” and was a form of currency in Ethiopia until the 20th century. 

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