Lalibela Holidays

For many visitors the historic town of Lalibela is the jewel in Ethiopia’s crown. It’s not really on the way to anywhere, yet almost all travellers make the journey here at some point during their trip. The reason? The chance to visit 13 rock-cut churches built on the orders of Emperor Gebre Meskel Lalibela in the 12^th century. Often regarded as the unofficial 8th Wonder of the World, the churches were declared a World Heritage Site in 1978, and tailor made Lalibela tours are one of the top attractions on Ethiopia’s historical circuit.

Practically speaking, this is a typical remote Ethiopian town, with some very pleasant hotels so stay in and some excellent restaurants, notably the unique Ben Abeba, located overlooking the town and run by a Scottish lady and her Ethiopian husband. The views from the town are spectacular, especially from the hotels strung along the mountain escarpment which look down across the valley below. The town is well-linked by air with all of the other principal stops on the historical circuit, so flying in here is by far the easiest way to arrive, although it can be accessed by a full day driving from the Hawzien and Gheralta region. Undoubtedly this is the most popular and spectacular part of Ethiopia to visit and whether your interest in the churches is historical, religious or simply to marvel at the astonishing feat of engineering it took to make them, this is somewhere that will always leave a lasting impression.