Historical journeys
The Christian north in the order it was built: Axum’s stelae, Lalibela’s rock churches, Gondar’s castles, then the painted monasteries of Lake Tana.
Paused while Amhara and Tigray are under official travel warnings and flights to Axum and Lalibela are suspended.
Length 07 days
Harar
One week, two very different Ethiopias: Harar’s walled lanes and its dusk hyena feeding, then Ari and Mursi communities around Jinka.
Overview
In a field at Axum, King Ezana’s stele still stands 24 m high, a single block of stone raised for the kings of Aksum. Beside it lies the Great Stele, 33 m long, broken where it fell. This route reads the north in the order it was built: Aksum’s obelisks and royal tombs, the 11 churches cut down into Lalibela’s rock, Emperor Fasilides’ castles in Gondar, and the painted monasteries of Lake Tana.
Flights replace the long roads, so the days go to places, not driving. Walks are short, but Lalibela sits at about 2,500 m. This route is paused for now; we will reopen it when it is safe.
Itinerary
Your guide meets you at Bole International Airport and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours, with a short briefing on the week and an early night before the flight north.
A morning flight takes you north to Axum. In the afternoon you walk the main stelae field, where King Ezana’s stele stands 24 m high and the Great Stele lies broken beside it. The obelisk Italy took to Rome in 1937 stands here again, returned in 2005.
The morning takes in St Mary of Zion, whose chapel is said to hold the Ark of the Covenant, the tombs of Kings Kaleb and Gebre Meskel, and Dungur, the ruin called the Queen of Sheba’s Palace. In the afternoon you drive to Yeha, where a temple from about 700 BC is Ethiopia’s oldest standing building.
Axum’s only flights go to Addis Ababa, so you connect there for the onward flight to Lalibela. You arrive in the afternoon in a town strung along a ridge, and take a first walk to the churches in the late light.
With a local church guide you spend the morning in the northern group, linked by trenches and tunnels cut through the same red rock. In the afternoon you look down into the pit where Bete Giyorgis stands, its roof carved as a cross, then walk the eastern group.
About 1.5 hours by 4WD brings you to Yemrehanna Kristos, a church of wood and stone built inside a cave rather than cut from rock. In the afternoon, climb to the monastery of Asheton Maryam, above 3,000 m, or rest in town. The 8-day version leaves out this day.
A short flight crosses the highlands to Gondar. In the afternoon you walk Fasil Ghebbi, the walled royal enclosure begun by Emperor Fasilides in the 17th century, then look up at the 80 angel faces painted on the ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie.
In the morning you see the Fasilides bath, where Gondar celebrates Timket, then drive about 3 hours south with Lake Tana beside you. In the late afternoon you visit the Blue Nile Falls, about 30 km from Bahir Dar, and cross the stone bridge built in 1626.
An early boat crosses Lake Tana to the Zege peninsula and Ura Kidane Mehret, its walls covered in painted saints and Bible stories. After lunch you fly to Addis Ababa and transfer to your hotel or your flight home.
Itineraries can change with weather, road and flight conditions. We will tell you promptly if they do.
Gallery
Photo: Unsplash
Good to know
Dress code: Shoulders and knees covered in churches and monasteries; women bring a light scarf.
This tour follows the Strict policy. Days are whole calendar days before departure.
| When you cancel | What you get back |
|---|---|
| 30 or more days before departure | 50% refund |
| Fewer than 30 days before departure | No refund |
A non-refundable USD 300 per traveller (domestic flights) is deducted before these percentages are applied.
Questions
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