Ethiopia is unlike anywhere else in Africa — or the world. It was never colonised. It has its own calendar, its own script, its own Orthodox Christianity stretching back to the 4th century, and its own coffee ceremony. The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are the eighth wonder of the world.
Lalibela: Jerusalem of Africa
In the 12th century, King Lalibela commissioned eleven churches to be carved directly from the bedrock of the Ethiopian Highlands. These are not churches built with stone — they are carved out of a single mountain, connected by subterranean passages and ceremonial courtyards. Visiting during Timkat (Ethiopian Epiphany, January) when white-robed pilgrims fill every courtyard is an experience of transcendent beauty.
Simien Mountains
Africa’s most dramatic highland scenery: sheer escarpments dropping thousands of metres, gelada baboons grazing the cliff edges (found only here), and the rare Ethiopian wolf — Africa’s rarest canid — stalking the moorlands.
Addis Ababa
The National Museum houses Lucy — the 3.2-million-year-old hominid fossil that rewrote our understanding of human origins. The Merkato, one of Africa’s largest open-air markets, is a city within a city. And the coffee houses — Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee — are not to be missed.
The Danakil Depression
At 120 metres below sea level and with temperatures regularly above 50°C, the Danakil is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Lava lakes bubble at Erta Ale volcano. Tours require armed guides and reputable operators.
