Day Trips

Meet up at rendezvous and drive north of Addis Ababa in the morning. Passing through the mountain chains of Entoto and reach Debre Libanos monastery after 2 hours. Many Ethiopians make pilgrimages to Debre Libanos monastery, and some seek out its curative holy waters, said to be good for warding off evil spirits and stomach disorders. Although no trace of the ancient monastery remains (a casualty of Muslim-Christian wars), the site is impressively set beneath a waterfall-rich cliff (many monks live in caves up there) on the edge of the large Jemma River Gorge and is a peaceful place to wander. The present church was built in 1961 by Haile Selassie. It has one of the most interesting church museums in Ethiopia. Besides the usual ecclesiastical items there are Italian guns, giant cooking pots, crowns of past emperors and their wives, musical instruments and an old wooden shackle. Fifteen minutes up the hill from the monastery is Tekle Haimanot’s cave, where the saint is said to have done all his praying. It is also the source of the holy water of the place. A monument in front of the church memorializes the hundreds of innocent priests, deacons, and worshippers who were massacred here by the Italians following as assassination attempt on the notorious viceroy Graziani in 1937. There is also a small stone-arch Portuguese Bridge erected by Portuguese in the 16th century, then rebuilt in the 19th century by Ethiopians in the Old Portuguese style. The narrow span makes a pretty picture and the gushing (in the rainy season) cascade below it is more impressive. The 300m access trail running along the edge of the Jemma River Gorge starts at the Ethio-German park hotel.

Meet up at a rendezvous and drive to Adadi Maryam uniquely carved Ethiopia’s southernmost rock-hewn church dating back to the 13th century west of Addis Ababa. The excursion also includes a visit of Tiya standing stelae .The path takes at the Great East African Rift Valley. The world heritage listed Tiya Stelae Field that is 41 stelae up to 5 meter in height (including the buried portions), engraved with enigmatic symbols including swords. They mark graves of individuals aged between 18 and 30 who died around 700 years ago and were buried in the foot position. Remarkably little is known about the origin of Tiya or of the meanings of the symbols that are carved up on them.

Meet up at a rendezvous and drive to Menagesha-Suba Forest located 55km west of Addis Ababa along the Jimma road. Menagesha Suba is called the crown forest well protected by imperial decree since the reign of Emperor Zera Yaqob 15thc. The total area of the forestry is 2500 hectare containing juniper and arboreal trees. Minilik’s Bushbuck and antelope are found in the forest where beautiful birds soar above the sky.

Meet at a rendezvous and drive 155 kilometers west of Addis Ababa to visit the magnificent Wonchi Crater Lake. Wonchi is a beautiful lake legacy, once a powerful volcano erupting in the region created crater lakes. It is located west of Addis Ababa at a mountain between the towns of Ambo and Woliso. The Crater Lake formed after an explosive volcano breaks a mountain open, leaving a deep mouth filled with water-form either small streams or subterranean sources. The volcano has a 4km caldera, and a single crater lake “Wonchi Lake”, about 450m below the rim of the volcano. Besides Wonchi Lake, the caldera also contains hot springs, waterfalls, valleys and other scenery. There are two islands in the lake one of which is a home to the 13th century Wonchi Cherkos Monastery built by Abune Teklehaimanot. Due to its unique topography, Wonchi is blessed with varieties of animal and plant species.

Meet at a rendezvous and drive to Ankober Palace. The road to Ankober passes through impressively rugged scenery and after about 130km drive is Debre Berhan town. Driving further a few km, turning on the gravel road and drive zigzagging along several hills scattered all over the cultivated plateau to the palace. The gravel road leads to the lofty massive mountain known as Kundi (over 3500 meter) overlooking the Great Rift Valley, from this chilly height covered with eucalyptus forest trek down to Ankober Palace Lodge (2870 meter).