Though there’s little solid evidence about its history, this tall castle peering out over Lake Tana could have been built in the 1580s by Emperor Za-Dengel, founder of the Gonder dynasty, and thus would have been the prototype of Gonderian design. Or, it may have been built later by Emperor Fasiladas. The attractive ruins are fun to explore, but probably not worth a detour unless you have your own transportation. Someone will show up to collect the entry fee and try to charge you Birr100 for guiding services, which isn’t necessary. It’s 74km south of Gonder and then east up a steep 1.3km 4WD track.
