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Nechisar Plain
The main wildlife-watching circuit crosses the Bridge of God to the park’s namesake savannah, but the road is so atrocious that many tour companies prefer not to come here; nobody will attempt it when it’s wet. It takes about three hours to reach the plains so there’s no chance of
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Jimma Museum
Admission price to the Muuziyemii Jimmaa includes a guided tour in English of the seven small rooms that make up the museum. We don’t want to steal the guide’s thunder (such as it is), but our favourite pieces include a ceremonial throne that cost Birr146,000 to build but was only
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Washa Mikael Church
The Washa Mikael Church is located a few kilometres east of the town centre. Though local priests date it back to the 3rd century AD, it most probably dates back to the 12th century. If you’re mad and not planning to visit the churches at Lalibela or Tigray in the north, it’s defin
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Maryam Korkor
Although an unsightly green from the outside, this impressive, cross-shaped church is known for its architectural features (cruciform pillars, arches and cupolas), fine 17th-century frescoes and church treasures. It’s also one of the largest churches in the area. The path begins ar
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Mikael Barka
Atop a small but panoramic hill and behind an ugly 1960s facade sits this better-than-average rock-hewn church. It has thick cruciform pillars, small carved ceiling domes, a few paintings so faded you wouldn’t even see them if the priest didn’t point them out, and a solitary carvin
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Dega Estefanos
One of the lake’s most sacred monasteries, Dega Estefanos (men only) was rebuilt in the mid-19th century and though the church isn’t too interesting it holds a good selection of treasures (including a 16th-century painting of the Madonna) and the mummified remains in glass coffins
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Bet Amanuel
Freestanding and monolithic, Bet Amanuel is Lalibela’s most finely carved church. Some have suggested it was the royal family’s private chapel. It perfectly replicates the style of Aksumite buildings, with its projecting and recessed walls mimicking alternating layers of wood and s
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Kumsa Moroda Palace
Built by the King of Wolega in the 1870s, the Kumsa Moroda Palace has only recently been opened to the public after long years of neglect. It sits 1km north of the museum and served as residence to the prominent Worra Bekere family until they were hauled off to Addis Ababa during t
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Church of Debre Sina
The most interesting relic of Gorgora’s former days as a short-lived capital is the attractive Debre Sina church. Built in 1608 by Emperor Susenyos’ son and future founder of Gonder, Fasiladas, on the site of a 14th-century monastery, it’s decorated with fading original paintings.
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Arba Minch Crocodile Ranch
Walking between the masses of crocs in their concrete tanks at this government-run facility is more humdrum than it sounds, except during feeding, which usually happens Monday and Thursday between 3pm and 5pm. And even then, it’s hardly worth the price. The crocodiles are either ha
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Bet Golgotha & Bet Mikael
A trench at the southern end of the Bet Maryam courtyard connects it to the twin churches of Bet Golgotha and Bet Mikael (also known as Bet Debre Sina). The pair have the only cruciform pillars of Lalibela’s churches. The entrance leads first to Bet Mikael and then to Bet Golgotha,
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Ta’akha Maryam
Early excavations revealed that Ta’akha Maryam was a magnificent palace, probably dating from the 6th century AD or earlier. Covering a vast area of some 120m by 80m, Ta’akha Maryam is bigger than Dungur and would have been far larger than medieval European palaces of the time. Tod
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European Quarter
The focal point of the European Quarter is Place du 27 Juin 1977 (Place Ménélik). With its whitewashed houses and Moorish arcades, this vast square is a strange mix of the Arab and the European. It’s lined with cafes, bars, restaurants and shops.The European Quarter is connected to
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Dungur (Queen of Sheba’s) Palace
The structure at Dungur is popularly known as Queen of Sheba’s Palace, though historians think it’s the mansion of a nobleman. It’s fully excavated and, though in places rather clumsily restored, you can make out enough of the 44-room layout to make a visit interesting. Nobody is c
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Tomb of Sheikh Abadir
Shrines devoted to local holy men or religious leaders are even more numerous: over 300 inside and outside the walls - no-one has yet managed to count them. Many are very peaceful, beautiful and well-kept places open to both sexes and all religions. The Tomb ofSheikh Abadir is near
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Africa Hall
Built in 1961 by Emperor Haile Selassie, Africa Hall, near Meskal Sq, is the seat of the UN’s ECA. The Italian-designed building isn’t very interesting, apart from the friezelike motifs that represent traditional Ethiopian shamma (shawl) borders.Far more interesting is Africa: Past
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Bete Selassie & Tekla Haimanot
Two very rarely visited (the deacons and priests probably won’t have receipt books) monasteries sit high up in the hills. Bete Selassie (men only) is a 30- to 45-minute walk from the shore. The simple exterior of the church (rebuilt in 1858) gives no clue to the wonderfully vivid p
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Addis Ababa Museum
Despite only being founded on the centenary of the city in 1986, the Addis Ababa Museum is the town’s scruffiest museum. That said, perusing candid portraits of the redoubtable Empress Taitu, rakish Lij Iyasu and the very beautiful Empress Zewditu, along with pictures of the capita
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Awash Falls
Just past the headquarters there are viewpoints above and below this mighty waterfall, which tumbles into the magnificent Awash Gorge along the park’s southern boundary. Awash Lodge has a brochure for a short self-guided hike in the gorge below the falls. Park staff tell us you can
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Bet Giyorgis
Resting off on its own, St George’s Church is Lalibela’s masterpiece. Representing the apogee of the rock-hewn tradition, the Bet Giyorgis is the most visually perfect church of all, a 15m-high three-tiered plinth in the shape of a Greek cross; a shape that required no internal pil
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