Bahir Dar Things to Do

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This could not be easier. If you are even walking near the lake you will be approached for a tour. This is my guide, Twa. I paid about $12-15 for a tour of 3 islands, a church on the Blue Nile and my guide. All and all a good day out. Prices include up to 5 people and the boat ride. You will usually be asked for $25, just argue the price down. You can pay up to $100 for a fast speed boat and a lengthy 11 tour. Along the way to the Monasteries you will also see reed boats locals use to fish, transport goods and just get around. You can also get your hotel to organise a tour for you if you pay an extra $5.

Please find Twa's details below!

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The small, cramped Museum holds a priceless collection of processional crosses, gold(?) crowns and a huge treasure of goatskin books and bibles. These are all hundreds of years old and hand painted. They are also written in Geez – the language of the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia. Each book and Bible would have taken a single Monk months, if not years to produce. Sadly some are damaged from the ravages of time, but there is a lot still to see.

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One of the best thing you could do when you are in Bahir Dar is go and see the Blue Nile falls (lcally called Tiss Issat). It is an amazing sight. The best time to go is September & October when the water level are high due to the end of the Rainy season and the falls are at their most impressive. I was there in September and never seen a sight like it. As well as the scene, the sound of the falls are amazing. One downside to it that there are kids on the way hassling you to buy something from them. A bit annoying but the guide should help you out on that one.

The lake itself is not really very interesting, most people visit it just to see the monasteries you will find in their islands. It's considered the source of the Blue Nile, the ethiopian branch of this river, that joins the main river in Jartum.
If you take a daytrip to the monasteries you might see the typical small boats made of dried plants that some locals still use to move around. They reminded me those you can see in the Titicaca lake in Peru.

The Blue Nile Falls are one of the highlights here. They are one of the main falls in all Africa and, specially in rainy season, they are impressive and just a little smaller than Victoria Falls. The water runs usually brown and lately runs a little less due to the nearby electric power station that uses part of the water of the river.
You have to buy an entrance ticket (15B, 1,5USD) at the village. If you carry a rucksack you can leave it at the ticket box.

Once you arrive to the Tis Abay village, there is still a 10-15 minutes walk to the Falls. If you take a guide, he will guide you there. If not, head the river, cross it and follow the signs. If it's rainy season, the ground will be muddy and slippery, so watch your step on the way there!

This was an interesting monastery, though the church couldn't be visited (there was a mass while we were there). There is a lot of interesting old crosses and books there and the priest who shows it around was very friendly. He invited us to a welcoming injhere in the cells of the monks and that way we could see the way they live and how they are self manteined, they make their own injhera, their beer (non alcoholic), grow their plants and so on.
Entrance 20B. No women allowed.

This is a secondary monastery in another island. It has some interesting paintings on the wall but is not as impressive as the others. After paying the entrande fee (20B) you are introduced to a guide who speaks ONLY IN AHMARIC, so the visit it's not so inetresting. He shows you the room where the bibles, crosses... are stored and then you visit the church, but there is nothing really special about it.