Lalibela Things to Do

Bet Maryam is the big church in the middle of the central courtyard of the complex. Most big masses take place here, as there is room for a lot of people in the courtyard and surroundings.
I attended a mass here very early in the morning, it was interesting to see 10 minutes, but I don't think I could hold 1-2 hours masses as is normal here...

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200 Birr entry fee is payable at the gate.

Walk from the centre of town downhill for about 400m on the cobbles and the entry is to the left.

Once in the complex, you will see 2 churches, sadly they are covered with a huge tent like structure to protect the stone.

Between 12-2pm, the churches are closed and you can only walk around the site, after 2pm you can go inside, but some will have worship occuring, so be sensitive to this.

Once past the 2 churches, you must leave through the back door and steep steps. Follow this down to the road, turn right and walk 200m. On the left is the most famous church (Bet Giyorgis). The single stand alone church contains mumified remains.

Then, back to the road, and you may need to ask the many local kids how to find the entry to the Southern complex. This is less well known but by far the best area. Here are 6 or 7 churches, all different, and a series of underground, pitch black passages.

We were told that you need 2 full days to visit all the churches. Unless you are pasionate about this area, one day is more than enough.

Guides can be hired (official or unofficial) but we didn't bother. Explore yourself and read up before you go.

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This church is really nothing special compare to what you can find in Lalibela village. Nevertheless, the journey to the site is wonderful and the view from BAM is fantastic.
To make your journey easier and more enjoyable, just take a local guide with you.

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This is the inside of the Bet Medhane Alem Church. Inside you will find a cat. This little guy will now follow you around and even next door before he magically returns here. It gets more interesting. Towards the back you will find 3 graves cut down into the stone floor. Creepy. There are several stories surrounding them. They all say that the graves are ceremonial. One guide told me it was to represent the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Another said they were for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The real mystery here though is the 7kg SOLID GOLD Lalibela Cross. It was stolen in 1997 and made its way to Europe before it was return – thankfully intact. They will rarely show you the cross and they did not while I was there.

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Aside from the UNESCO construction going on this is what you are here for right? Ok they say this place was built by angles but on a side note they also say that 30-40,000 people were living here when it was carved out..god bless em.

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The Stairway to Heaven is a narrow rock ledge that runs steeply up the side of the Bet Gabriel Refael Church. Located in the South-East cluster of churches, this is one of the truly unique features in Lalibala. The guides really don’t like you to climb it and if you were to fall of you would end up in Heaven. Or somewhere else. If you have good balance, it is worth a climb unless it’s raining.

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Getting an official Guide in Lalibela is easy and economical. When you pay the entrance fee for the main site of churches, the Guide is included in the price. You simply go to the main site entrance. If you want a guide for other areas, do the same thing. They have a little ‘Guide Centre’ building outside of the entrance (pictured), but I never saw them in it. They all hang out around the ticket office. Easy!

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Here he is! OK, he is behind the curtain and you are not allowed to look. It is a shame really because the room that houses his tomb is the most ornate in terms of painted sculptures in all of Lalibela. King Lalibela (c.1185-1225) is buried in one of his rock-hewn Churches called Golgotha. Legend has it that when he was born the infant was surrounded by a swarm of bees. So his mother named him Lalibela which means ‘The Bee Recognizes his Sovereignty’. King Lalibela founded the town and ordered that 11 churches be carved out from the underlying rock to create the marvel it is today. He fashioned it as the new Jerusalem, even naming the river ‘Jordan’ and a nearby hill ‘Calvary’.