Lalibela Travel Guide

 
by DAO
 
  •   Restaurants
    by DAO
  •   Restaurants
    by DAO
  •   Lalibela
    by girmaassefa
  •   Lalibela
    by girmaassefa
  •   Lalibela
    by girmaassefa
 

Pro

flynboxes profile photo

  A must see in ET 


Con

boltonian profile photo

  Beggars, noise, snail paced internet 


In a nutshell

Ramonq profile photo

  Historical Rock Hewn churches 

 

Explore Lalibela

Things to Do  

TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE

TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE, Lalibela

 DAO Says:  I HOPE YOU BROUGHT A GOOD GUIDE BOOK. Theses guys are polite, friendly and not all that helpful. They try, but I found them hard to understand and they could talk about some things, but sometimes they did not seem to know or have any up to date resources. Lalibela is poor... 

Bet Maryam

Bet Maryam, Lalibela

 SirRichard Says:  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,... 

The Churches

The Churches, Lalibela

 boltonian Says:  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... 

Hotels  

Mountain View Hotel

 74 Opinions

Tukul Village

 1 Review and 66 Opinions  You can camp here for $10 or for the same price you could stay en-suite in a budget hotel here. This... 

Restaurants  

SEVEN OLIVES HOTEL: BEST STEAK SANDWICH IN THE WORLD

SEVEN OLIVES HOTEL: BEST STEAK SANDWICH IN THE WORLD, Lalibela

 DAO Says:  This was so good – I had it for lunch twice. They give you a real steak with a large slab of partly melted cheese. This is great if you want a lot of food relatively quickly. You also get to sit on the Seven Olives patio overlooking the mountains. An excellent combination.... 

Unique restaurant: Truly Unique

Unique restaurant: Truly Unique, Lalibela

 1W1V Says:  This is a place where you can get excellent food.The owner offers local food especially fasting food and also some more westernise dishes like pasta or Pizza.My friends had local food and they enjoyed it very much. I choosed pizza and it was truly great despite the fact that... 

Nightlife  

ASK ALECH TEJ HOUSE: HAVE A TEJ - OR TWO!

ASK ALECH TEJ HOUSE: HAVE A TEJ - OR TWO!, Lalibela

 DAO Says:  Tej is a thick and tart honey wine that actually tastes pretty good. They ferment this stuff for about 1 year. Yep, a year. This Tej House serves 3 varieties:• Normal• Strong• Kick your ass (so my local guide said)It can be very strong and so tart that you may only want one.... 

No name bar: Even More Local

No name bar: Even More Local, Lalibela

 boltonian Says:  Opposite Tej House is a late bar for locals. We had a great laugh with tour guide Mary, and her friends. Cheap beer and music until midnight, then no music but cheap beer until the early hours.Very friendly until we started to talk football with the locals. After many Tej... 

The Tej House: How the locals do it

The Tej House: How the locals do it, Lalibela

 boltonian Says:  About 200m down the hill from the church entrance is a great spot. The Tej house serves beer but also Tej. This is a honey wine, native to this part of Africa. It comes in weak, medium and storong. Nice tatsing, it blows your mind.Local music and singing takes place from... 

Transportation  

From the airport

From the airport, Lalibela

 boltonian Says:  With only one flight per day, the airport is not the busiest. It is over 20km from town, so your choices are limited.Taxi costs 60 Birr per Person, and they usually try to arrange the hotel for you.There are many agents for hotels here.You are likely to share a minibus taxi... 

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES OFFICE

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES OFFICE, Lalibela

 DAO Says:  Lalibela may not have banks, but it does have an Ethiopian Airlines office. It seems to be open 7 days a week, but times vary. The really nice guy who works here sold me a ticket to get back to Addis Ababa. No problem. The funny thing is I met this same guy in Addis Ababa 5... 

Local Customs  

DO NOT PUT YOUR NAPKIN ON THE PLATE!

DO NOT PUT YOUR NAPKIN ON THE PLATE!, Lalibela

 DAO Says:  After you have finished your meal you may, out of habit, place your napkin on your plate. Do not do it here! If there is any food left, the restaurant will give this to poor people after they close. If you put the napkin on it – they won’t. It is a really hard habit to... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Coffee Anyone

Coffee Anyone, Lalibela

 boltonian Says:  Another common plot is for local children to invite you to their home to have their mother perform a coffee ceremony. Sounds good, but they expect you to pay up to 1000 Birr afterwards.I didn't fall for it but others did 

Sob story

Sob story, Lalibela

 boltonian Says:  Many children here will tell you stories of their hardship.The most common story was about their family living many miles away.They all seemed to carry their school report stating that they were top of the class and destined for great things. If only they can afford to buy... 

I am Hungry

I am Hungry, Lalibela

 boltonian Says:  All over Ethiopia, you will, by now be used to kids coming up to you. Some to ask for money, but many just to chat. Here we found many wanted nothing more than to give us their e-mail address (or get ours).The main annoyance was a really obese kid who walked alongside us for... 

Tourist Traps  

THE SHOE KEEPERS

THE SHOE KEEPERS, Lalibela

 DAO Says:  It’s great. You have to take your shoes off to enter the sacred Churches. The shoe minder protects your shoes. In fact, he moves them at least once when you go through a passageway between 2 churches and come out in a different place. Then there’s the guards as well. They... 

THE WILD ANIMAL TRICK

THE WILD ANIMAL TRICK, Lalibela

 DAO Says:  This scam is repeated the world over. Baboons, monkeys, birds and who knows what else. Wild creatures are grabbed and/or tied up by locals, usually children. They invite you to take pictures. Then they ask for $20! Do 1 of 2 things:1) Do not pay them. Tell them that they... 

What to Pack  

TOILETRIES & COSMETICS

TOILETRIES & COSMETICS, Lalibela

 DAO Says:   Lalibela has VERY limited shopping opportunities outside of some cold drinks. The town does not even have a bank. On top of that there is a 100% import tax on all goods from outside Ethiopia. Lalibela gets most of its goods overland from Addis Ababa, increasing the price.... 

WET WIPES

WET WIPES, Lalibela

 DAO Says:   Why should babies be the only ones to have these hygienic wipes? I don’t know why, but the adult version of this fantastic travel product always seem to be more expensive than the kids version, even though what’s inside is exactly the same. You need to use your right hand... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Wander through the village

Wander through the village, Lalibela

 flynboxes Says:  This place is more or less Mecca for the local Christian population. When you are walking to the Churches you will pass through these mud huts that the locals live in. For me it was almost as much fun walking through here as it was going to the Churches. 

Favorites  

Getting sick

Getting sick, Lalibela

 flynboxes Says:  If you eat local food chances are it will catch up with you. I got a good case of the runs here and a nice little fever. Good news there is a Dr in town. They have the local Health Center down by the Churches or another place I went to down the street from the Ethiopian... 

The Place

Plan a Lalibela vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Lalibela locals

Experience Lalibela
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The People

 
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 The Blue Nile is just up the hill from the main entrance to the rock churches. It’s a simple family run place that serves Ethiopian food. I stopped in fro... 

 

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Top Lalibela Writers

1

Ethiopia's top attraction

SirRichard profile photo

 Lalibela is probably Ethiopia's top tourist attraction. In this tiny rural village north of Ethiopia you can find a group of astonishing rock-hewn churches, marvellous architectural jewls made out of... 

2

Lalibela

sachara profile photo

 Lalibela is famous for its rock-hewn churches.Lalibala attracted allready visitors in the 16th century, but is a still a very isolated place. Till 1997 Lalibela was still unreachable during the wet...... 

3

BEYOND PETRA

DAO profile photo

  KING LALIBELA CONSTRUCTED THE 11 MOST EXTRAORDINARY CHURCHES IN THE WORLD. THEY ARE ALL CARVED FROM THE ROCK OF THE MOUNTAINS. A TRUE WONDER OF THE WORLD! 

4

Lalibela - A Holy Heritage Built by Angels

frockland profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Lalibela. I'd love to share with you the 9 tips I've written, the 34 photos uploaded, and 3 travelogues I've created. 

5

Biblical Lalibela

niamey00 profile photo

 Lalibela was our favorite destination in Ethiopia. A very short flight from the hustle and bustle of Addis Ababa brought is to a brand-new airport about twenty miles from Lalibela. The Ethiopian... 

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