Lalibela
Africa · Ethiopia
See also
Gondar
Ethiopia12.60°N 37.47°E · 2,133 m
Bahir Dar
Ethiopia11.60°N 37.38°E · 1,800 m
Overview
Lalibela's 11 monolithic churches hewn from pink volcanic rock have been called the "eighth wonder of the world" and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978. The year-round climate is wonderful and the mountain views exhilarating, with some of the finest lodgings outside Addis Ababa.
Languages: Amharic
Why Go
Lalibela's 11 monolithic churches hewn from pink volcanic rock have been called the "eighth wonder of the world" and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978. The year-round climate is wonderful and the mountain views exhilarating, with some of the finest lodgings outside Addis Ababa. Its relative isolation and small size mean you will intimately understand the innate piety and hard lives of Ethiopia's rural highland people.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Get In
Ethiopian Airlines has daily scheduled flights from Axum, Bahir Dar, and Gondar (with indirect flights from Addis Ababa). Flights are often overbooked; reconfirm your seat at least one day in advance. The airport is 19 km from town, about 30 minutes by shared minibus (100 birr per person as of May 2019). The road is asphalted but parts are in poor condition.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Get Around
Walking up and down the cobbled and dirt streets will help you work off calories. You can rent bajajis/tuktuks or minibuses to drive around town for about 25 birr per person (minimum 50 birr). Unlike bigger Ethiopian towns, no blue and white minibuses regularly run through Lalibela. You can walk safely around town, though school children may try to befriend you or beg.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
When To Go
Ethiopian Christmas ("Ledet") on 7 January and Epiphany ("Timkat") on 19 January are two of the most festive times, but Lalibela gets very packed during these periods so book accommodation well in advance. Ethiopian New Year on September 11 (Enkutatash) is another popular time. The dry season from October to March offers the best weather for sightseeing. The wet season (June-August) is low season with lower hotel prices.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Where To Stay
Budget accommodation is scarce and overpriced due to high demand from foreign visitors. Most "tourist class" hotels quote laughably high prices in US dollars at first. Prices below are for low season (June-August); expect higher prices during festivals. Hotels are concentrated in two areas: Shimbrima at the north-western end of Adebabay St (with stunning escarpment views) and Getergie at the south-western end (longer walks to church complexes but fine views of surrounding mesas).
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Food And Drink
Ben Abeba restaurant offers imaginative menus with dishes like tuna pate and homemade bread for 45-95 birr (open 06:00-21:30), with incredible 360-degree views from its hilltop location. Hotel Lalibela's restaurant serves excellent food for 30-100 birr. The Seven Olives Hotel serves generous portions including steak stuffed with rice and vegetables for under 110 birr. Local places sell tej (honey wine) for 5-10 birr per bottle.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Things To Do
The 11 rock-hewn churches are open 06:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00 (usually opening and closing 30 minutes late/early). Admission costs US$50 for adults and US$25 for children 9-13 (valid for 5 days). You must carry your passport with your ticket. Licensed guides from the tourist office cost 200 birr per day. Attend a dawn service at 05:50 to hear drums of the call to prayer with fewer flies and pestering guides. Visit the Saturday weekly market for insight into local life. Hike to Ashetan Maryam monastery and Hudad Lodge (100-200 birr for lunch), or undertake a multi-day hike on Mount Abuna Yosef (approx. US$100 per day for two people all inclusive).
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Buy
ATMs at Dashen Bank (ground floor of Aman Hotel) and Commercial Bank of Ethiopia accept Visa and permit up to 2000 birr per transaction. For other cards, Mountain View Hotel offers MasterCard with a 10% surcharge. The best-stocked shop is "WOW Supermarket" on the west side of Sebat Woyra Road, about 200 m before it joins Adebabay Street by Seven Olives Hotel.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Safety
Walking around town is generally safe, though school children may try to befriend you or beg. From 2010, the government tried to forbid begging and the situation has improved. Sanitation and public cleanliness are somewhat haphazard with more flies than in Tigray to the north. Women bear heavy workloads; you may see young girls carrying firewood.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Connectivity
Some hotels offer free Wi-Fi in common areas. Top Twelve Hotel, Cliff Edge Hotel, and Roha Hotel all provide free Wi-Fi throughout. Mountain View Hotel offers free Wi-Fi in common areas and terrace only. Check with your specific hotel for bedroom connectivity.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Go Next
Bahir Dar lies to the west, Mekele to the north, and the Simien Mountains are reachable for further highland adventures. Lalibela's elevation of 2,600 m provides good acclimatization for even higher mountains, especially if you do day walks in the surrounding hills first.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Field guide adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been adapted and organized for this guide. About our sources.
Places to know
A few starting points from the guide. Check current hours and prices before you go.
- sleep
Asheten Hotel
Nice, quiet place with hot showers.
Recorded price: From 250 birr (June 2013)
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- sleep
Cliff Edge Hotel
A nondescript, 3 stories high, modern hotel sharing a spectacular view with the others in this location. 18 en suite rooms without TV or phone or a closet to hang your clothes but satellite TV in the reception area. Free Wi-Fi throughout. Car park for 12 vehicles is guarded 24 hours. No standby generator, laundry service. Dismal restaurant with an even more dismal menu and kitchen.
Recorded price: Single 800 birr, double/twin 1000 birr, triple 1200 birr (June 2013), Visa accepted with 5% surcharge
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- sleep
Helen Hotel
Scruffy dive closest to the church complexes on the west side of Getergie Rd. Has satellite TV in the dirty bar. Is getting renovated and may have only a small sample of rooms.
Recorded price: Single 250 birr, double/twin 300 birr, triple 400 birr
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- sleep
Hudad Lalibela Eco-Lodge & Retreat
Located on a 10 hectare amba (mesa) at an elevation of 3,300 m, several km from Lalibela. There is a road part way there; access the rest of the way is by foot or mule. Accommodation is in tukuls spread out over the amba, each with its separate tukul outhouse. There is no running water. With luck you will spend the evening around a campfire with locals who will sing, dance and give you a traditional leg wash and massage from the knees to the toes. Night temperatures are cool at this elevation, so take extra layers for round the campfire, but there will probably be a sweater provided in your tukul.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- sleep
Lalibela Hotel
Nice, clean and luxurious rooms. It is newly build and has a bathtub and TV. There is an excellent restaurant attached.
Recorded price: 400-500 birr, more if you book online
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- sleep
Mountain View Hotel
Modern architecture (using local red rhyolitic tuff cladding of volcanic origin) provides great views for each and every small room from their balconies perched one above the other, 3 stories high. 30 cramped rooms with no TV or phone, but satellite TV in the well stocked bar. All bedrooms have a hip bath with a shower above, desk and 2 chairs. No Wi-Fi in the bedrooms but free in the common areas and attractive terrace. Car park for 20 vehicles is guarded 24 hours. 20 kW standby generator, laundry service. Restaurant with the usual unimaginative, boring and misspelt faranji menu of spaghetti carbonara (without bacon.), omelettes, "steaks" (but not as anyone in Argentina would recognise) and French fries.
Recorded price: Single 1,200 birr, double/twin 1,400 birr (June 2013), MasterCard & Visa accepted with 5% surcharge
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- sleep
Panoramic View Hotel
Opened in Sep 2012. 35 en suite rooms without TV or phone or a closet to hang your clothes but satellite TV in the cave-like gloom of the reception area. Perhaps they did not install u-bends in the plumbing, as after using the shower and going off to breakfast, one may come back to a sewer smell in the bathroom. Free Wi-Fi throughout. Car park for 12 vehicles is guarded 24 hours. Brand new bus can carry groups of up to 20 people. Restaurant, laundry service, no standby generator.
Recorded price: Single 800 birr, double/twin 1000 birr, triple 1200 birr includes full breakfast (June 2013), MasterCard & Visa accepted with 5% surcharge
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- sleep
Roha Hotel
63 small, cramped rooms with a tiny TV and DDI phone that receive 2 channels: Ethiopian TV and BBC World News. Well stocked bar. All bedrooms have a wash handbasin in one corner and a separate ablutions with WC and a hip bath with a shower above, desk and chairs. Hot water is provided from a centralised boiler. Wi-Fi in both the bedrooms and the common areas and attractive restaurant seating 73. Large car park for more than 20 vehicles is guarded 24 hours. 80 kW standby generator.
Recorded price: Single 565 birr, double/twin 850 birr, triple 1248 birr, MasterCard & Visa accepted with 5% surcharge (June 2013)
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
Before you go
Entry
Church admission is US$50 for adults, US$25 for children 9-13 (5-day ticket). Pay in birr at official exchange rate for best value. Passport required with ticket.
Etiquette
Remove shoes before entering churches. Wear slip-on footwear for ease. Walking barefoot between churches (as pilgrims do) is common.
Money
ATMs at Dashen Bank and Commercial Bank of Ethiopia accept Visa only, offering up to 2000 birr per transaction. MasterCard holders can use Mountain View Hotel with 10% surcharge.
Safety
Walking in town is generally safe. Begging has decreased since 2010 government efforts. Sanitation is haphazard with more flies than northern Tigray.
Transport
Lalibela Airport is 19 km from town; shared minibus costs 100 birr per person (30 minutes). Bajajis/tuktuks around town cost ~25 birr per person.
Weather
At 2,600 m elevation, Lalibela has a wonderful year-round climate. Dry season (October-March) is best for sightseeing; nights are cool year-round.