Ancient capital of Lalibela, Ethiopia tours by Cedarberg Africa

Overview

Lalibela is often the highlight of any Ethiopia tour. This small hillside town is famous for its labyrinthine collection of ancient rock-hewn churches: a truly fascinating place to visit.

Lalibela is a charming highland town surrounded by mountainous country, including Mount Abune Yoseph. But it is the smallest of the three former capitals of Ethiopia. Its heyday was the 12th-13th century when 13 awe-inspiring rock-hewn churches were built. So these are the main drawcard, topped by the spectacular St Georges church on the outskirts of the town.

These tiny pink-tinged sandstone churches are partially submerged underground. You access them via tunnels and narrow gorges. Unlike many World Heritage sites, these hand-crafted churches are in constant use. Church ceremonies for white-robed pilgrims are a constant feature. Tourism plays second fiddle - as it should.

For now, Lalibela retains an air of highland rusticity and charm. Its visitors are mainly Ethiopians. But the allure of its churches will soon bring greater numbers of visitors from further afield. So we recommend an early visit.

Lalibela church

Monasteries near Lalibela

As well as the 13 churches in Lalibela, the surrounding countryside is also very attractive. You can walk to several mountainside monasteries in the nearby hills. We recommend the walk to mountain-top Asheton Maryam monastery at almost 4,000 metres. This can be either a full day hike from Lalibela. Or a scenic drive followed by a stunning 20-30 minute ridge walk.

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Features

Why you may love it

The rock-hewn churches which are still used by pilgrims today.
The particularly impressive St Georges Church (Bet Giyorgis)
Enjoy one of the Traditional coffee ceremonies.
Dining at the star-ship inspired Ben Ababa restaurant with its stunning views.
Day hikes to Asheton Maryam Monastery
Overnight camping and trekking trips up Mount Abune Yoseph

When to visit Lalibela

January to May

Dry and sunny

January is a popular time to visit Lalibela. The Timkat Festival celebrates the Ethiopian Epiphany over three days of festivities, starting in mid-January. Thus it attracts many pilgrims at this time who flock to Lalibela to visit. It becomes quieter from March onwards. It is dry and sunny in Lalibela but the high altitude mean that daytime temperatures remain around 22-24C. However day time temperatures start gradually increasing from February onwards.

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AVG RAINFALL 13 mm

MAX TEMP 24.5 ℃ / 76 ℉

MIN TEMP 6 ℃ / 43 ℉

June to September

Rainy season

This is the start of the rainy season proper. The heaviest rain is in July and August and this brings down daytime temperatures. We don’t recommend this time as many roads become difficult to navigate and the rain is fairly continuous. Rain decreases in September but it remains overcast.

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AVG RAINFALL 45 mm

MAX TEMP 26 ℃ / 79 ℉

MIN TEMP 9 ℃ / 48 ℉

October to mid-February

Best time to visit

Thus for many it is the best time to visit Lalibela. The rain suddenly departs in October and this is the start of the dry season which lasts through to somewhere in March. So it is green and lush but quieter than later in the dry season.

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AVG RAINFALL 252 mm

MAX TEMP 23 ℃ / 73 ℉

MIN TEMP 17 ℃ / 63 ℉

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Accommodation

Lalibela

Hotel Maribela

Hotel Maribela is located in the heart of the Lalibela mountains and was built with a very appealing design, inspired by the famous rock churches of Lalibela.

RATING Premier

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Stunning Location

"Bale Mountain Lodge has a lovely location. Our room, whilst in a good location, needed a little bit of maintenance. The bathroom and the room was very cold in the evening until the fire was lit and again in the morning. So come with warm clothes! " Mr Tim Flesher, UK

We loved Ethiopia!

"We loved Ethiopia – great people, scenery, culture, food & wildlife. Immanuel, our guide, was excellent in every way – very friendly, informative, knowledgeable, helpful and went out of his way to try to get us “under the surface” in experiencing Ethiopia, visiting his family for a meal, buying us gifts and introducing us to many Ethiopians. Henok our driver was the best driver we have ever had – safe but quick, very friendly and helpful. The two of them created a great atmosphere over the 23 day trip. We can’t recommend Ethiopia enough, however, as we expected, travel was not always easy and the accommodation was not always of the same standard of other parts of Africa. " Mr Tim Flesher, UK

Did you know

HistoryGebre Mesquel Lalibela reigned as emperor of Ethiopia in the 13th Century.
NameLalibela was once known as Roha.

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Lalibela