Ethiopia - Lalibela - Another Contender for Eighth Wonder of the World

The number one tourist destination outside of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia is a city of 25,000 people called Lalibela. The reason for its popularity is that it is the site of the should-be-more-famous rock-hewn churches. Yet one of Lalibela’s greatest assets is that it does not seem to have been affected by tourism. The twelve churches are a living relic of history, with hundreds of Ethiopian Orthodox followers making a pilgrimage to them every year at Christmas and Timkat (Easter).

I wasn’t sure what to expect and as we approached the church site, all I could see was the tent coverings installed by the UN to protect the churches from the weather. You see, the churches were not carved into the mountainside, but rather hewn out of the rock below your feet.



Yes, they are underground! There are three different kinds: the cave church (which is a cave carved in the ground), the semi-monolithic (which is partially stand-alone and partially cave-like) and the monolithic church (which stands completely separately from the ground around it, i.e. you can walk around the entire perimeter of the building). And these are not little chapels my friends… St. George, the most famous of the churches, is three floors high!



It is still not known how the churches were constructed but as we admired the tiny chisel marks found on every wall inside, outside and around the churches, we couldn’t help but think some teeny tiny hand tools and tons of people that would have been required to operate them. The churches took 25 years to build, to give you a point of reference. On the whole, pretty amazing to see!

In addition to being free from tourism fever, Lalibela makes Axum seem positively cosmopolitan in comparison. The road is only partially paved, compared with Axum’s pervasive construction of infrastructure projects. There are about five minibuses in town; these constitute the only forms of transportation for hire for the entire city. Most people travel by donkey or on their own two feet, and some of them are carrying some pretty serious loads of wood or goods for the market.

One reason for Lalibela’s integrity is its isolation. The nearest town is 160km away. Lalibela itself has one road and before the airport was built it was a 5 day donkey ride to get there. Did I mention it’s also perched on top of a mountain? We stayed at Mountain View Hotel, a brand new hotel that takes full advantage of the views.




From anywhere in the mostly glass hotel, you get sweeping vistas over the mountains behind and the massive valley below. An ideal place to stay for my last trip within the big trip.



After this, I head back to Addis to pack my life back into my backpack, say goodbye to friends and jetset home on my unfortunate two day transit route of Addis-Cairo-Vienna-London-Chicago-Ottawa. Here’s hoping Ottawa isn’t too cold when I arrive home!!