Some believe that Ethiopia is the oldest Christian country in the world, it claims to have been Christian since 330AD. Despite the open drug-taking we witnessed (not just alcohol but ‘legal’ and illegal highs) and not forgetting that Ethiopia is amongst the 20 poorest countries in the world, faith is important to Ethiopia.
After a visit to Lalibela’s eleven monolithic rock-hewn churches you will see this first-hand.
Most, if not all, of the men in Lalibela wear crosses around their neck. They’re more subtle than the diamond-encrusted versions that 90’s rappers wore as they’re made from wood or simple metal. However, it feels that they’re worn for the same reason the rappers showed them off – to be a fashion statement.
Nobody quite knows how the churches came to be and there are several theories about the creation of these magnificent buildings. The story the locals go with is that King Lalibela was assisted by an army of angels who worked alongside his own men. His men worked through the day and the angels worked through the night. This same legend claims the churches were built in 24 years. However, archaeologists consider this to be impossible.
We found Lalibela to be an extraordinary place to visit and was the first place in our African trip that provided us with an opportunity to explore and discover some truly unique tourist attractions that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
If you can time your trip to Lalibela correctly, it is advised to visit on a weekend. If you’re in Lalibela on a Saturday, there’s a local market and depending on the time of the year (we were fortunate as it was the weekend before New Year [we visited on the 7th September, although it's not the same date every year]) it can be quite an experience. Sundays are the best time to visit the churches, as you will get to see the white-robbed locals descend in their droves for a dawn mass service.
We usually opt for the cheapest mode of transport when travelling, which usually means bus and/or car. However, many of the roads in Ethiopia are unpaved and therefore extremely dangerous and arduous. This meant that we decided to take a flight and arrive on a Friday evening.
In Ethiopia, you don’t have to spend huge sums to fly domestically. If you fly internationally with Ethiopia Airlines, you can save up to 80% on domestic flights. The Lalibela airport also provides a shuttle service to any hotel in Lalibela for 100 Birr per person. All the drivers know exactly where all the hotels are located, which was lifesaving for us as the location of our hotel was incorrect on our offline maps.
Most (if not all) the tourists we walked past had a guide. We reckon this is because the churches have little to no signage and a guide can make sure you don’t break any of the local etiquette rules and give you information about what you're seeing along the way. We decided against a guide because: entry to visit the churches costs US$50pp (and we like exploring by ourselves).
This fee is paid at the church ticket office (also home to the only public toilet – drink water responsibly after visiting as this toilet is far from most of the churches). At the ticket office they ask for your passport number, so be sure to bring it along or have a scan on your phone. You’re given a receipt that is valid for 5 days and we were asked to present this receipt on many different occasions throughout our day visit.
Even without a guide we managed to find the Easter Egg at the famous Church of Saint George! Let us know if you also found it and what you thought of it.
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