A country · 115 places · 9 regions
Ethiopia, all of it.
115 curated places across 9 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.
The 4 biggest regions — Addis Ababa, Amhara Region, Oromia Region and Tigray Region — read below as chapters, with 5 more waiting past them.
Chapter I · Addis Ababa · 24 places
Addis Ababa
A monastery founded in the 13th century by Saint Tekle Haymanot, rebuilt in the 1960s and still among Ethiopia's most important pilgrimage centers. It stands at the lip of the Jemma River gorge, where gelada monkeys forage beside a 16th-century stone span nicknamed the Portuguese Bridge. The cliff-edge views pair well with a short canyon walk.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter II · Amhara Region · 15 places
Amhara Region
Lalibela is a highland town in northern Ethiopia celebrated for eleven monolithic churches hewn from living rock in the 12th and 13th centuries, a feat attributed to King Lalibela who intended the site as a New Jerusalem for Ethiopian pilgrims. The churches are divided into two clusters connected by a tunnel, with Bete Giyorgis — a cross-shaped structure sunk into a cruciform pit — considered the finest example of the form. Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrims throng the site at Timkat and Genna, creating one of Africa's most visually immersive religious spectacles.
✦ October to March · $$
Chapter III · Oromia Region · 15 places
Oromia Region
The eucalyptus-covered ridge rising to about 3,200 meters directly above Addis Ababa, where Emperor Menelik II first established his capital. The hilltop holds his modest palace, the octagonal Entoto Maryam Church, and a landscaped park with trails and cafes. Runners train on its thin-air paths, and the city panorama is best in late afternoon.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter IV · Tigray Region · 10 places
Tigray Region
Home to the Great Temple of the Moon, a windowless sandstone tower raised around the 7th century BC and considered Ethiopia's oldest standing structure. The pre-Aksumite D'mt kingdom left inscriptions and ibex friezes now shown in the adjacent monastery museum. It makes a compact historical stop between Aksum and the Adwa mountains.
✦ October to March · $
Regions of Ethiopia
Every place in Ethiopia
115 places, one country.
Lalibela
Amhara Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $$
Danakil Depression
Afar Region, Ethiopia
✦ November to February · $$
Erta Ale
Afar Region, Ethiopia
✦ November to February · $$
Omo Valley
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia
✦ September to April · $$
Bahir Dar
Amhara Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $
Hawassa
Sidama Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to February · $
Nechisar National Park
South Ethiopia Regional State, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $
Debre Libanos
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $
Mount Entoto
Oromia Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to May · $
Yeha
Tigray Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $
Wonchi
Oromia Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to May · $
Mekelle
Tigray Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to February · $
Adwa
Tigray Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $
Fasil Ghebbi
Amhara Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $
Simien Mountains National Park
Amhara Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $$
Ras Dashen
Amhara Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $$
National Museum of Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
✦ Year-round · $
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
✦ Year-round · $
Merkato
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
✦ Year-round · $
Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela
Amhara Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $
Meskel Square
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
✦ October to February · $
Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary
Oromia Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $
Mago National Park
South Ethiopia, Ethiopia
✦ October to February · $
Ura Kidane Mehret
Amhara Region, Ethiopia
✦ October to March · $