Things to Do in Ethiopia

From the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela to the otherworldly Danakil Depression - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.

Travel guide - last updated September 2026

Ethiopia was never colonized, and its historical sites reflect an unbroken thread rarely found elsewhere in Africa - 12th-century churches carved directly into rock, ancient obelisks, and a written script and calendar still in everyday use. Add one of the most extreme landscapes on Earth in the Danakil Depression, and Ethiopia covers ground few other African itineraries do. Here are 6 places worth building a trip around.

Top attractions

The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.

⛪

Lalibela Rock-Hewn Churches

Eleven medieval churches carved directly downward into solid volcanic rock in the 12th-13th centuries, still active places of worship and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

📍 Lalibela

🚉 Flights from Addis Ababa take an hour to Lalibela's airstrip, 25km from town; buses grind up from Addis in two days, and the churches themselves are a walking circuit through the village.

🏔️

Simien Mountains National Park

Dramatic escarpments and jagged peaks home to endemic wildlife including the gelada baboon and walia ibex, with multi-day trekking as the standard way to see the range properly.

📍 Simien Mountains, northern Ethiopia

🚉 Gondar is the gateway, a flight or long bus ride from Addis, then a minibus two hours to Debark, where park permits and scouts are arranged before driving on to the escarpment.

🌋

Danakil Depression

One of the hottest, lowest and most geologically active places on Earth, with the bubbling lava lake at Erta Ale and the sulfur-yellow Dallol hydrothermal field - reachable only with an organized, guided expedition.

📍 Afar Region

🚉 The depression is only entered on organised 4x4 convoys from Mekele, three to four days with an armed escort and a local guide - independent travel is not permitted.

🏛️

Axum

The ancient capital of the Aksumite Empire, with towering carved obelisks and a church that Ethiopian tradition holds contains the Ark of the Covenant, though outside visitors cannot verify this directly.

📍 Axum, Tigray Region

🚉 Flights from Addis via Lalibela or Gondar reach Axum in about two hours; the stelae field, the tombs and the Ark chapel are all walkable from the town centre.

🏙️

Addis Ababa

Ethiopia's capital and one of Africa's diplomatic hubs, home to the National Museum's cast of Lucy, one of the most complete early hominid fossils ever found.

📍 Addis Ababa

🚉 The city has a two-line light rail, the first in sub-Saharan Africa, plus blue-and-white minibuses; Meskel Square, Merkato and the National Museum are the fixed points visitors navigate between.

🏞️

Bale Mountains National Park

A high-altitude plateau in the south, home to the endangered Ethiopian wolf and a distinctly different, cooler landscape than most visitors expect from an East African park.

📍 Bale Mountains, southern Ethiopia

🚉 Buses from Addis reach Goba or Dinsho in eight to ten hours, and the park headquarters at Dinsho is on the main road - the Sanetti Plateau beyond needs a 4x4.

Mark Ethiopia, get the stamp

🇪🇹ETHIOPIAVISITED

🇪🇹ETHIOPIALIVED

🇪🇹ETHIOPIAWISHLIST

In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.

Open MyPassportStory

Planning questions

How many days do you need in Ethiopia?

10 days lets you combine the historic north (Lalibela, Axum, the Simien Mountains) at a reasonable pace. The Danakil Depression is usually a separate multi-day expedition add-on given the remote logistics involved.

What's the best time to visit Ethiopia?

October-March is the dry season across most of the highlands and the most popular time to visit. The Danakil Depression is genuinely visitable year-round but at its most extreme, and most tolerable to visit, outside the hottest months.

Is Ethiopia good for a first-time visit?

It rewards planning more than many destinations - a guide is close to essential for the Danakil Depression and recommended for the Simien Mountains, and it's worth checking current regional conditions for your specific route.

Do I need a visa to visit Ethiopia?

Most nationalities can get an e-visa online in advance or a visa on arrival at Addis Ababa airport. Check the official visa information for your nationality: evisa.gov.et.

What are some things to do in Ethiopia on a tight budget?

Entry to Lalibela's churches and Axum's obelisk field is inexpensive relative to comparable historic sites elsewhere, traditional Ethiopian meals (injera with stews) are cheap and filling, and domestic buses cost far less than the small-plane charters some tour operators default to.

Can I rent a car in Ethiopia, and what licence do I need?

Check your government's travel advice before planning, as parts of the north and east have been affected by conflict and some regions are off limits. Self-drive rental is uncommon and not advised: the standard arrangement is a 4x4 with a driver, which most agencies require in any case, and the Danakil can only be visited with an escorted convoy. If you do drive, an Ethiopian licence or an International Driving Permit converted locally is required - a home licence alone is not valid. The official e-visa system, which every visitor needs, is at evisa.gov.et, and the driving rule for your own licence is worth confirming with an Ethiopian embassy at ethiopianembassy.org before you travel.