Day Trip From Addis Ababa To Debre Libanos & Blue Nile Gorge

Route: Addis Ababa – Debre Libanos Monastery – Addis Ababa

Debre Libanos Monastery: It’s one of the ancient and historical monasteries in Ethiopia, Which is lying northwest of Addis Ababa. The monastery was founded in the 13th century by Saint Tekle Haymanot, according to tradition; he meditated in a cave for 29 years. The monastery’s chief abbot, called the Ichege, was the second most powerful official in the Ethiopian Church after the Abuna. The monastery complex sits on a terrace between a cliff and the gorge of one of the tributaries of the Abbay River. None of the original buildings of Debre Libanos survive, although David Buxton suspected “there are interesting things still to be found among the neighboring cliffs.” Current buildings include the church over Tekle Haymanot’s tomb, which Emperor Haile Selassie ordered constructed in 1961; a slightly older Church of the Cross, where Buxton was told a fragment of the True Cross is preserved; and five religious schools. The cave where the saint lived is in the nearby cliffs, which one travel guide describes as a five-minute walk away. This cave contains a spring, whose water is considered holy and is the object of pilgrimages. Duration: 2 hours 

Portuguese Bridge: Portuguese bridge near Debre Libanos was erected by the Portuguese in the 16th century; it was actually built at the turn of the 19th century by Ethiopians, albeit in the old Portuguese style. The narrow span makes a pretty picture and the gushing (in the rainy season) cascade just below it is even more impressive: Duration: 1-hour 

Portuguese Bridge Jemma River into a large gorge beside Debre Libanos and Fiche. The Jemma joins the Wenchit before reaching the Abbay (Blue Nile) River. Jemma Valley and the surrounding area are well known for bird-watching tours. The main target for bird watcher is the endemic and range-restricted Harwood’s Francolin and other possible to spot are; Banded Barbet, the Black-headed Forest Oriole, the White-billed Starling, the Red-billed Starling, the White-winged Cliff Chat, the White-backed Black Tit, the White-cheeked Turaco and Hemprich’s Hornbill. You will also see one of Ethiopia’s endemic mammals, the Gelada or bleeding heart baboon. (In the gorge we will see a variety of vultures – Lamergeyer’s, Ruppell’s, and Lappet-faced vultures.) Duration: 1-minute

Mount Entoto: Entoto is the highest peak on the Entoto Mountains, which overlooks the city of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. It reaches 3,200 meters above sea level The mountain is densely covered by eucalyptus trees that were imported from Australia during the reign of Menelik II, and mostly planted during Emperor Haile Selassie’s reign. Thus, it is sometimes referred to as the “lung of Addis Ababa”. The forest on the mountain is an important source of firewood for the city. It was also a source of building material in earlier times. Duration: 30 minutes