There’s nowhere like it on the planet for wildlife, wild lands and rich traditions that endure. Prepare to fall in love.
The history of Aksum centres on a powerful kingdom in modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea that flourished from approximately the 1st to the 8th centuries AD. Aksum was a central commercial hub controlling trade routes connecting the Roman Empire, India, and the Red Sea, and its port of Adulis...
We took a branch road to reach an ancient pre-Aksumite temple dedicated to the South Arabian moon god Almaqah. The temple dates to around the 7th century BC and is known for its remarkably well-preserved, mortise-and-tenon construction using dressed stone blocks without mortar. The temple...
Early in the morning, we drove from Hawzen towards Aksum, mostly on tarmac, with a few photo stops and a visit to the Temple of the Moon in Yeha. The road is marked by dramatic, breathtaking scenery of rugged mountains, deep valleys, and expansive green landscapes, contrasted by the...
After challenging climbing in the morning, we visited the Maryam Papasetti Church in a valley south of Hawzen, in a serene spot below the cliff, surrounded by greenery. It is a semi-monolithic church (meaning the “Holy of Holies” is hewn from the rock, while the main sanctuary...
Abune Yemata Guh is a 5th-century rock-hewn church in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, famous for its perilous, steep climb up a cliff face and its well-preserved 5th-century frescoes and murals. These paintings depict religious scenes, saints, and biblical imagery, with colours that...
The Church of Abraha wa-Atsbeha (🎟️1,000 ETB) is a 10th-century rock-hewn church in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, located in the Gheralta Mountains, approximately 15 kilometres west of the town of Wukro. Tradition says it was built in the 4th century by two kings, twin brothers Abreha...