Today we will take a spectacular flight to Bahar Dar. From the air we can gaze across the extraordinary nature of the Ethiopian Plateau, repeatedly cut by immensely deep gorges. Bahar Dar is a small but fast growing town on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. It has long attracted religious men and the area contains numerous churches and monasteries, many of them on the thirty or so islands of Lake Tana. The afternoon is free to enjoy the fantastic bird-watching around the lake or head into Bahar Dar itself and explore its local market. There is also the option of doing a half day excursion to the Blue Nile Falls (usually in the morning).

Fly to the heart of ancient Ethiopia, The ruins of the ancient city of Axum are a testament to the city’s former historical and political significance. Located in the heart of ancient Ethiopia, the ruins are remnants of a time when the Kingdom of Axum was one of the most powerful empires in the world, equal to Rome and Persia.

The remaining structures, which date from between the 1st and 13th century A.D., include enormous stelae, monolithic obelisks, royal tombs, monasteries and the ruins of ancient palaces.

For foreign visitors, the main attraction is the giant stelae which were erected by the Axumite in the pre-Christian times, presumably for religious purposes. One of these granite structures, the Great Stelae, is the biggest monolith in the world, measuring over 33 meters. It fell over sometime in the 4th century while it was being erected and remains in pieces on the ground to this day.

This tour will also include stops at the Bath and Palace of the Queen of Sheba and the tombs of King Kaleb and King Bazen, which are thought to be some of the earliest discovered structures.

The legendary Ark of the Covenant believed to be kept in a chapel near the St. Mary of Zion Church. It is guarded by a priest who is responsible for its care and preservation for life and nobody else is allowed to see it. Men can walk up to the chapel, but women are unfortunately not allowed on the site.

After a day of visiting these incredible ruins, you will look forward to a bit of rest and a good meal at your hotel.

This morning fly to the most unique Christian sites of Ethiopia. Lalibela is regarded as one of Ethiopia’s holiest cities (second only to Axum) and is an important center of pilgrimage. Religious rituals are central to the life of the town and there are often processions of priests and crowds of singing and dancing devotees. This in combination with Lalibela’s extraordinary history and architecture gives this small town a timeless and biblical atmosphere.

The most famous attractions in Lalibela are the monolithic rock-hewn churches, which are the biggest monolithic temples in the world, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The rest of today will be dedicated to exploring these architectural wonders. Nothing will prepare you for what you are about to see. Every individual church is unique in shape, size and perfectly carved and decorated by hand. Some of the churches you will see along your tour today are the historically interesting churches Bet Medhane Alem (the largest monolithic church in the world and home to the Lalibela Cross) and Bet Maryam (possibly the oldest of the churches).

The most iconic and visually spectacular of these churches is the Bet Giyorgis (St. George’s). The 15-meter high structure is carved out of the rock, excavated externally and internally into the shape of the Greek cross. This church is often referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and is therefore a must-see on this trip! You will have a local guide showing you around who will be able to tell you everything you want to know about these historic buildings.

If you are lucky, you will be in Lalibela during one of the annual festivals or religious ceremonies of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. During ceremonies, which can last a whole day, you may witness hundreds of white-clad priests sing and dance to the rhythms of drums.

At the end of the day you will return to your hotel for some rest and a nice dinner.