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Note the chrysanthemum crests.
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All Ethiopia

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Ethiopia

19 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Ethiopia

Updated February 17, 2025

Email

Cities

“Red Terror” Martyrs’ Memorial Museum.
Addis Ababa
Dallol
Afar Zone 2
The Chapel of the Tablet
Aksum
Ben Abeba Restaurant
Lalibela
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in Ethiopia

Ben Abeba Restaurant

Lalibela, Ethiopia

Ben Abeba

An otherworldly restaurant perched on the edge of a jagged cliff next to a medieval holy city.
Bete Giyorgis

Lalibela, Ethiopia

Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

An Ethiopian "Jerusalem" featuring a church hewn out of a single rock.
Dallol

Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

Dallol

The hottest place on the planet.
Erta Ale by Night

Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

Erta Ale

Ethiopia's "smoking mountain" is in one of the hottest regions on the planet and is home to two lava lakes.

Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Manyate Coffee Village

An Ethiopian cloud forest protects some of the last wild arabica plants.
Priest sitting outside the entrance to Abuna Yemata church.

East Tigray, Ethiopia

Abuna Yemata Guh

Reaching the "Church in the Sky" requires scaling the cliff face of a sandstone pinnacle with a 650-foot drop.
The Chapel of the Tablet

Aksum, Ethiopia

Chapel of the Tablet

Supposedly this Ethiopian chapel holds the Ark of the Covenant, guarded by virgins who cannot leave the building.

Afar Zone 1, Ethiopia

The Afar Rift

An ocean in the making, in the Ethiopian desert.
See All 19 Things To Do in Ethiopia

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Ethiopia

Ben Abeba Restaurant

Lalibela, Ethiopia

Ben Abeba

An otherworldly restaurant perched on the edge of a jagged cliff next to a medieval holy city.

Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Manyate Coffee Village

An Ethiopian cloud forest protects some of the last wild arabica plants.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Ethiopia

19
Sacred Spaces 6
Ecosystems 5
Geology 4
Geological Oddities 3
Churches 3
Archaeology 3
Intriguing Environs 2
History 2
Martian Landscapes 2
Architecture 2
Museums 2
Nature 2

Ethiopia Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. serflac
    2
  2. Tony Dunnell
    2
  3. kweiss2001
    1
  4. peadarheaney
    1
  5. ewayte
    1
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Places Edited

  1. Ursula
    5
  2. atimian
    4
  3. Steve 55
    3
  4. Blue Jay Away
    2
  5. Martin
    2

Places Visited

  1. blscioscia
    12
  2. zacrellin
    10
  3. IndefiniteDetour
    10
  4. eltravelar c1c8d534
    9
  5. JoieC
    9
Join the Ranks!
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Recent Ethiopia Activity

  • anantabhyankar101

    wants to go to Erta Ale

    5 days ago
  • anantabhyankar101

    wants to go to Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

    5 days ago
  • anantabhyankar101

    wants to go to Hadar Archaeological Site

    5 days ago
  • anantabhyankar101

    has been to Hadar Archaeological Site

    5 days ago
  • whointhewhat

    wants to go to Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum

    3 days ago

Stories About Ethiopia

Left to right: green, black, Chinese, white, and Ethiopian cardamoms.

A Guide to the Cardamoms of the World

The Cardamom Expanded Universe is bigger than you think.
by Andrew Coletti
February 17, 2025
A dramatic 2020 eruption of Kīlauea was nothing compared with Indonesia’s Toba supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago, the largest eruption of the past 2.5 million years.

How Indonesia’s Toba Volcano Changed Human Evolution

The massive supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago has been blamed for nearly killing off our species. The emerging truth is much more interesting.
by Gemma Tarlach
April 29, 2024

Podcast: Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

Explore an Ethiopian "Jerusalem."
by The Podcast Team
April 17, 2023
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: The Signs of Ethiopian Identity

by Alex Bellos
January 16, 2023

Podcast: Fendika Cultural Center

Keeping a unique Ethiopian musical tradition alive in the nation’s capital, in the face of breakneck urban development.
by The Podcast Team
December 8, 2022
A farmer in Ethiopia cradles a handful of maslin, mixed grains including different varieties of wheat and barley that are grown together.

This Nearly Lost Ancient Grain Tradition Could Be the Future of Farming

A past global staple you've never heard of, maslins are poised for a comeback.
by Gemma Tarlach
October 13, 2022
Supersize this guy by about 400 pounds, and you get some idea of the prehistoric Enhydriodon omoensis.

In Prehistoric Ethiopia, Otters Were as Big as Lions

But they didn’t eat our ancestors—probably.
by Sarah Durn
September 21, 2022
Sulfurous springs in the Danakil Depression discharge brine and acidic liquid.

Searching for the Limits of Life in Earth’s Most Extreme Environment

In Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression, a continent is tearing itself apart, and volcanic chemicals fuel ecosystems unlike anything else on the planet.
by Robin George Andrews
November 22, 2021

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