18 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Ethiopia - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Ethiopia

Lalibela, Ethiopia

Ben Abeba

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

Lalibela, Ethiopia

Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

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

Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

Dallol

The hottest place on the planet.

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.

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.

Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Manyate Coffee Village

An Ethiopian cloud forest protects some of the last wild arabica plants.

Aksum, Ethiopia

Chapel of the Tablet

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

Aksum, Ethiopia

Obelisk of Axum

Massive stele returned to Ethiopia after 70 years in Rome.

See All 18 Things to Do in Ethiopia See All 18 Places

Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Ethiopia

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

In partnership with Get Your Guide

Guided Tours Nearby

Explore Ethiopia

Launch Map

Ethiopia Leaderboard

Places Added

Places Edited

Places Visited

Recent Ethiopia Activity

dayalma wants to go to The Afar Rift

dayalma wants to go to Manyate Coffee Village

dayalma wants to go to Abuna Yemata Guh

dayalma wants to go to Erta Ale

dayalma wants to go to Dallol

Stories About Ethiopia

Supersize this guy by about 400 pounds, and you get some idea of the prehistoric <em>Enhydriodon omoensis</em>.

In Prehistoric Ethiopia, Otters Were as Big as Lions

But they didn’t eat our ancestors—probably.

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

Podcast: Yemrehanna Kristos Church

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

November 1, 2021

A view of a coffee forest in Ethiopia.

The Last Wild Coffee Forests

Plus four ways to eat and drink coffee that involve the whole plant.

by Alex Mayyasi

September 21, 2021

Werehyenas could be proxies for all sorts of dangers—real and imagined.

The Myth of the Werehyena and the Fear of the Other in the Horn of Africa

Also known as "bouda," their scary stories could also be used to marginalize and dehumanize.

by Harry Spitzer

October 27, 2020

An Ethiopian collector picks coffee from a wild Arabica tree in the Mankira Forest, Kafa.

Inside Ethiopia's Endangered Wild-Coffee Forests

The demise of Arabica's birthplace would be a catastrophe for the industry.

by Jeff Koehler

A close-up of the coffee berry borer, guaranteed to haunt your dreams.

Solved: The Mysterious Origins of Your Coffee's Worst Nightmare

Researchers inspected 18,667 plant specimens to track down a caffeine-eating beetle.

by Reina Gattuso

October 14, 2019

The Fincha Habera rock shelter, the earliest high-altitude habitation site in Africa.

In Ethiopia, Ancient Humans Lived on Thin Air and Giant Mole-Rats

The earliest high-altitude settlement in Africa came as a surprise.

by Isaac Schultz

August 13, 2019

Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.