NATIONAL PARKS SAFARIS ETHIOPIA

HIGHLIGHTS, WHERE THEY ARE AND HOW TO VISIT

FASILIDES BATH, GONDAR, ETHIOPIA

FASILIDES BATH OR SWIMMING POOL is a beautifully restored palace with a ritual bathing basin of the emperor, yet greatly under-appreciated by tourists. A must see!!!

Fasilides Bath or Swimming Pool in Gondar

King Fasilides commissioned the construction of a ritual bathing basin with a bath house, just outside  the heart of the city north-west of the Qaha River. There is a two-storied palace standing in a square pool  protected by a embattlemented wall with turrets. The basin receives it water from a canal filled by the river, but most of the time the basin is kept for sanitary reasons. The beautifully restored palace with several rooms and  connected to the land by a bridge makes part of the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site, that includes the Royal Enclosure, Fasil Ghebbi, Fasil's Castle and Mentewab's Palace at Kuskuam.

It's original use has not been documented, but nowadays it is used for the re-enactment of Timket, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo celebration of Epiphany on January 19, the 10th day of Terr on the Ethiopian calendar. Timket celebrates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Most of our hundreds of pictures are favored in Google! Why? Because no other website has so many beautiful high resolution pictures, taken by ourselves. Our pictures not only show you the beauty of Ethiopia, but they also show that we go everywhere, photographing wildlife, plants, people and culture. They show our professionalism, our keen eye for detail and our passion for the culture and nature of Ethiopia. So why consider booking our our Ethiopia Culture & National Parks modules? Because we don't mislead you like many tour operators do. When the Blue Nile falls are dry.... we tell you. When fog clouds the lava lake of Erte Ale? We let you know. Just drop us a mail and we will check it out for you.

Our tours take you to ALL famous cultural places of Ethiopia, and on top of that, you get to see up to 12 large nature reserves accompanied by a conservation forester. There is nothing similar on the market.

As Ethiopia can be combined with other East African countries, we organize tours in modules. Destinations Overview: Historical Circuit; Danakil Depression; Eastern Route; Simien Mountains; Bale Mountains; Southern Parks Safari; Gambella; Addis Ababa. BUT WAIT: if you buy your international ticket with Ethiopia Airlines, they will sell the internal flights at a price that you can't even ride the bus for. But you MUST plan it all in one package and making changes may be very costly. So let us help you plan your entire trip and book your local flights for an incredibly low price after you booked your international flight with Ethiopian Airlines!

A priest carries the Tabot on his head, wrapped in an ornamental cloth, as he leads a procession to the bath. The Tabot is a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, which is rarely seen by the laity. Upon arrival, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated early in the morning as the water is blessed and sprinkled on the participants, some of whom immerse themselves, as they renew their baptismal vows.

Entrance to the walled Fasilides' Bath compound.

Fasilides' Bath Palace from below.

Fasilides' Bath is a beautifully restored monument built on arched stilts or columns rising from the bottom of the pool. A bridge connects the palace to the land. Only occasionally filled with water, the pool is kept dry most of the time for sanitary reasons.

Empty most of the time, Fasilides' Bath is only filled once a year during the celebration of Epiphany on 19th January.

The palace seen from its foundation in the pool as it stands on its pillars.

The fortification seen from the bottom of Fasilides' Swimming Pool as it stands on its columns.

Banyan trees or strangle fig trees, grow along the walls of the quays surrounding the bath. Over time, the roots will undermine the walls, but as they are now, their roots contribute to the overall artistic design of the monument, while their canopies offer a luxurious green shady environment.  The seeds of Banyan trees germinate in cracks in walls or rocks or they may follow the trunk of trees as a vine; as the vine gradually wraps around the trunk, they eventually outgrow the host tree and kill it, growing a hollow trunk.

Fasilides' Swimming Pool is surrounded by a curtain wall fortified by turrets designed with the egg-shaped tops characteristic for the period.

Curtain wall surrounding Fasilides' Bath with a towered gate giving access to the inner ward of the UNESCO monument. The roots of a Banyan tree covering the wall.

Connected with the river through a canal, most of the time, the Fasilides' Swimming Pool is kept drained to prevent the growth of diseases in the stagnant water.

A Banyan tree seen from the foundation of the palace of Fasilides' Bath.

Fasilides' Swimming Pool is part of this fabulous itinerary:

Ethiopia modernizes and changes more rapidly than any other country in Africa. Many features may not be there anymore in the near future. If you want to see it the way it was for thousands of years, see it now before it has changed forever! Compose your own once-in-a-lifetime Ethiopia-Africa-Adventure from our affordable modules:

Famous Ethiopia Historical Circuit

Simien Mountains trek or car visit

Danakil Depression and Erte Ale Volcano Expedition

Awash Babile Harar Safari Tour

Ethiopia Central and Southern Parks & Tribes Safari Tour

Bale Mountains National Park and Sof Omar Caves Tour

Gambella National Park Safari

Addis Ababa City Tour & Airport Transfer

All Ethiopia modules and prices together

We designed our itineraries in such a way that you can compose a 1 to 4 weeks journey from different modules that can show you the entire country or just the parts that interest you, all depending on your personal preferences, available time and budget. Email us on your interests and we can discuss a custom program with you by phone (we have phone lines from the USA and Europe) or skype. So, weather you have a great ethnic affinity, are a birdwatcher or want to go on safari, contact us and we work out a customized program that focuses on YOUR interests.

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is home of Ethiopian Airlines, featuring Africa's youngest fleet of the latest intercontinental jet airplanes - including 2 Dreamliners - as well as short-distance Bombardier turboprops for affordable and reliable in-country flights servicing all major cities of Ethiopia. The best airline of Africa, will fly you non-stop from the USA and Europe to Addis Ababa. Take our 1-week Ethiopia Cultural Monuments Tour and then continue for your Kenya or Tanzania safari - or any other East African capital - thus completing your journey. IF YOU BUY YOUR INTERNATIONAL TICKET FROM ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES, YOU WILL GET MOST INTERNAL FLIGHTS FOR $40 - $70 PER LEG! BUT CHANGING AFTERWARDS IS EXPENSIVE, SO WORK OUT A SCHEDULE WITH US TO GET A FABULOUS DEAL FOR FLYING THROUGH THE COUNTRY IN STEAD OF SPENDING ENDLESS TIME ON THE ROAD!!!

FASILIDES BATH / SWIMMING POOL IN GONDAR, ETHIOPIA