NATIONAL PARKS SAFARIS ETHIOPIA

HIGHLIGHTS, WHERE THEY ARE AND HOW TO VISIT

BAHIR DAR, ETHIOPIA, TOURS: MONASTERIES

BAHIR DAR, CITY, ETHIOPIA: Eco tours to Lake Tana Monasteries, the Blue Nile Waterfalls, Oldest stone bridge South of Sahara, Awesome wildlife & birds

Top 10 things to do in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia: Our Eco Tours to Monasteries & Blue Nile Waterfalls

1. Zege Peninsula

2. Lake Tana Ura Kidane Mehret Monastery

3. Blue Nile Falls

4. Blue Nile origin in Lake Tana with Tankwa ferries and hippos

5. Lake Tana wetlands

6. Lake Tana water front promenade

7. Oldest bridge in Ethiopia built under Emperor Susenyos

8. Devil's Nose Basaltic Monolith with vultures

9. Jamia Grand Mosque

10. Tuc tucs

With of about 200,000 inhabitants, the Bahir Dar is the third largest city of Ethiopia, after capital Addis Ababa, and Dire Dawa from which it is 578km away; another 175km to Gondar to its North. Built on the south shore of Lake Tana at about 1,800masl, Bahir Dar is the city of hospitality for all those who want to visit the Lake Tana churches and the Blue Nile falls, while Bahir Dar also is the gateway towards the city of Gondar with its Royal enclosure - Fasil Ghebbi - Fasiledes Castle, Fasilides Bath and Menthewab's Castle and the Simien Mountains National Park.

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!

Converting from a strictly rural country, Ethiopia is rapidly urbanizing and Bahir Dar is the fasted growing city after the capital, with - for African conditions - surprisingly well designed palm-lined boulevards.

Taxis are plentiful, but there are even more tuktuks or Bajajs - rick-shaws - which will get you to your destination almost as fast for even less while they are fun to ride.

The vast majority of the city's inhabitants are Amhara belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but some 8.5% of the people are Muslim. The city founded in the sixteenth or seventeenth century by Jesuits, from which time the Pedro Páez building dates. One of Emperor Haile Selassie's built one of his palaces in the city, overlooking Lake Tana.

There is a small daily market and a large market on the weekends. There is not much of nightlife but there are some bars with music. The Bahir Dar University teaches to more than 40,000 students.

Blue Nile Waterfalls

The Blue Nile Falls - Tis Issat - are located at about 30km from the city. Since the construction of a hydroelectric power dam and a regulation works at the outlet of Lake Tana into the Blue Nile, the water passing the falls is much less dramatic peaks during the wet season, while reducing to a trickle during the dry season. Nevertheless, the Blue Nile Falls are still a fabulous highlight of Bahir Dar, during wet season and the early dry season.

Bajajs or tuktuks are three-wheeled rickshaws common in Bahir Dar and Ethiopia.

Inside a Bajaj or tuktuk. They are are three-wheeled rick-shaws in Ethiopia and actually quite fun to ride.

Chaotic looking construction sites are everywhere in Bahir Dar and new high rises shoot up like mushrooms.

The Jamia Grand Mosque is the prime place of worship for the about 20000 Muslims of the city.

Like in all cities of Ethiopia, side walks of Bahir Dar serve as food markets.

While most of the shores of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, are private real estate, there is a short Lake Tana water front promenade, where citizens go to swim and bath.

Built on the city's public promenade is the jetty from where excursion boats depart for the Lake Tana churches.

Shaded metal excursion boats to Lake Tana's churches on the Zege Peninsula are simple but adequate.

Fisherman in Tankwa with endemic fish for the local market at Bahir Dar.

Tankwas, canoe-shaped rafts carry people across the Blue Nile origin.

Located in a little bay, the Ghion Hotel restaurant has the best view over Lake Tana of all hotels on the lake.

The simple but rooms of Hotel Ghion are more than compensated by the lovely garden and gorgeous view over the lake.

No doubt the most beautiful resort hotel on Lake Tana is Koriftu Resort with swimming pool and wonderful garden.

At Koriftu Resort, beautiful rooms clustered in tastefully designed sleep the guests of the finest resort hotel of Bahir Dar on Lake Tana.

Lake Tana Ura Kidane Mehret Monastery with frescos on the inner corridor, famous for their bright colors.

Even during the dry season, the Blue Nile Falls are impressive and well worth your visit.

Oldest bridge in Ethiopia built under Emperor Susenyos across the Blue Nile River.

The Devil's Nose Rock, is a basaltic monolith or hoodo, located near the village of Addis Zemen, 75km north Bahir Dar on the road to Gondar. It is recommended stop for birdwatchers as it is an important roost and possibly nesting place for Ruepell's and other vultures.

Bahir Dar City is part of these fabulous Ethiopia tours:

Daily comfortable affordable flights Addis Ababa - Bahir Dar - Gondar with brand new Dornier Turbo Props allowing you to do the top 10 things in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia, to your heart's content.

BAHIR DAR CITY, ETHIOPIA, TOURS: BLUE WATERFALLS & MONASTERIES

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!!!

BAHIR DAR CITY, ETHIOPIA, TOURS: BLUE WATERFALLS & MONASTERIES