Lalibela is known for its cluster of rock-hewn
churches, reportedly built with the help of angels, but the surrounding
landscape actually offers more interesting sightseeing options. We obliged our
sense of historical and cultural significance by checking out the churches of
Lalibela on day one, but used the next two days to get out and see more than the
average visitor. Day two saw us renting an old, rugged Land Cruiser and
necessary driver for perhaps the most scenic drive I’ve ever experienced,
before reaching a remote village, some 40km outside of Lalibela. From there it
was 12km of off-roading (what our guide called an “African massage”) in order
to access a church made of marble and cedar wood, located in a cave in the
middle of a mountain. And since we didn’t get quite enough spectacular from
that experience, we set off on a hike to reach a rock hewn church situated atop
a mountain overlooking Lalibela on day three. In both cases, we encountered
only one other set of tourists, which afforded us lots of bragging as we closed
off our time in the town with a night at a Torpedo,
a popular tej house, in the company
of fellow travelers from Canada (see: highfiveadventures.com), France, and Spain.
