As one can see from my blog postings, we do a lot of weekend travelling, which allows us to take in as much of Ethiopia as possible during our short stint here. This past weekend, we made our way to a city in the Amhara region of Ethiopia called Bahir Dar. This particular location is known for its eco-tourism opportunities, in particularly Lake Tana and Blue Nile Falls. Map below.
Lake Tana is Ethiopia's largest lake, but is not situated in the Rift Valley that we visited the prior weekend. This lake also has islands throughout that hold Ethiopian Orthodox monasteries and churches that attract tourists from around the world.
We stayed at the Kuriftu Resort, which is rather luxurious. I can guarantee that I would never be staying at a place like this in the U.S. It would simply be too expensive. The Resort sits on Lake Tana and offers its own car and boat services to Blue Nile Falls and to the Lake Tana monasteries respectively. We took advantage of these services to their fullest.
When we arrived on Saturday morning, we settled into our rooms and then took an afternoon ride to Blue Nile Falls. This particular day was market day, but it was a bit special since the following Wednesday would be a huge Ethiopian feast day, Meskel. In light of this, there were people everywhere along 30 km dirt road through villages to reach the Falls. A few sights from the ride to our destination are below.
Once we reached the place where the car parked, we had another 30 minute walk to actually see these mammoth waterfalls. The path that we took was anything but an easy one. It was up and down and rock climbing and battling rain. Hundreds of people returning home from the local village's market that day were also on the path in their bare feet, journeying the kilometers and kilometers back to their homes with their market purchases. Of course along with them were their animals - donkeys, cows, sheep, goats. It was quite the trek to our destination. Photos below.
In order to reach the Falls, we had to cross the Blue Nile River, which is traversed by the Portuguese Bridge. The Bridge, built around 1620, is still used by visitors and locals to cross the River. We eventually made it to the Blue Nile Falls, and we were not disappointed. Pictures of and from the bridge and of the Falls are below.
The next morning we took a boat ride to a couple monasteries on Lake Tana. We have seen what seems like a hundred churches/monasteries thus far, so we trekked our ways to them, but did not enter as it cost 50-100 birr for each person to go inside. One monastery, St. Gabriel's, is on an island that is so strict about female exposure that women are not even permitted to step foot onto that island. We skipped that one for obvious reasons.
After checking out monasteries on islands, our cruise captain took us to the source of the Blue Nile River also within the Lake. There, we found some fishermen in their papyrus boats making their catches of the day. The original reason that we went there was to see hippopotamuses, since this is where they reside. However, we went at midday, and it would appear as though they were all underwater to escape the hot African sun. Very sad. I am a hippo lover and wanted nothing more than to see one of these beasts in its natural habitat. I've seen them in zoos, but to see them in Africa at the source of the Blue Nile River would have been amazing. Oh well.
A few pictures of our boat and monastery tour are below.
The Kuriftu Resort is probably the nicest resort chain in Ethiopia. It seemed a bit like a Mexico resort from its appearance. I would definitely recommend anyone to stay there if they want some time to relax while in Ethiopia.
Most, but not all, of my favorite people in Ethiopia are the kids. It is no wonder that so many people from the U.S. are adopting these orphans, because every single one is absolutely adorable. Sometimes I feel like bringing 10 home with me - 1 for every finger. This trip to Bahir Dar has proven yet again to have tons of kids. I think their cute faces provide a great closing to this blog. Enjoy!
Lake Tana is Ethiopia's largest lake, but is not situated in the Rift Valley that we visited the prior weekend. This lake also has islands throughout that hold Ethiopian Orthodox monasteries and churches that attract tourists from around the world.
We stayed at the Kuriftu Resort, which is rather luxurious. I can guarantee that I would never be staying at a place like this in the U.S. It would simply be too expensive. The Resort sits on Lake Tana and offers its own car and boat services to Blue Nile Falls and to the Lake Tana monasteries respectively. We took advantage of these services to their fullest.
When we arrived on Saturday morning, we settled into our rooms and then took an afternoon ride to Blue Nile Falls. This particular day was market day, but it was a bit special since the following Wednesday would be a huge Ethiopian feast day, Meskel. In light of this, there were people everywhere along 30 km dirt road through villages to reach the Falls. A few sights from the ride to our destination are below.
Once we reached the place where the car parked, we had another 30 minute walk to actually see these mammoth waterfalls. The path that we took was anything but an easy one. It was up and down and rock climbing and battling rain. Hundreds of people returning home from the local village's market that day were also on the path in their bare feet, journeying the kilometers and kilometers back to their homes with their market purchases. Of course along with them were their animals - donkeys, cows, sheep, goats. It was quite the trek to our destination. Photos below.
In order to reach the Falls, we had to cross the Blue Nile River, which is traversed by the Portuguese Bridge. The Bridge, built around 1620, is still used by visitors and locals to cross the River. We eventually made it to the Blue Nile Falls, and we were not disappointed. Pictures of and from the bridge and of the Falls are below.
The next morning we took a boat ride to a couple monasteries on Lake Tana. We have seen what seems like a hundred churches/monasteries thus far, so we trekked our ways to them, but did not enter as it cost 50-100 birr for each person to go inside. One monastery, St. Gabriel's, is on an island that is so strict about female exposure that women are not even permitted to step foot onto that island. We skipped that one for obvious reasons.
After checking out monasteries on islands, our cruise captain took us to the source of the Blue Nile River also within the Lake. There, we found some fishermen in their papyrus boats making their catches of the day. The original reason that we went there was to see hippopotamuses, since this is where they reside. However, we went at midday, and it would appear as though they were all underwater to escape the hot African sun. Very sad. I am a hippo lover and wanted nothing more than to see one of these beasts in its natural habitat. I've seen them in zoos, but to see them in Africa at the source of the Blue Nile River would have been amazing. Oh well.
A few pictures of our boat and monastery tour are below.
The Kuriftu Resort is probably the nicest resort chain in Ethiopia. It seemed a bit like a Mexico resort from its appearance. I would definitely recommend anyone to stay there if they want some time to relax while in Ethiopia.
Most, but not all, of my favorite people in Ethiopia are the kids. It is no wonder that so many people from the U.S. are adopting these orphans, because every single one is absolutely adorable. Sometimes I feel like bringing 10 home with me - 1 for every finger. This trip to Bahir Dar has proven yet again to have tons of kids. I think their cute faces provide a great closing to this blog. Enjoy!
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