Addis Ababa: Debre Libanos, Blue Nile Gorge, and Cave Tour

in 1284, Debre Libanos later became the political centre of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and is where Emperor Lebna Dengal received the first Portuguese mission to Ethiopia in 1520. The Italian army destroyed the original church in a 1937 massacre that claimed the lives of 800 monks, deacons and lay worshippers. The modern church, its domed roof decorated with stained-glass windows, remains an important pilgrimage site.

rtuguese in the 16th century, it was actually built in the 1890s by Ras Darge in the old Portuguese style. The narrow span makes a spectacular picture and the gushing (in the rainy season) cascade just below it is very impressive.

reat Rift Valley and is one of Ethiopia’s most dramatic stretches of road that starts its serpentine descent to the bottom of the Blue Nile Gorge, 1km below. The gorge is accessed by a road that offers spectacular views, and a pair of bridges cross the river.

It is a tranquil church with typical ancient architecture of Ethiopian Churches.

From almost 3,300 meters altitude, the Hill provides a spectacular views of the vast parts of Addis Ababa.