Two Days Trip in Axum and its Surroundings

Up on arrival, meet representative of Gelila Ethiopia Tours then check in to your hotel, and you will have a city tour in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Legends narrate in the Kebre Nagast (Book of Kings) how the city of Axum as early as the 10th century B.C. was already the city where the Queen of Sheba resided. It is told that the son of Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, Menelik, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum and it remained there to this day, preserved in a sanctuary. Famous long before the time of Christ, Axum was the capital of the long Axumite reign, one of the oldest African empires and represented a crucial trade connecting-point between Africa and Asia for almost a thousand years. Visit the Granite stone Stele of Axum, the Tombs of King Kaleb and his son King G/Meskel, the Ezana’s stone inscriptions, Queen of Sheba’s palace and Swimming pool, and the Church of Zion, the final resting place of the True Ark of Covenant.

VISIT GOBO DURA, THE QUARY SITE This morning, you will visit Gobo Dura. This is important quarry for the Great stele of Aksum in which we found evidences of the unfinished stele and some marks on how the people quarried and transported the huge ones to the present location. At Gobo Dura tourists also can enjoy birds, monkeys /seasonally/,vegetation types, farming and generally the life of the rural society. Also, you will visit the lioness of Gobo Dura where a lioness is carved in a big granite stone. After a lunch a break, you will have a gentle walk on the old town of Axum. You will witness the change and continuity of the Axumite Empire through time. The old town is best place to enjoy an authentic Ethiopian coffee ceremony which is one of the most enjoyable events you can attend at an Ethiopian private house. The coffee is taken through its full life cycle of preparation in front of you in a ceremonial manner. Coffee is called ‘Bunna’ (boo-na) by the Ethiopians.