Lalibela & the Simien Mountains

In the town of Lalibela, a group of churches was carved straight down into the rock around eight hundred years ago. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still a place of pilgrimage, with priests and worshippers at prayer, and the cross-shaped Church of Saint George is one of the most striking buildings in Africa.

To the north, the Simien Mountains National Park rises to jagged peaks and sheer escarpments. It is home to geladas, which graze in large groups on the high meadows, as well as the walia ibex found nowhere else.

The two are usually part of Ethiopia's northern historical route, with Gondar, Bahir Dar and Axum. January brings Timket, the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany, with colourful processions in Lalibela and Gondar.