Ethiopia has many beautiful natural attractions for the tourist willing to leave Addis and do a bit of exploring. Some places will require a few hours of driving. Others can be reached by flying Ethiopian airlines on their domestic routes.

Bahir Dar/Blue Nile Falls
Bahir Dar is located on the southern shores of Lake Tana and is accessible by land and air. Bahir Dar is one of the most convenient centers for boating to the various islands on the lake. A must-see attraction in Bahir Dar is Tis Isat, the Blue Nile Falls. The waterfall is over 1300 feet wide at flood stage and is 150 feet deep. The continuous spray of water drenches onlookers and produces beautiful rainbows. There's also a small rainforest full of monkeys and multicolored birds. (More information)

Lake Tana
Lake Tana is the largest lake in Ethiopia and is said to be the source of the famed Blue Nile River, though that claim is disputed. Further on it goes through Khartoum, Egypt and then on to the Mediterranean Sea. There are 37 islands scattered around on the surface of the lake, and on twenty of the islands there are churches and monasteries, some of which have histories dating back to the 13th century. Many of these churches have beautiful murals and crosses, crowns and clothes of former kings. Be aware that most of them are off-limits to women, except Ura Kidane Mehret and Narga Selassie. (More information)

Awash National Park

The Awash National Park is located in the lowlands east of Addis Ababa on the Awash River. It is a 3 hour drive from Addis. The Awash National Park is one of the finest nature reserves in Ethiopia. The Awash River is important because it is one of the major rivers of the Horn of Africa,and waters important agricultural lands in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia. You can see over 400 varieties of birds in the park as well as many animals, including gazelles, wild pigs, Dik-diks, zebras, cheetahs, baboons, kudus, giant tortoise, hippos, aardvarks, hyrax, and Colobus monkeys. (More information)


Related links

RealEthiopia.com--awesome site!!
Natural Attractions in Ethiopia
Historic sites in Ethiopia