Debre Libanos Monastery Tour: Experience Wildlife & Ancient Cave Church in Ethiopia

Embark on a captivating road trip through Ethiopia’s countryside to explore the ancient Debre Libanos Monastery, the Portuguese Bridge, and the stunning Nile Gorge. Encounter wildlife, including gelada baboons, and enjoy breathtaking views of Addis Ababa.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Debre Libanos - Founded by Ethiopian Saint Abune Tekle Haymanot, within a steep riverine canyon 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…
What's Included
  • Local guides
  • Ground transportation including a car, fuel and a driver
  • Pickup and dropoff at any location in Addis Ababa (either Hotel or Airport)
  • Lunch, including a bottle of water and hot drinks
  • Museum and Church Entrance Fees
  • Accompanying English speaking tour guide
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Personal expenses
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

As part of this admired roadway journey, you will traverse through stunning pastoral landscapes and observe the authentic Ethiopian lifestyle - agriculturists, rural districts, isolated towns. The trip includes a stopover at the historic Debre Libanos Monastery (including its cave church), the renowned ‘Portuguese Bridge’ constructed in the 1890s, the…

Location
Edna Mall
Cameroon Street
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(212 Ratings)
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Floydschleyhahn
Feb 25, 2025
Fantastic tour and guide - We enjoyed this tour especially because of our guide Halleluya Tessema. He went above and beyond to make our day memorable. We toured and saw everything from the cave church to the Portuguese bridge to viewing baboons and stopping at beautiful lookout points.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamesassos
Feb 10, 2025
10/10, definitely would recommend! - I definitely recommend this to anyone seeking to explore more than just Addis Abba. Haleluya is a fantastic guide with a real passion for the tourism industry and as a bonus even has fantastic photography skills. Muse is an awesome driver who knows all the best spots to see the baboons etc! 10/10 from me!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Camille
Feb 3, 2025
Excellent experience - Hello, I left today with the Guzo organization. Ayele and her friend were our guides for the day. Although our English has my mother and I was not great, they were super attentive and did their utmost so that we could understand each other well. The visit was, magnificent, we see that the guides were attentive to our well-being and they also made us very comfortable from the first minutes. The discoveries they made were incredible. We thank you for this great experience. Hiwet and Beatrice.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
455malcw
Jan 31, 2025
Great experience - This trip was really good. Abiy and Ndalk of myGuzo took good care of us throughout the day. The sights were interesting, brought to life by Abiy's explanations. We caught a family of chilada baboons, crossed the Portguese Bridge, got a gorgeous view of the Blue Nile Gorge, and visited Debrelibabos Church and Museum. It was an awesome tour. A word of caution, there is a bit of walking over stones at the gorge; you should be relatively sure footed, though the guides are ready to help. If you're afraid of traffic, be aware that conventions here are quite different.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rafaelp5190
Jan 22, 2025
What a view! - Had a great time visiting Debre Libanos, seeing the Gelada babboons and the view (what a view!) of the Blue Nile Gorge. Abiy is kind and cultured, thanks to him the experience was all the better. Fully recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pierregx5814lu
Feb 26, 2025
Haleluya the baboon - Haleluya was the good man to go inside another way of life. Thanks to him and to Ethiopia, I became a french baboon with a red heart...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E5269qpivanb
Feb 10, 2025
Tour to Debre Libanos - Overall, great trip outside the Addis Ababa. Our guide, Hallelujah, was very friendly and entertaining. He made sure everyone was taken cared of and even performed magic tricks in the car during the long drive to the site. Our driver, Muse, was a great driver that got us through short cuts. The trip started w/ a view of Addis from Entoto. Then we had a 3 hr drive to Debre Libanos, which was bumpy and dusty. Make sure you don’t get carsick. Then we had a tour of the Orthodox Church and their museum. We stopped by Portuguese Bridge, which unfortunately did not have a lot of water at the waterfall bc it was during the dry season. However, the view was excellent. We saw some baboons, but unfortunately they were sorta far and sparse. We then had a great lunch at a local shop, which was delicious. I highly recommend Hallelujah as a guide. He went above and beyond to ensure it was a fun tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chgo78
Feb 8, 2025
A nice day outside Addis. - It was a very good excursion. Haleluya Tessema was our guide. He told us a lot of things about the country, and took time to get to know us as well. muse Berhe was our driver. He did a good job keeping us safe on rather challenging roads. I really enjoyed the coffee ceremony, the lunch, the monetary, the bridge and the monkeys. The drive also showed a side of Ethiopia we would not have seen had we only stayed in Addis Ababa. My only word of warning - the ride is long and the road is very very rough and bumpy.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
111mikalw
Jan 17, 2025
Beautiful landscape worth the drive! - Really enjoyed the tour and Abiy was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. The nature sightseeing by the Portuguese bridge was absolutely gorgeous! The road is quite bumpy, but apart from that, I highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen_e
Jan 14, 2025
Great views - wear good shoes for hiking. - This was a fun tour, but I wish I had known to wear tennis shoes rather than flats. You need better shoes to walk on the rocky trails to see the Rift and to visit the baboons. The ride was long and bumpy, but the views were amazing, and we got a feel for Ethiopian towns. I loved the coffee and lunch stops - great experiences.
Review provided by Viator
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March 2025
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