Debre Libanos Monastery Tour: Explore a 13th Century Religious Site and Nature Hike

Embark on a captivating tour of Debre Libanos Monastery, a 13th-century religious site in Ethiopia. Explore the stunning Jemma River Gorge, hike through nature, and enjoy a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Portuguese Bridge - Constructed in the 17th century, the Portuguese Bridge was built by either Indian or Portuguese craftsmen prior to the Jesuits’ expulsion in 1633, or it may have been erected later during the Gondarine era. Even if the bridge is just over a century old, rather than roughly four centuries, it stands as a remarkable monument to…
What's Included
  • Local and professional guide
  • All entrance fees included
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • Lunch provided
  • Transport in an air-conditioned latest model minivan
  • Experience a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony
What's Not Included
  • Personal interest
  • Alcoholic Drinks
Additional Information

At 9:00 am we’ll depart from your selected location and travel 110km North of Addis Ababa, over the Entoto Mountains, through the Sululta plains to Debre Libanos, a 13th century monastery established by the Ethiopian saint Abuna Tekle Haymanot. This is deemed one of the holiest sites for Orthodox pilgrimages, which overlooks the breathtaking Jemma River…

Location
Addis Ababa
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.5
(12 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Msladybailey
Dec 25, 2022
Ethiopian Exploration ❤️ - I highly recommend this tour! A complete 10/10. My tour guide Melaku was professional and knowledgeable and as a plus he speaks perfect English, which was helpful as I am a U.S. traveler. Additionally, I am a solo female traveler and I felt 100% safe at all times! The areas we explored were beautiful and the food and coffee experience was a delight. The church was absolutely astonishing and the the owners were extremely flexible and allowed time in the schedule for me to do a mini photo shoot in traditional Ethiopian attire. We completed a hike that led to the Portuguese Bridge. This area had the most amazing views, I mean BREATHTAKING!! Please wear comfy shoes. Next to the bridge was a lovely Ethiopian restaurant with excellent and polite staff. We even saw local wildlife! After lunch, I tried Ethiopian beer and Ethiopian liquor with the locals who were very welcoming. All in all, if you have a chance you don’t want to miss this tour!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
81virginied
Aug 13, 2022
Old bridger, waterfalls, monkeys... - A beautiful place to discover. Beautiful waterfalls, and a magnificent view of the landscape; monkeys, the monastery... and the road is also a time to discover the landscape. Nice driver, and the guides in every place are very nice too. Enjoy it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Petra_bartak_barista
Feb 20, 2022
Such a lovely experience - Wubi and Ray were excellent. Wubi doesn't say much, but he's funny and a good driver. Ray is so lovely. He makes you feel like you are a friend. He goes over his limits. If you have a wish he tries to add it into the itienrary when possible. His English is excellent. He's knowledgeable, he laughs a lot and you feel very comfortable and safe with both of them. I was alone in Addis and these two just made my weekend so wodnerful. Highly recommend Walk In Tours. Gashaw, the manager, was very professional and polite.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
1reva59
Oct 2, 2021
Wonderful must do tour with grat company - We had an unexpected delay in Ethiopia but finding this Walk in Ethiopia tour to Libanos Monastery made for an unforgettable experience. Teewadros was an amazing driver, he had to dodge, vehicles, dog, goats, and cows most of the way. Birhanu was the best guide ever, his English was impeccable. We are an elderly couple and they tailored our hike to Portuguese bridge accordingly. We had the most amazing authentic lunch, meat and spicy gravy on injera (bread). Best of all was a coffee ceremony. We could not have been more pleased with this day tour. Go if you ever have a chance.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tour65484353249
Sep 3, 2021
A must see place near the capital. - This was a great adventure with walkin ethiopia. We visited debrelibanos monastery, museum and Portuguese bridge which is found near the monastery. This was an epic experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bjmmenlopark
Mar 4, 2020
Wonderful service - My hotel arranged two tours with Walk in Ethiopia. Staff was friendly, efficient helpful courteous, thoughtful--everything one could imagine and want from guide and driver and agency. Guide Birnabu knew how to time and coordinate visits so we could visit Libanos when open. He also taught me lots about Ehtiopian history, culture, food
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joelle
Oct 14, 2019
Amazing hike - The nature was extremely fascinating, so I enjoyed the hike and the baboons were amazing to see. The visit to the church was very authentic
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kerrie
Nov 18, 2022
Spectacular scenery, engaging wildlife and religious dedication with Ethiopian hospitality - Prior attempts to make email contact to confirm pick up location were unsuccessful. Upon arriving at Bole International Airport I had no phone service and so was assisted to contact tour company first by information desk in terminal, then hotel shuttle drivers in parking area. After the confusing pick up in airport car park I was driven through Addis Ababa then 110km over terrible roads to Debre Libanos. The driver and tour guide were kind, friendly and informative, and I felt 100% safe at all times. I opted first for lunch on arrival at Ethiopia-German Park and enjoyed an authentic Ethiopian meal. A short hike took us over the Portuguese Bridge with magnificent views of the gorge and blue Nile tributary. I was told that if attending during rainy season you will expect to see spectacular waterfalls. A short drive took us to the monastery and museum displaying ancient texts and religious relics. Driving away we stopped to photograph a family of baboons fossicking for food in forest by the roadside. The guide was a proud and passionate patriot, enthusiastic about history of Ethiopia, highly informative, and his grasp of English was excellent. I am glad I took the trouble for this tour during a long layover in Addis Ababa for a small encounter with Ethiopian hospitality, countryside, religious dedication and beautiful wildlife. It did however involve about five or six hours of driving for only a couple hours experience and it was the interaction with a great guide that made this tour worthwhile.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karin-oliver
Jul 2, 2019
Great trip to Debre Libanos - Great day trip with a colleague to Debre Libanos. haile and his driver took good care of us.very informative and lots of fun. Great lunch as well. Only negative was that we got stuck on the way back to the airport and my colleague almost missed his plane. Otherwise highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aminata
Jan 23, 2023
Worst tours experience ever ! - Dear All, Beware of this travel agency worst experience ever we never get to the site cause the car had no suspension and a nightmare for our back both my husband and I. We requested to turn back to Addis he refused and try to convinced that we honor we lose our money finally he refused to refund or even Compromise and Keep saying that the car is Ethiopian standard not European and by the way we lived in Senegal so just to avoid them He never saw the car he rented to another travel company and never gave a dam about our concerns. We lost a whole day of vacation for disrespected and screwed of 320€.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1
Adult
November 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today