Must-do tour of incredible rock churches in Tigray - I had a fantastic experience visiting 3 extraordinary rock churches in a single day: Abuna Yemata Guh, Maryam Korkor, and Daniel Korkor! I travel to Ethiopia for work, and before heading back to Addis from Mekelle I made sure to schedule this one-day tour. Danakil Tour and Travel, and especially the driver Tesfa, had excellent communication and accommodated my last-minute scheduling. I was picked up at 7am by Tesfa from a hotel in Mekelle and we headed north towards Hawzen. We stopped for a nice breakfast together before meeting up with the local guide TK – the greatest guide someone can ask for! TK accompanied me on my ascent of Abuna Yemata Guh, and he was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and funny! He is truly experienced and passionate about being a tour guide and he made the hike so much more fun and memorable. The ascent of Abuna Yemata Guh was moderately challenging but definitely doable, and the locals assisted with the most difficult parts of the climb (remember to bring some cash for tips) and I always felt safe. Finally reaching the "most inaccessible place of worship" in the world is a spiritual experience that everyone should try to see for themselves! As I had to return to the Mekelle airport by 6pm, we decided to skip lunch and drove straight to the start of Maryam/Daniel Korkor. This hike was more physically challenging due to the long, steep ascent. Though I struggled through it as I was fairly out-of-shape, I could not have done it without the encouragement of TK and it was absolutely worth it. The views were stunning and I was truly speechless as TK gave me very informative tours inside the two rock churches. After making our descent, Tesfa picked us up and knew all the right roads to bring me back to the airport by 6pm. If you have one day or more in the Tigray region, definitely book a tour to see these awe-inspiring churches! Contact Tesfa (driver) WhatsApp: +251 91 329 8386 Contact TK (local guide) WhatsApp: +251 93 338 5456, email: [email protected], Instagram: @tkethiopia

Everything went smoothly - I was actually trying to come last year but then I decided not to because of the conflict. Three years ago, the cloud of Covid descended on the planet, all travel ceased. Then with the conflict that embroiled Tigray from Nov 2020, there was no way to visit Tigray, and for much of the time even no way to call. Both tours were really enjoyable. The guides on both were excellent; they were very informative and I learnt a lot. The transport for the mountains tour was fine and lunch was very nice.