Tiya and Adadi Mariam Tour: A Glimpse into Ethiopia’s UNESCO Sites and Ancient Rock Hewn Church
4.7
10 Ratings
Tiya
Embark on a short but captivating tour of Ethiopia's UNESCO sites and ancient rock-hewn church. Explore prehistoric tool-making sites, the Tiya Steala, and the 9th-century Adadi Mariam Church.
Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Tiya World Heritage Site - The Tiya stones are part of an acheological sites located in central Ethiopia, in an area known as the gurage zone. The 46 large decorated tiya megaliths have been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. Although the construction of such megaliths is such an ancient tradition in Ethiopia.The Tiya stones are fairly “recent” dating to sometime between the 10th and 15th centuries.
What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Lunch
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks,photograph and camera fees, tips and other personal interest fees
Additional Information

This expedition is principally curated for individuals with limited time in Ethiopia, but are excited to explore exceptional and historic prehistoric tool-making sites like Melka Kunture, and megalithic landmarks alike the Ethiopian Stonehenge TheTiya Steala, recognized by UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. Following this, you will get a chance to tour the 9th Century underground Rock Carved Church of Adadi Mariam, instituted by King Lalibela prior to his creation of the Rock Carved Church of Lalibela.

Location
Tiya World Heritage Site
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(10 Ratings)
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Varvara_m
Feb 14, 2022
Wonderful day trip - A mix of culture, fitness and and some breathtaking views. Great guide, professional driver and some perfect management!
Review provided by Viator
249ashlyna
Oct 26, 2021
Beautiful views, definitely worth it! - Excellent day trip outside the city! I loved the scenery and the information given was informative but not overwhelming. It was very interesting to see the important historical sites of Ethiopia. We stopped for local food and coffee and the ride was very pleasant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ross
Dec 12, 2019
Excellent trip - I have never been to an underground church, let alone one built by a king 700 yrs ago. The cemetery dated back to the 8th century and had daggers on the gravestones, one for each of the enemy they had killed. One had 5 daggers on it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mpiech00
Nov 25, 2019
Great 3rd day in Ethiopia - After one day hanging out in Addis for a city stroll cum museums and a second day doing Entoto/Nile Gorge/Debre Livanos, this was a great third of three days in the country. Yosef was a fabulous guide, and Alex the driver was way a more part of the experience than typical for similar tours. We had a traditional Ethiopian food breakfast on the hood of the Land Cruiser at the side of the road in the countryside (gave the leftovers to some hungry kids) and proceeded to a well-paced and informative tour of the three very different sites. I found Melka Kunture most interesting thanks to the museum's eye-opening explanation of human evolution, but the other sites were certainly fascinating. Tried the raw beef at a village hangout (quite the scene on a Sunday afternoon); loved the taste, and digestive apparatus remained intact. Would do this again in a heartbeat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Excursion728306
Oct 26, 2019
So much knowledge - Having such a short amount of time in Ethiopia and couldn’t do the north I chose the south. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and the rock hewn church was memorable. Great day, lots to learn and see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joelle
Oct 14, 2019
Wonderful trip - The company is very professional and they were amazing. The trip was extremely educative and authentic.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eric
Jul 22, 2019
Wonderful excursion - I booked this last minute (the night before), and am glad I did. I went with Walk In Ethiopia Tour Travel & Car Rental. My guide spoke perfect English, he and the driver were very friendly and solicitous, and pointed out lots of sites along the way. In addition to Tiya Stelae (a well-deserved UNESCO World Heritage Site), the excursion included the ancient carved rock church at Adadi Maryam, the prehistoric dig site and museum at Melka Kunture, and a stop at a great lunch place in Tiya. I highly recommend the excursion, and the tour operator.
Review provided by Viator
Sundncr
May 29, 2019
Ethiopian Stonehenge - These are megalith sites near Addis Ababa, that can be combined as part of a day trip to Adadi Mariam Church. The site has three significant graveyards, which have large oval cut stones as grave stones. A guide is good to have and can be reserved at the entrance. The site is in a remote area and you probably need a good vehicle to reach here. A gift shop is available and entrance is charged a small fee. It is interesting to observe the stones and understand the burial practices. There is a small Christian grave and the guide explained the difference between the earlier pagan and later Christian burial practices.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richard_r
Dec 18, 2023
Unfortunate Turn Of Events - Unfortunately, I was unable to do this trip due to sudden security concerns. Communications could have been better as I was waiting for over an hour without any information from the tour company. Back and forth with hotel front desk staff and the tour company for more than half an hour before I was given information about the cancellation of the tour. However, after that, a full refund was processed immediately and apologies sent from the company to me directly
Review provided by Viator
Passenger304436
Sep 28, 2022
A bit dissapointing - Visiting the sites was amazing. My driver, who spoke very little English, was great and did everything possible to make my trip pleasant. Unfortuanately the guide promised whn I booked did not show and we had to make use of local guides a each site. Their English wasn’t good enough to answer questions. Also no lunch was included. I enjoyed my trip - but not having a guide was ert dissapointing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
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May 2024
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