Ethiopia Cultural Tours

In some sense, everything you do in Ethiopia could be labelled a cultural experience. There is no separating an experience in Ethiopia from the cultural fabric from which it's borne.

That's what makes Ethiopia so hard to describe. It's incredibly diverse, and a single destination can be described a thousand ways. 

For us, culture experiences in Ethiopia are those that capture a small part of Ethiopian culture with some immediacy, delivering a flavour of this incredible country in a single experience that has a start and an end.

Buried deep below the surface, a long cross peaks its squared-off sandstone head above a crumbled crevice. Surrounded by an unending network of winding tunnels and secret passageways that lead deeper and deeper into the earth, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela were, for centuries, unknown to the wider world, and housed one of Ethiopia's most prized possession.

Also known as Afro Ayigeba, the Lalibela Cross is a large ornate processional cross, elaborately adorned in lavish gold, and is held in high regard as an artefact of immense historical, cultural and religious significance. 

The spiritual epicentre of these rock churches is the Church of Saint George, the most famous church of in the town, and the most visually impressive. 

Experiencing the morning service in the rock churches is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The nighttime services during Ethiopian Christmas are extraordinary, and once you've explored the churches in the centre of town, there are plenty of amazing cultural experiences on offer in the highlands around Lalibela.

Once the beating heart of a mighty empire that spanned for over a thousand years, Axum is famed for its 24-metre Stelae surrounded by a ring of smaller Obelisks. Built-in the 4th century by King Ezana, the 160-tonne monument had stood in place for over a thousand years, until the Italian occupation of Ethiopia would change the course of its fate.  

Having spent over 90 years away from its original home, the story of the Obelisks of Axum is as fascinating as the Obelisk itself. Discovered in 1935 by a group of Italian soldiers, the semi-submerged Obelisk was partially taken apart, and over two years was transported to Rome as a spoil of war. Re-erected in Portal Capea square, it spent the next few years on show, far from its home, waiting to return home.

Since its return, the graphite monolith is one of Axum’s key attractions, dominating the skyline and drawing visitors from far and wide. From the ground, the squared-off monolith features two orientated false doors, with layers of ever-morphing patterns that intermingle as they slither up the tower to the semi-circular domed top. The detailing on these decorations is so precise that the windows and doors all have locks carved into them. 

Adjacent to the Stelae field lies another of Axum's wonders, a church that is said to house the Ark of the Covenant. 

Found in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on the Lesser Angereb River and south-west of the Simien Mountains and is a popular destinationg along the northern circuit of Ethiopia. 

The city is home to several royal castles, including those in the Fasil Ghebbi UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many of the Castles were built in the 1600s under the reign of King Fasilides, who also built the city's bathhouse often used for its baptismal waters during Timkat festival.

Gondar is also home to one of the country's most remarkable churches, Debre Birhan Selassie. 

With a name that translates to the City of Saints, Harar is known as one of Islam's biggest spiritual hubs in Africa.

For centuries, the city had been a major commercial centre, linking trade routes from the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and, through its ports, the outside world. According to UNESCO, it is considered the fourth holy city of Islam with 82 mosques, three of which date back to the 10th century, and 102 shrines.

The colourful architecture stands out from much of the rest of the country, with its Arabic influenced design a stark juxtaposition to the more Christian influences found on the northern circuit. One of the key architectural attractions is Harar Jugol, the old walled city, was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2006 by UNESCO in recognition of its cultural importance. 

Most famous for the hyena feeding you can do there, the town has a special connection with these wild beasts, and a long-standing tradition of feeding meat to spotted hyenas evolved during the 1960s.

Also in the city is the Harar Brewery. Established in 1984, beers brewed within its walls can be sampled at the adjacent brewery social club.

Considered a simple convenience in most parts of the world, coffee holds a place of cultural significance in Ethiopia.

Not only do they consume anywhere between 3-6 cups a day, but they also honour the drink with a ceremony, which draws many parallels to the tea ceremonies of Japan.

Within Ethiopia households, these ceremonies are often held daily, with up to three taking place in a day, especially over the weekends. The making of coffee is an art in Ethiopia, from only selecting the finest beans, to triple pouring each cup, nothing is left to chance and this reflects in the taste.

Traditionally, coffee in Ethiopia is served black, with liberal helpings of sugar, sometimes with a little soft twig of rue. Referred to in Amharic as Tena Adam, which means ‘The health of Adam’, rue is an ancient medicinal herb that grows wild in most parts of Ethiopia.