World Heritage
Fasil Ghebbi
Fortified royal place of Gondarine period emperors in Ethiopia
A fortress in Gondar, Ethiopia's Amhara Region, founded by Emperor Fasilides in the 17th century and home to Ethiopia's emperors.
Photo: A.Savin, FAL
ET · Curated travel guide
Ethiopia: 10 places worth the journey
Fasil Ghebbi, Erta Ale, Ras Dashen and 7 more — what each one is, and why it is worth the detour.
- Places
- 10
- World Heritage
- 1
- Language
- Amharic
- Currency
- ETB
What to see in Ethiopia
Chosen from everything Wikidata knows about Ethiopia and ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions describe them, which is about as close to "famous" as open data gets. One is on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
World Heritage
Ras Dashen
Highest mountain in Ethiopia
Ethiopia's highest mountain, rising to 4,550 metres (14,930 ft) in Simien Mountains National Park, North Gondar Zone, Amhara Region.
Photo: The original uploader was Viewfinder at English Wikipedia ., Attribution
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia
Once called the Millennium Dam, and sometimes the Hidase Dam, a gravity dam on Ethiopia's Blue Nile, in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region's Metekel Zone, near the Sudanese border.
Photo: Prime Minister Office Ethiopia, Public domain
Church of Saint George, Lalibela
Rock-hewn church in Lalibela, Ethiopia
One of the eleven monolithic churches carved from the rock at Lalibela, a town in Ethiopia's Amhara Region. The site, first called Roha (Warwar), was renamed after King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty, who had it built.
Photo: Sailko, CC BY 3.0
Blue Nile Falls
Waterfall in Amhara, Ethiopia
A waterfall on the Blue Nile in South Gondar, in Ethiopia's Amhara Region, called Tis Abay in Amharic, which means 'great smoke'.
Photo: A.Savin, FAL
Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Tigray Region
Regarded as the holiest church of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo faith, and said to hold the Ark of the Covenant.
Photo: A.Savin, FAL
Dallol (hydrothermal system)
Terrestrial hydrothermal system of Danakil Depression in northeastern Ethiopia
A hydrothermal system on land around a cinder cone volcano in Ethiopia's Danakil Depression, northeast of the Erta Ale Range. It is known for otherworldly colours and mineral patterns, and for the very acidic fluids pouring from its hot springs, often cited among the most acidic on Earth.
Photo: A.Savin, FAL
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Hayli Gubbi
Volcano in Ethiopia
A shield volcano in Ethiopia's Afar Region, the most southerly of the Erta Ale Range.
Photo: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery, Attribution
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Danakil Depression
Geological feature in East Africa
A large valley, roughly 200 by 50 km, across the northern Afar Region of Eritrea and Ethiopia, about 125 m (410 ft) below sea level. The Ethiopian Plateau borders it on the west, and the Danakil Alps, with the Red Sea beyond them, on the east.
Photo: A.Savin, FAL
About Ethiopia
Officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), a landlocked country of East Africa's Horn of Africa, covering 1,104,300 km² (426,400 sq mi) of land. Its neighbours are Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the northwest, South Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the southeast and Djibouti to the northeast.
Officially The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Known locally as Ityop'ia ኢትዮጵያ.
Based on the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: the facts are Wikipedia's, the wording is this site's.
Questions travellers ask
What is worth seeing in Ethiopia?
This guide lists 10: Fasil Ghebbi, Erta Ale, Ras Dashen and Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and others. Fasil Ghebbi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How were these places chosen?
By machine, from open data, with no human ranking them and nobody able to pay for a place on the list. Everything Wikidata records in Ethiopia that is a building, a landform, a protected area or a tourist attraction, has coordinates, a photograph and an English Wikipedia article, is ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions wrote about it. Provinces, cities, airports, stations and stretches of sea shared with the neighbours are filtered out.
Which places here are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
1 of the 10 in this guide: Fasil Ghebbi. That is not the full count for Ethiopia, only the listed sites that made this guide.
What language is spoken in Ethiopia, and what currency?
Amharic. The currency is ETB.
How do I get mobile data in Ethiopia?
A travel eSIM is usually the cheapest way, and avoids a roaming bill. The plans suggested at the foot of this guide start at $6.61 for 1GB for 7 days. The eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your normal SIM, so calls, texts and WhatsApp keep working on your own number.
Which networks would my phone use in Ethiopia?
Safaricom. Your phone picks whichever has the best signal where you are, the same way a local phone does.
One practical note: staying online
Maps, tickets and translation all want data, and roaming is the expensive way to get it. A Computatus eSIM eSIM connects to Safaricom once you land, and installs by QR code before you leave.
See 11 Computatus eSIM plans for Ethiopia from $6.61
| Plan | Data | Valid | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB for 7 days Cheapest | 1 GB | 7 days | $6.61 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $7.34 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $13.94 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 15 days | 3 GB | 15 days | $17.61 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 30 days | 3 GB | 30 days | $18.72 | Get it → |
| 3GB per day | 3 GB | 1 day | $19.82 | Get it → |
No app needed. Install by QR code before you fly, keep your own number for calls, and it connects the moment you land.
Safaricom 5G
A commission on plans bought through these links is what pays for this guide. Nothing above depends on it: the places are chosen before any price is looked up.