Where To Stay In Ethiopia
Plus: how to get around in Addis Ababa
Amhara's stunning scenery
In my Ethiopia Guide, you can read four travel stories about my road trip to Ethiopia. In this post, I will share where I have stayed during that round trip: locations include Addis Ababa, Gondar, Bahir Dar and Lalibela. Also check out my tiny guide to getting around in Addis at the bottom of this text.
No, sorry - you can't sleep in Lalibela's St George Church. But the church can be seen from the rooms at Tukul Village!
Zeist Lodge - Addis Ababa
With spacious rooms located around an old, walled family compound, this is a perfect suburb accommodation (close to the international airport). zeistlodge.com
Tukul Village - Lalibela
This “village” of “traditional” tukul-style buildings is located on one of Lalibela’s surrounding hills. tukulvillage.com
In Lalibela, you can get from A to B using a tuktuk
Lodge du Chateau - Gondar
The rooms are situated around a small garden, which leads up to an elevated rooftop terrace, with hills on one side and the famous castles on the other. lodgeduchateau.com
Lake Tana Hotel - Bahir Dar
Though this is one of Bahir Dar’s bigger hotels, it still boasts quirky old-school rooms, located right on the green lakeside, surrounded by rich birdlife. [no website]
In between cities, you can easily travel with minibuses. But in Addis Ababa, getting around is a bit more complicated.
Addis Ababa: Getting Around
in Addis Ababa, it’s good to know that there is no such thing as Uber or Taxify, although there are some similar services called RIDE, ETTA and ZayRide. Unless you have an internet connection, these services are redundant. However, there are other options, such as blue-white taxis (be sure to arrange a price before you get in), yellow taxis (more expensive, but more traveller-friendly because of its running metre) and Sub-Saharan Africa’s first light-rail metro line outside of South Africa.
A monk walks near one of Lalibela's churches
Want to read more about Ethiopia? Read my 4 travel stories in my Ethiopia Guide! Part one is about Addis Ababa, part two takes you to Lalibela, part 3 focuses on Gondar and part 4 is all about Bahir Dar and Lake Tana!
A priest in Addis Ababa
Hoi! My name is Joost Bastmeijer, and I’m a Dutch freelance travel writer and photojournalist currently traveling through Africa. Check out my photos on Instagram at instagram.com/joostbastmeijer, or visit my website to see some more of my work: joostbastmeijer.com!