The Atlas Obscura Guide To Ethiopia

20 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Ethiopia

Updated July 9, 2025

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Cities

Unusual Attractions in Ethiopia

Ben Abeba Restaurant

Lalibela, Ethiopia

Ben Abeba

An otherworldly restaurant perched on the edge of a jagged cliff next to a medieval holy city.

Dallol

Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

Dallol

The hottest place on the planet.

Bete Giyorgis

Lalibela, Ethiopia

Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

An Ethiopian "Jerusalem" featuring a church hewn out of a single rock.

Erta Ale by Night

Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

Erta Ale

Ethiopia's "smoking mountain" is in one of the hottest regions on the planet and is home to two lava lakes.

Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Manyate Coffee Village

An Ethiopian cloud forest protects some of the last wild arabica plants.

Priest sitting outside the entrance to Abuna Yemata church.

East Tigray, Ethiopia

Abuna Yemata Guh

Reaching the "Church in the Sky" requires scaling the cliff face of a sandstone pinnacle with a 650-foot drop.

The Chapel of the Tablet

Aksum, Ethiopia

Chapel of the Tablet

Supposedly this Ethiopian chapel holds the Ark of the Covenant, guarded by virgins who cannot leave the building.

See All 20 Things To Do in Ethiopia

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Ethiopia

Ben Abeba Restaurant

Lalibela, Ethiopia

Ben Abeba

An otherworldly restaurant perched on the edge of a jagged cliff next to a medieval holy city.

Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Manyate Coffee Village

An Ethiopian cloud forest protects some of the last wild arabica plants.

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Explore Ethiopia

Sacred Spaces 6

Ecosystems 5

Geology 4

Churches 3

Geological Oddities 3

Archaeology 3

Nature 2

Museums 2

Salt 2

Architecture 2

Martian Landscapes 2

Natural Wonders 2

Intriguing Environs 2

History 2

Volcanoes 2

National Parks 1

Skulls 1

Railroads 1

Ruins 1

Paintings 1

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Mr Bucket

wants to go to Hadar Archaeological Site
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wants to go to Chemin de Fer Railway Museum
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wants to go to Tomb of Emir Nur
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wants to go to Chapel of the Tablet
Mr Bucket

wants to go to Obelisk of Axum

Stories About Ethiopia

Left to right: green, black, Chinese, white, and Ethiopian cardamoms.

A Guide to the Cardamoms of the World

The Cardamom Expanded Universe is bigger than you think.

by Andrew Coletti

February 17, 2025

A dramatic 2020 eruption of Kīlauea was nothing compared with Indonesia’s Toba supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago, the largest eruption of the past 2.5 million years.

How Indonesia’s Toba Volcano Changed Human Evolution

The massive supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago has been blamed for nearly killing off our species. The emerging truth is much more interesting.

by Gemma Tarlach

Podcast: Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

Explore an Ethiopian "Jerusalem."

by The Podcast Team

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: The Signs of Ethiopian Identity

January 16, 2023

Podcast: Fendika Cultural Center

Keeping a unique Ethiopian musical tradition alive in the nation’s capital, in the face of breakneck urban development.

by The Podcast Team

December 8, 2022

A farmer in Ethiopia cradles a handful of maslin, mixed grains including different varieties of wheat and barley that are grown together.

This Nearly Lost Ancient Grain Tradition Could Be the Future of Farming

A past global staple you've never heard of, maslins are poised for a comeback.

by Gemma Tarlach

October 13, 2022

Supersize this guy by about 400 pounds, and you get some idea of the prehistoric Enhydriodon omoensis.

In Prehistoric Ethiopia, Otters Were as Big as Lions

But they didn’t eat our ancestors—probably.

September 21, 2022

Sulfurous springs in the Danakil Depression discharge brine and acidic liquid.

Searching for the Limits of Life in Earth’s Most Extreme Environment

In Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression, a continent is tearing itself apart, and volcanic chemicals fuel ecosystems unlike anything else on the planet.

by Robin George Andrews

November 22, 2021