Day Trips Lalibela

Travel advisory, as of October 2026. Lalibela is in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where the UK FCDO advises against all travel and the US government tells its citizens not to travel. Fighting has resumed across northern Ethiopia, flights to Lalibela have been suspended since 24 September 2026 with no restart date announced, and there is no safe overland route. Nothing described here can be booked now; this page describes the town for a future visit once advisories change. Read the FCDO advice and the US State Department before making any plans.

Day Trips from Lalibela

For a future visit, Na’akuto La’ab is about 7 km from town and Asheton Maryam is about a 2.5 hour walk or mule ride. Yemrehanna Kristos is about 42 km away on a rough road, 1.5 to 2 hours by 4WD.

What to know

• Yemrehanna Kristos is a built church in a cave, in Aksumite style. It is older than the Lalibela churches and is not one of the eleven.
• Bahir Dar, Gondar, the Simien Mountains and the Tigray church sites are not day trips from Lalibela.
• By road, Addis Ababa is about 680 to 700 km away, which in peacetime meant 14 to 18 hours or more over two days. Overland travel is against current advice.

Safety

• Several churches sit in unguarded quarry pits about 10 to 12 metres deep. Stone thresholds are polished and slippery, and the tunnel between two church groups is about 35 metres long and pitch dark, so carry a torch.