Ethiopia: Bahir Dar

Bahir Dar itself was a surprise to us.  After the chaos of Addis and knowing that it is also a big city, we were expecting a similar atmosphere, but it couldn’t be more different.  Bahir Dar is low lying and by Lake Tana. The streets are wide, and tree lined and there are some lovely houses and parks – filled with families having coffee ceremonies; it reminded us a little of the Mediterranean.

We were determined to make local contacts and use local guides as much as possible on this trip, so had previously been in touch with Nati – who runs a backpacker’s lodge in town, BD Backpackers (we didn’t stay here but it looked nice).  Nati is the new kid on the block when it comes to tourism in Bahir Dar and he is very enthusiastic, well connected and eager to help.  Please contact us for his details if you are visiting this part of Ethiopia as he will be able to assist you, whatever your plans may be.

He pulled together all the resources for an awesome day out for us on our second day in town.  A driver picked us up from our hotel to take us to Lake Tana, where we were then met by a young lad with a boat who took us out onto the lake to spot birds and hippos (we saw 5-6 of them) before heading toward the island

monasteries that the lake is famous for.  There we were met by a fantastic guide who walked us through the village market (where we bought some souvenirs to help the local community and had a coffee ceremony), before taking us to the beautiful monasteries to see the paintings and explain the history of the place. We visited two monasteries, both beautiful and interesting in their own way.

Our boat took us back to the harbour, where we had started – and we stopped for lunch.  I tried the local delicacy which is a lake fish called “Tilapia” steamed in a foil parcel with aromatics and vegetables. I wasn’t sure if I would like lake fish, but it was very tasty.

From here Nati met us to check how the day was going and after the obligatory Ethiopian coffee, he passed us on to another driver who drove us through several rural villages to the Blue Nile Falls. This was our first glimpse of rural Ethiopia and the drive itself was a highlight.  We were met near the falls by a local guide who took us on a short hike to see the falls and the surrounding area.  We had heard that the falls weren’t all that great anymore since a new dam has been built but we disagree – this area is still worth visiting for its natural beauty and there was plenty of water in the falls. We had a great day out and Nati then arranged a transfer for us for the following day to our next destination.  Top marks for Nati and all his friends!

Lessons Learned and Anecdotes….

• For some reason this part of Ethiopia has been receiving less tourists recently. This is a shame as it is well worth a couple of days of your time.  It means that many of the locals who depend on tourism for an income are having a tough time of things. Don’t be surprised if you are approached by many people wanting you to buy something. The children can be especially persistent, but your guide will keep them at bay and a polite but firm “no thank you” usually does the trick. We did try to buy a couple of small things – just to give back; the crafts are beautiful and good value.

• If you use Ethiopian Airlines for your international flights into or out of Ethiopia, then you qualify for a big discount on any domestic fares. Make sure you check this out. There is a discount code which you can enter online when booking your flight; we received between 40% and 60% off our fares.