Kombolcha presents little interest for tourists, it is a large charmless textile industrial city where you stop purely for logistical reasons Many travellers prefer to fly directly to Lalibela or Mekele so as not to lose two days travelling, spending the the night in Kombolcha or Dessie, the other large city in the Amhara region with 250,000 inhabitants.
The good news is that many new comfortable cheap hotels have opened here, making this quite a pleasant stopover. You are rewarded with the most beautiful road going north from the city.
Those who have time and go through Kombolcha can visit the monastery of Gishen, one of the most venerated in Ethiopia (you need one day for this excursion) and also the monastery of Debre Damo. It was founded in the 5th century by King Kaleb, according to local legend, and it shelters sacred relics which came to Ethiopia in the 14th century during the reign of King Dawit. Only men are allowed to visit Estifanos monastery, situated on the Gishen peninsula.
Kombolcha presents little interest for tourists, it is a large charmless textile industrial city where you stop purely for logistical reasons Many travellers prefer to fly directly to Lalibela or Mekele so as not to lose two days travelling, spending the the night in Kombolcha or Dessie, the other large city in the Amhara region with 250,000 inhabitants.
The good news is that many new comfortable cheap hotels have opened here, making this quite a pleasant stopover. You are rewarded with the most beautiful road going north from the city.
Those who have time and go through Kombolcha can visit the monastery of Gishen, one of the most venerated in Ethiopia (you need one day for this excursion) and also the monastery of Debre Damo. It was founded in the 5th century by King Kaleb, according to local legend, and it shelters sacred relics which came to Ethiopia in the 14th century during the reign of King Dawit. Only men are allowed to visit Estifanos monastery, situated on the Gishen peninsula.
