I did a very nice and refreshing tour to Washa Mic kael church while staying in Addis Abeba. The church is precursor and experimental to the Lalibela churches and is interesting to visit if you want to know the amazing ethiopian rock churches better. Being older, the church is not in as good condition like the Lalibela ones but it has much charm. The pleasant and smelly walk among the eucaliptus trees to reach the church adds interest to the visit. The church still gets devotion (I saw burned candles) and there is a painting of the very interesting Saint Teklehaimanot (he was one-legged and the painting is quite surreal as the amputed leg is painted apart of the Saint). I did a nice encounter when visiting the church when meeting an ermite nun living there in a cove. I was really amazed! I did the tour with a really nice guide called MARY (say « Maru ») EMAGNU which I recommend a lot (WhatsApp and phone +251 91 005 9912 @Travelingisnicegood). It is impossible to visit the church without a guide as you have to know the walking way to the church and you could get easily lost if you don’t know the way. You better have a guide who knows the road to this almost forgotten church, off the classical road of the mainstream visits in Addis Abeba.

We had a fabulous tour with Hebret and Surafel visiting Entoto Mountain and the National Museum as well as a great lunch at Lucy Restaurant. The guides they hired were very knowledgeable and we really enjoyed their insight. They were able to get us around the city very easily, much faster than some taxi drivers we had hired before, so Surafel really knew his shortcuts. Both knew a lot about the city and also a lot of its history. Well worth going on this trip.

This is my first time came to Ethiopia, we were very lucky because we know new friend-Barnabas, He is a friendly and professional guide, we all very like him. I went to many countries<this year has been every month>, but only October this year, Ethiopia deep impressed me, I grateful Barnabas gave us a wonderful memory. I will put it on my heart and one day I will come back there again.

Bernabas, the owner of ShebaLand Tours, is a highly professional gentleman who organized a tour of Awash National Park in less than 24 hours for myself and my partner after we finished a conference in Addis Abeba. The tour guide Addisu saw to our every need, and was courteous and knowledgeable. The driver Seisil was highly skilled. We experienced awesome vistas, saw an incredible amount of diverse wildlife, and listened to hyenas at twilight. The Awash Falls Lodge was a stunning place to rest our heads. ShebaLand Tours is a social enterprise that invests a portion of its profits in helping women and children become more self-reliant, paying them to plant trees, conserve nature and fight climate change. I highly recommend this company.

I had a whole day of transit in Addis Abeba. Since I was a single traveler I decided to do a sight seeing tour. My guide was Bernabas. He was perfectly on time at the airport and gave me a warm welcome. We had a great tour throughout the city. He was very courteous and he knew when to hand me a coffee for a break. We had an amazing lunch of traditional food, which I highly recommend to everyone. Besides that he brought me to all the important sports of Addis. After all he gave me a ride back to the airport on time. Thank you very much!

I was fortunate to be on the very first Washa Mikael trip with Bernabas of ShebaLand Tours. We had a little extra time at the end of a three day trip to Awash National Park, and no firm plans. So, while enjoying a refreshing Habesha beer after a long day of driving and hyena watching, we consulted the map together and found this seemingly little known church just north of Addis. We looked at each other and said, "Let's check this out!" A couple of days later, post safari, Bernabas picked me up at the crack of dawn, and we headed off to find Washa Mikael. This being the first time he'd been, we wound our way up the narrow and rutted streets in the general direction of the ruins, asking passers by at each intersection until we had to park and start walking. We continued querying locals until we found the right path and ended up at a modern church at the summit of the hill with an active mass going on. We quietly asked around and a gentleman led us to a door on the other side of the courtyard. He opened it, and ushered us through. On the other side was the ruined Washa Mikael rock hewn church. We were looking down into it from our level, and It is in a considerable state of disrepair, and has the remnants of scaffolding erected to support the facade. Large blocks littered the ground inside of the church, and it was pretty wildly overgrown. In order to get down to the level of the entrance, we had to hike around and down to a tunnel bored in the rock, and then stoop and walk through, trying to avoid the large puddle inside. Once through, we were confronted with the impressive, but crumbling front of the church. Bernabas and I spent a short while wandering around, snapping photos and trying to get back into the interior without getting attacked by the ferocious little black ants. We were mostly successful, but eventually, the ants won, and we retreated to shake them from our shoes and pants, and scratch at where they nipped at us. Fortunately, they didn't eat much. It is a bit more than a kilometer walk up to the site, and was a great opportunity to see some of the way regular people live and work. The forest was also nice to walk through, especially with the eucalyptus trees fragrant aroma wafting through the air. Overall, it was a really neat trip, and a great way to wrap up an adventure filled weekend. Use your favorite search engine to look up more information on the site, and specifically search for Bruce Strachan and his studies of the location. He's got a great web page (to which - unfortunately - I can post no links...but you're smart. You can find it.). Very informative, although it is a little dated and will make you sad that nothing's been done recently to save this historic site. Bernabas and the team at ShebaLand Tour are great. When you go with them, you will get first class treatment, and a well organized, personalized tour. I absolutely had a blast, and left with new friends in an amazing country. 

I had an unexpected long weekend recently, and decided to spend it in Ethiopia. Wanting to maximize my limited time, I signed up for the two day Safari to Awash National Park tour with ShebaLand Tours and Travel. I was torn with really wanting to get up to Lalibela to see the rock hewn churches, but decided that I really didn't have the proper time to give it justice. It also introduced an element of complexity that I didn't want.  As it turned out, I was the only participant in what usually has up to fifteen people attending. While this meant that the price doubled, I had an experience that ended up as unique and individualized as I could have ever wanted. In short, it was well worth spending a little extra for this exceptional excursion. In fact, what was originally a two day tour extended into a third day as the trip leader  I asked to add on a monolithic church in the mountains just north of Addis Ababa. Day 1:  My guide and tour coordinator, Bernabas, and his driver Sami picked me up from the hotel promptly at the appointed hour, and we set off in a rugged yet comfortable Toyota LandCruiser. We cruised along the Ethiopian Expressway southward for an hour or so before stopping in Adama for brunch of Tibs and injera bread. After the quick meal, we settled our stomachs with some delicious Ethiopian coffee, and headed out again. As we left Addis Ababa behind, and moved toward the Afar region, the terrain got more and more arid. The route was punctuated by evidence of ancient and not so ancient volcanic activity, with large and small “baby” volcanoes scattered along the route. Looking at the Google Earth view afterward was pretty incredible…but, it is the Rift Valley, and thus very volcanic…For a significant part of the trip near Lake Besaka near the town of Metehara (where we bought a few kilos of oranges), the landscape was entirely lava fields full of razor sharp volcanic rock. We passed through a few towns of smallish size, and eventually ended up at the gates of the Awash National Park. Before we entered, we spent a few minutes chucking oranges to the Hamadryas Baboon troop that was the official welcoming party. Getting through the formalities was easy, and the AK-47 toting ranger opened the gate, and through we went. We had to stop and get a few photos of some camels grazing on the train tracks (non-operational), before meandering on down the rutted dirt road. After a half hour or so, we made a left turn and paralleled the Awash River for several hundred meters before pausing to take a look at the impressive Falls. It was the end of the rainy season, so the deluge was impressively immense.  Bernabas and I marveled at it for a few minutes before turning back to the truck and meeting up with Belay our ranger for the game drive later that afternoon.  After settling on our plans, we checked in and I went to drop off my bags at my room. We then grabbed a couple of bottles of water and some lunch while watching the waterfall. While a hundred meters meters away, we still felt the cooling effects of the mist that drifted over. And I tried not to imagine the bacteria hitchhiking along for the ride...But, I digress. After a quick bite, we met up with Ranger Belay and his rifle. and headed out. We spent a couple of hours in the park watching a variety of wildlife including warthogs, tortoises, Soemmerling's Gazelles, Oryx, a dik-dik, and numerous birds including the crested bustard, several types of beecatchers, guinea fowl, and a hornbill. Of them all, we got the best look at the tortoises, which were surprisingly quick to make themselves scarce and hide in the bushes. I was on to those grass munching roombas though, and got a few decent photos of the ones that would cooperate. After a detour by an overlook and the now defunct Kereyu Camp. The abandoned buildings were cool, but we couldn't linger as we were racing the sun. Why race the sun? Because we had to get about 25 km down the road to see the nightly emergence of a pack of Spotted Hyenas. On the way out of the park, we passed numerous nomadic people herding their flocks, including what would become the common sight of men with guns. Why? Just part of the culture. Still, gave me minor flashbacks to my time in Somalia a couple of decades ago. But, not the bad kind of flashbacks, so don't worry. We drove through Metehara, and then onto a rough road before turning into the bush for a few minutes. We parked, and then followed Ranger Belay across the Addis - Djibouti train line and walked several hundred meters before crossing some lava fissures and settling in for the show. We met up with a couple of Kereyu tribesmen who joined us on the hillside. While we sat there waiting, we watched a small group of girls herd 10-15 cattle up the hill in the distance. As they got out of view, we saw our first hyena which looked to be trying to get in behind them. Apparently, he lost interest or didn't see a good opportunity, and headed our way. Presently, several others came out, including one who appeared to be the matriarch. She came out of the den, wandered a while, and then settled down and hung out. Several other hyenas approached her and sniffed, and one got cuffed for his impudence. They called back and forth to each other as it got dark, and eventually, it was hard to see them so we packed up, said goodbye to the Keryu guys and headed back to Awash Falls Lodge. And got more oranges along the way. Back at the lodge, we dined at the restaurant, and relaxed with a beer and bottle of Ethiopian wine, something I had no idea existed. The dry red we had was not too bad. Bernabas, Sami and I had a nice time just relaxing after what was a long day. It began raining hard, and that, combined with the not so far off pounding of the waterfall and a couple nice glasses of wine resulted in one of the best sleeps I've had in a long time.  Day 2: Morning dawned early, and after breakfast of scrambled eggs and coffee with the local Vervet monkey (dubbed "Breakfast Monkey"), we were off to the Alidagi Wildlife Reserve. It took about an hour and a half to get there, and we had to make several detours for overturned trucks. But, along the way we saw the colorful Afar people, and more wildlife in the form of camels, birds, and baboons. In a smallish town, we linked up with a guide, Said, and turned off the main road onto a muddy track through scrubby acacias. The Land Cruiser skidded and swerved and alternated between on the track and off for a while before turning south again along another muddy pathway in the grasslands. Wildlife was abundant, but it was all 500m+ from our location. Still, managed to ge some distant shots of more Soemmerling gazelle, Besia oryx, ostrich, and Grevy's Zebras, one of the few places where they are found in the wild. My inability to photograph them up close will of course mean an investment in some new glass when I get home. New gear!! With the road treacherously muddy, and needing to get back to Addis Ababa, we reluctantly turned back and managed to see a few more beecatchers, shrikes, and grouse before reaching the main road again. We dropped off Said, said goodbye, and headed back south.  We stopped for lunch at Doho lodge and hot springs where I acquired a flattering swimming costume and took a dip in the 40 degree C pools. Of course, when you get out of that and back into 30+ degree weather, you don't really ever stop sweating. Still it was unexpected and a treat. We ate lunch there, keeping an eye out for the crocodiles and hippopotamus rumored to haunt the lake. Unfortunately neither they nor the lion that lives in the grassland beyond made an appearance.  Eventually we got back on the road, and other than a couple of quick stops to pee, made it back to Addis in time for rush hour. Sami expertly navigated the streets back to my hotel where he dropped me. Bernabas and I chatted briefly about our plans for the next day, and they headed off. I spent the rest of the evening reviewing photos and reliving what was a short, but really fun mini-safari.  Day 3: When we had to revise the plans due to the lack of participants, Bernabas mentioned adding in an extra morning city tour of Addis. Since I'd already done that, I asked about looking at some of the monolithic churches nearby. There is one about 65 km southwest, Adadi Mariam, but that was too far to successfully see and get back in time to catch my flight. However, while doing some research before the trip, I noticed there was a rock church called Washa Mikael on top of a mountain just north of the city (Thanks, Google!). I told Bernabas about it, showed it to him on the map, and we decided to check it out.  He'd never been there either, so it was a neat adventure trying to track it down. Bernabas drove generally uphill, and every corner we'd come to, we'd ask another person, and eventually we ended up near a market and church where we parked and continued on foot. We passed out of the city and into a forest, steadily tracking uphill to the summit. Along the way we were passed by several runners (Ethiopia is famous for its world class long distance runners), gaining a training advantage by exercising at nearly 3000m. Almost seems unfair! We kept hiking up toward the sound of another Mass going on at the church on the top, reportedly to be next to Washa Mikael. Eventually, we found it, and entered the courtyard. Bernabas spoke to a few different people, and eventually a man with a key turned up, and walked us across to another door set in the corrugated metal wall. We passed through and found Washa Mikael just beyond.  While not as impressive as Lalibela, and in considerable disrepair, it was an impressive sight. Cut down into the earth, the remains of the front wall rose up about 15 meters to above our eye level. We had to hike down and through a 1.5 meter high tunnel to get to the church where we spend a while exploring. It was significantly overgrown, yet people still come to worship as it had paintings of saints and prayer cards in different niches. After ant bites too numerous to count, we made our way back up to ground level, and back to the door where we knocked until someone let us out.  It's a shame, really, that Washa Mikael isn't well known or a tourist destination. On the one hand, it was neat to see something so wild and abandoned. However, restoration had started at one time, and then stopped. Scaffolding was still up along the perimeter; sounds like there just wasn't the money or the interest to keep it up. But, it's an easy trip from Addis Ababa, and actually predates the famous Lalibela churches. In fact, the kings responsible for its construction went on to construct churches in Arabia as well.  After we came down from the mountain, we hopped back in the car, and Bernabas took me back to the hotel so I could check out and head to the airport.  All in all, it was a fantastic trip, with a great combination of comfort combined with feelings that I was way out there. I've traveled the world, and I think that this was likely the farthest out I've been without a platoon of dudes with guns hanging around. It was a superb if short adventure. I was a little bit concerned when the minimum number of persons didn't happen, but I have to say, Bernabas and the ShebaLand Tours team gave me an incredible experience, tailored specifically for me and my photography goals. I can't thank them or recommend them enough. They do tours all over the country, and you can be sure that if you travel with them, you'll be well taken care of and have an incredible time. Do check them out!  --

Ben was simply wonderful. He was very friendly and easy going. It felt like we had known each other for a while. I stopped over in Addis for one night, on my way from Dubai; it was definitely the best way to spend the day as the hours passed so quickly. I will definitely recommend Shebaland tours to my family and friends.

Great tour. Very nice and service minded guide and driver. Many interesting places visited. Highly recomendable.

We had a fantastic tour of some of the significant historical sights and landmarks in Addis Ababa last June during the Eid Fitr holidays. Bernabas was very professional. Sheba Land Tours know their stuff.

“ Last fall I enjoyed my trip in Ethiopia the country of rich history and beautiful countryside. ShebaLand tour guide opened my eyes on my country Ethiopian history and guided me through the eastern part of Ethiopia Harar and Debre Libanos monastery. I had an amazing days and that couldn’t have been possible without ShebaLand.”

Woooowww!!! ShebaLand Tours met and exceeded expectations! Bernabas, our trusty tour guide and owner, was awesome and he clearly knows everything about Addis Ababa and the outer surroundings of the city as well. I cannot say enough good things about him and his knowledge of the history of the country. Bernabas provided a sufficient amount of historical detail, so much that you could absolutely tell he was passionate about the city he calls home. Day One of our visit, we went on the full day Addis Ababa city tour and I'm so glad we did. It was just what I was looking for. The visit to the Entoto mountain, which was about a 30 - 45 min drive from the city through a small village of cultural dress artisans will lead you to the historic Entoto Mariam (St. Mary) Church and Museum and the original palace of King Menelik II. The intake of the of all the nature that surrounds the palace is breathtaking and the history that encompasses the regions can be felt as you stand in the museum and actual dining place of one of Ethiopia’s greatest leaders. We took the museum tour absorbing all the history of Menelik and his wife Taitu and felt as if we were there at the time they ruled the country from the top of their palatial estate. We also stopped, drank and experienced traditional coffee ceremony on the palace grounds. The thing we all liked was having an experienced and caring professional like Bernabas guiding us the whole way. There were so many highlights of the tour but the piece de resistance was the true cultural dining experience at the Dessalech Restaurant back in Addis Ababa where we stopped and ate typical Ethiopian foods like kitfo, doro wat and enjera to one's hearts content. Oh! and they have the absolute best Tej (Ethiopian honey wine) in the city. The also provided a number of cultural dance shows and music as entertainment while dining too. Was such a fun and fantastic night. Day Two: We met with Bernabas in the morning and left the city again for about a two hour drive to the Oromo Region to visit the famed Sodere Spa & Resort, where there we visited and bathed in the hot springs, which it is said that the natural mineral makeup of the water is known for its healing properties. The spa and springs seemed full of many locals, young and old, who come for baths and swimming in the natural hot springs. People come here and wash themselves as the water is bath temperature, and they feel it is good for them. There were also packs of small monkeys running around freely on the open complex right next to all the visitors. One monkey even tried to enter our car. Again, Bernabas was chocked full of knowledge and insight as to the origins and history of the Oromo region and its connection to the spa and to the town's people. Day Three: Bernabas took us to one of the best resorts I have ever been to in my life Adulala Resort in the city/town of Bishoftu. There we stayed overnight in one nicest, biggest and most palatial hut styled suites one could ever imagine with everything one would ever need to enjoy a comfortable king-queen like stay. All of this overlooking a breathtakingly beautiful lake. We dined in the evening at the restaurant where the food was delicious but was too much to finish. In the morning we feasted at the complimentary All You Can Eat Breakfast buffet. Afterwards we spent the entire day lounging at the pool, getting massages, visiting sauna and steam rooms, drinking wine by lake, boat rides, camel back riding, etc etc. Was like a day spent in paradise at Adulala Resort. What a fantastic day!! As an added bonus Bernabas suggested that we visit the National Museum which was not part of our tour package. Again, Wow! The treasures of Ethiopia all in one place coupled together with the Original fossil bones of Lucy! Mind blowing!! I am SOOO Happy we chose ShebaLand Tours ! Thank you so much Bernabas for showing us your city and sharing your love and passion for your country and city as well. Without you we would have not experienced Ethiopia like this and had the stories to tell about our vacation there. I recommend ShebaLand Tours, hands down, without hesitation to anyone looking for the true experience of Ethiopia.

Very professional and good people. Thanks. Very realiable person mr Bernabas. He took me many places.

We had a good tour of Addis Ababa. Our tour guide Barnabas was knowledgeable and quite professional. It was a great experience