Traveler Overview

4.5 308 reviews

Excellent55%
Very good39%
Average5%
Poor1%
Terrible0%

Travelers talk about

“royal enclosure”(23 reviews)

“castle complex”(13 reviews)

“ethiopian history”(11 reviews)

About

A royal fortress-city dating back to the 16th-17th centuries demonstrates Hindu, Arabic and baroque influences.

Contact

Gondar region, Gonder, Ethiopia

Website

+251 91 815 6611

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Reviews (308)

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1 - 10 of 196 reviews

alexh360

Southampton, United Kingdom

197

Reviewed yesterday via mobile

Afternoon site seeing

Nice way to spend a few hours. Very relaxed and easy to walk around freely but worth getting a guide to get a bit more information. Additional bonus of lovely views out over the surrounding area.

Date of experience: December 2018

Thank alexh360

Richard B

Leicestershire, United Kingdom

9520

Reviewed 2 days ago

Not to be missed

A bizarre collection of castles built for rulers over several generations, all close together and within a walled compound.

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank Richard B

jairamjd

Mumbai, India

2

Reviewed 1 week ago

An experience beyond expectations.Thanks to Samuel "The King" Tadesse

I spent Half a day in Gondar for the castles and must say that I was extremely lucky to have Samuel as my guide. He is a very gentle and patient person who knows the place and its history inside out. He is an extremely...More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank jairamjd

kwcollins1983

Washington DC, District of Columbia

2712

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Impressive castles

This collection of a dozen buildings inside a walled enclosure are truly impressive. Make sure you hire a guide at the site, rather than getting one from the hotel. Also if you hire a tuktuk driver for the day, make sure they know that the...More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank kwcollins1983

Z8471PPdavide

Burwood East, Australia

2620

Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile

Fascinating slice of history

The Royal Enclosure is in the centre of town near the Piazza and is quite a compact group of ruins in various stages of decay. The best preserved is Fasiladas Palace, many other buildings still stand or have been extensively repaired with Unesco support. Well...More

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank Z8471PPdavide

JazzyGoodLif3

New York City, New York

31

Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Man What a place...

I can't even describe how cool this place is. We dipped in and out of Gondar while touring Ethiopia and during our second visit we had a tour company located in the hotel we stayed at organize a few trips for us and this one...More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank JazzyGoodLif3

RebecaHeringer

Belo Horizonte, MG

159

Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Don't miss it!

If you come to Gonder make sure you spend a morning and/or afternoon in this amazing site! The ticket is valid for the whole day, so if you have time it's worth going in different parts of the day (the sunlight makes all the difference)....More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank RebecaHeringer

James H

5113

Reviewed November 1, 2018

History comes to Life!

We visited this Castle Complex on our last day in Gonder as part of our guided tour, and hearing about the different Kings, and history let the imagination run wild!

Date of experience: October 2018

1 Thank James H

SammyKH

Beijing, China

241

Reviewed October 30, 2018

castles galore in africa

interesting insight into ethiopia's history with reasonably well preserved castles from a line of emperor's. You have to pay for a local guide & I think some of them are better than others. they tend to have a script & struggle if they have to...More

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank SammyKH

VladimirB799

Bucharest, Romania

11

Reviewed October 25, 2018

Great Castle

If you will be there try to find Samuel, he is the vbest guide. We met Samuel at the entrance of Gondar Castle and he was one of our best guides in Ethiopia. I definitely recomand him those who want to know all the details...More

Date of experience: September 2018

1 Thank VladimirB799

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Questions & Answers

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Kmariesweets v

Hi, Please can you tell me if this is ok? I am a solo female traveller on a budget. I will visit Shashamene 2days, Hawassa 1 day, Bahar Dar1 day and Addis Ababa 3 days. I wish to go to Gondar but have only 1 day. From Addis Ababa on plane and arrive 9.15am. I fly to go back to Addis Ababa at 16.00 on the same day. I don't know what the flights are like so I assume I go back to Gondar Airport at 14.00 for a 16.00 flight. Do you think that sounds ok? Is it enough time? How do I get from Gondar Airport to the sights? Should I get a guide outside the Airport or at the Castle? How far is the Castle from the Airport and is it expensive bus/taxi? Does anyone know a good but budget priced guide(with a website)? Is it safe to get a guide whilst there? Kind regards, Kmarie

August 24, 2018|

AnswerShow all 3 answers

You’ll be totally safe, if not a bit harassed/scammed. Honestly.... Lali Bella is really great!! But Gondar is not worth the extra trip at all. Skip it. The castle isn’t more than 45 minute walk around/look and it’s not even... More

NinaLad

Hi, where do I write a review about an Ethiopian travel agent?

November 26, 2015|

AnswerShow all 4 answers

If you couldn't find the name of the company, just pick the name of the attraction and mention the name there and give your comment. For example when we visited Gondar, Lalibela and Axum this past July a company named... More