Day Trip to Debre libanos

This 9 hours excursion (extra 1 hour for lunch) takes you to one of the oldest and remarkable monasteries of Ethiopia. The monastery complex sits on a terrace between a cliff and the gorge of one of the tributaries of the Abbay River. None of the original buildings of Debre Libanos survive, although David Buxton suspected "there are interesting things still to be found among the neighboring cliffs." Current buildings include the church over Tekle Haymanot’s tomb, which Emperor Haile Selassie ordered constructed in 1961; a slightly older Church of the Cross, where Buxton was told a fragment of the True Cross is preserved; and five religious schools. The cave where the saint lived is in the nearby cliffs. The Portuguese Bridge, The Jemma River are also the other attractions included on this program.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Debre Libanos Monastery Museum, Debre Libanos, Ethiopia

Debre Libanos suffered great destruction during the invasion of Ahmed Gragn when one of his followers, Ura'i Abu Bakr, set it on fire 21 July 1531, despite the attempts of its community to ransom the church. Although the Ichege intervened to protect the Gambos during the reign of Sarsa Dengel the buildings were not completely rebuilt until after the visit of Emperor Iyasu the Great in 1699.

Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Portuguese Bridge, Near the Blue Nile Water Fall, Debre Libanos Ethiopia

It was actually built at the turn of the 19th century by Ethiopians, albeit in the old Portuguese style. The narrow span makes a pretty picture and the gushing (in the rainy season) cascade just below it is even more impressive.

Duration: 3 hours