Skip to main content

Things you will love to do in Gondar, Ethiopia

Yesterday I wrote a some general information you would need to be aware of before visiting Ethiopia.

Then I shared some awesome free activities in Addis Ababa.

Today we will be in the small town of Gondar, north-west of Ethiopia. A 12 hour bus ride from Addis Ababa, yes you will not feel your behind by the time you arrive from all the sitting in the bus.

Gondar is a small town rich with Ethiopian history. To truly experience Gondar, you have to visit a few places…

Fasilides' Castle
About 300 metres from the Gondar Piazza is the Castle, you can see it from the Piazza but the entrance gates are on the other side so you will walk. Or be nice to some guys riding their horses and hitch a ride. 
To enter the castle will cost you 200 Birr as a tourist, there a much cheaper fee for the Ethiopian nationals. You will need a tour guide if you have real interest in finding out more about the history. I was very interested but I did not have enough money for a guide in my budget.
Unfortunately I have found that, the Ethiopian picturesque ruins are not very well taken care of, there is lack of maintenance in the castle but they are very well protected. Well some of them anyways.
You also won’t find much written about the castles upon entry except the King or prince’s name and his date that he lived in said castle – so that is when the guide would come in handy.

Fasilides Royal Pools
Also known as Fasilides' Bath.
Just outside the town centre there is the royal pools. The pools are drained out except in January when they are filled for the annual ceremony where it is blessed and then opened for bathing to the public. You have free entry into the pools if you have paid entrance to the castle. You just need to produce the receipt you received at the castle.

Debre Birhan Selassie Church
The church is also a walking distance from the Piazza and entrance will cost you 100Birr.
This beautiful church was build by emperor Eyasu II. 
Debre Birhan means “Mountain of light”. This church is among the most important churches in Ethiopia.

The Deshen Beer Garden
Here you can do a tour of the facilities at a price. Not so sure of the price as we went there late in the evening. You can also have lunch and drink the beers on tap at the garden. The beers are dead cheap but the food leave a lot to be desired. 

Gondar Market
The market is not so big and it is also a walking distance from the Piazza. It is about 15minute walk. You will fruit and vegetables, spices, coffees, teas, clothing and also watch the blacksmiths hard at work.

There are a lot of things to do in Gondar, a week would just fly by. These are just some of the things I did and really enjoyed. 


x0x0
#TheSoloWanderer
Labels:
Location: Gondar, Ethiopia

Popular posts from this blog

Traveling from Nouakchott in Mauritania to Dakar in Senegal over land

Mauritania is a desert country.  Nouakchott is the capital city of Mauritania. Mauritania is a desert country, bring loads of water and sunscreen. Although there is a caveat to bringing loads of water, this trip has no bathroom breaks. I did not see a toilet anywhere and asking the taxi to stop so you can relieve yourself is a bit tricky as there is no bush and you are driving through the desert. So drink loads of water at your own peril. The local taxi to get to the border Take a taxi from Nouakchott to the border with Senegal. The taxi stops about 1km from the border. There are horse carriages available to take you to the border should you need but it is a walkable distance. When you get to the border, you need to produce a copy of your passport. There is a place to photocopy your passport if you don’t have a copy, and there are guys who can change money for you. The border town  is called Rosso. There are plenty of trucks at the border. there is no ...
Read more

Africa's Northern most Point - Cap Angela

Cap Angela Monument. I have spent a whole 5 days in Tunis the capital of Tunisia and surrounding areas. But the Journey begins at the most Northern Point of Africa. On google, the most Northern Point of Africa is in Bizerte, Northern Tunisia. Bizerte is a city that lies on the Mediterranean sea with breathtaking beaches. Cap Angela Beach with locals out for a swim. Although Bizerte is the closest town to the northernmost point of Africa, the point is at a place named Cap Angela. Cap Angela was only recognized in 2014 as the northernmost point of the African continent replacing Cap which is also in Tunisia.  Although getting to Cap Angela can be a full day outing from Tunis, you can also get there from Bizerte and will definitely will be cheaper. Cap Angela is in the middle of nowhere so you will have to hire a car. It is cheaper to hire a car with a driver than it is to hire a car to drive yourself, i guess this is because of the insurance. As for an english sp...
Read more

The perfect baked bean curry recipe at Durbans Spice Emporium

Those Durban Tourism aprons came in handy for this cooking session.  I'm no foodie but I know a bit about food. Besides eating it, I can also throw down in the kitchen. Was recently in Durban at the Spice Emporium, here anything and everything curry related you could possibly want you can find. It's all spice and keep in mind strictly vegetarian.  On our visit they shared a perfect recipe of Baked bean curry. Who knew baked beans could be so interesting? I've put together the recipe for you guys in varsity, the backpackers and of course for the days when it's been a rough month and you have a spare tin of baked beans.  Here's the recipe:  Ingredients:  1. Baked beans  2. Chopped Onions  3. Chopped green peppers  4. Chopped tomatoes  5. Mustard Seeds  Spices/Seasoning: 1. All-in-one ma dala  2. Turmeric  3. Paprika  4. Salt & Pepper  Instructions:  1. Heat...
Read more