DestinationsMay 30, 20262 min read
Lalibela at dawn: how to see the rock churches properly
Most visitors arrive at ten in the morning and see a monument. Arrive at five and you see a living city instead.
There is a version of Lalibela that opens at eight, fills with groups by ten and empties by two. It is impressive, and it is also the wrong version.
Come instead at five in the morning, in the dark, when the pilgrims are already gathered in the trenches with candles and white shawls. The chant starts underground and reaches you before the buildings do.
Practically: this means a lodge within ten minutes of the site, a guide who is on good terms with the priests, and a willingness to be cold for an hour. We bring blankets and flasks. Nobody ever regrets it.
By seven, when the light finally drops into the trench at Bete Maryam and lands on the north wall, you will have had two hours in a working sanctuary. The groups arriving as you leave are welcome to the monument.
Written by Yohannes Tesfaye, senior guide, northern circuit. Questions about any of the above are always welcome — write to us.
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