Bahir Dar
Introduction
Bahir Dar is the capital of Ethiopia's Amhara Region and one of the country's leading tourist destinations, drawing visitors for the attractions around nearby Lake Tana and the Blue Nile river. The city itself is known for its wide avenues lined with palm trees and a variety of colorful flowers.
Bahir Dar was awarded the UNESCO Cities for Peace Prize for addressing the challenges of rapid urbanization.
Before you go
Before you go, know that Bahir Dar is generally safe and free of violent crime, as is the case in many other Ethiopian cities. The main thing to watch for is hustlers around the shore of Lake Tana who try to get you to rent a boat through them, often so they can collect a kickback. Boats on Lake Tana that take you to visit the monasteries operate at fixed rates, so deal with the boat operators directly and don't let self-appointed "brokers" push you into paying a jacked-up fee.Getting there
Bahir Dar is served by Ginbot Haya Airport, about 8 km west of downtown, with daily Ethiopian Airlines flights from Addis Ababa and Lalibela. Direct flights from Addis Ababa take roughly an hour, and multi-stop services toward Lalibela also connect onward to Gondar and Axum in the north. By road, the city sits 555 km north-east of Addis Ababa on national highway 3, 170 km south of Gondar, and 314 km east of Lalibela via Woreta. Daily buses link Bahir Dar with Addis Ababa and Gondar, and private minibuses also run those routes, often departing not from the bus station but arranged through your hotel or by local touts. Minibuses cost more but are faster, particularly from Addis Ababa; Selam and Sky bus offer a more comfortable ride. From Gondar, minibuses leave from a station near Azezo in the south of town, reachable by local minibus or bajaj. To travel between Bahir Dar and Lalibela by bus, you change at Gashina, taking a dawn bus from either end and connecting to the Woldia service. A ferry also runs between Bahir Dar and Gorgora via Dek Island and lakeside villages.Getting around
Bahir Dar has no rail, metro or tram network, so getting around relies on road transport, boats on the lake, and your own two feet. The bajaj, a three-wheeled rickshaw, is the most common way to travel in the city and effectively serves as its taxi: inexpensive for short, everyday trips, with a private charter costing more than sharing a route. Blue minibuses also exist, but only a few still operate as city transport, so don't count on them as your main way of moving about. The city's wide avenues lined with palm trees and colourful flowers make strolling parts of town pleasant, though how much you walk depends on where you stay relative to the lakeshore, the river and the sites you want to see; for longer hops across town, or when carrying gear, a bajaj is the easy fallback.
For trips out onto Lake Tana to visit the monasteries and lakeside villages, boats are the natural option, and a ferry runs between Bahir Dar and Gorgora via Dek Island and villages on the lakeside. Bahir Dar Ginbot Haya Airport sits west of downtown, with daily Ethiopian Airlines flights from Addis Ababa and Lalibela; on arrival the straightforward way into town is by road, and since the airport is outside the centre it's worth agreeing on your transport before you land, either through your hotel or with a driver arranged in advance, rather than assuming a shared minibus will be waiting. Long-distance buses connect the city daily with Addis Ababa and Gondar, and many private minibuses run from those cities too — often not leaving from the bus station but arranged through your hotel or by local touts, who will find you before you find them. These are more expensive but faster, especially from Addis Ababa, and Selam bus and Sky bus are options for a more comfortable ride. From Gondar, minibuses leave from a bus station near Azezo in the south of town, reachable by local minibus or bajaj.
Where to stay
Bahir Dar's sleeping options range from backpacker hostels to lakeside resorts. On Abafasilo road, behind Limet Bank, Bahir Dar Backpackers Hostel opened in late 2019 and is kept clean and tidy. It draws mostly backpackers, which makes it easy to find travel partners, and offers dormitory beds as well as private rooms with shared bathrooms. There's a common area, a fully equipped kitchen and Wi-Fi, and plenty of travel information is on hand for planning your next step. It's within walking distance of good restaurants and Lake Tana, where it's pleasant to walk around.
If you'd rather not rough it, Koriftu Resort is a comfortable getaway with a pool and a restaurant that's good but expensive, and a complimentary massage for every night you stay. Tana Pension serves marvelous food. On Lake Street you'll find Bin Anbessa Hotel, a large hotel with a restaurant, friendly staff and free Wi-Fi that's very good by Ethiopian standards, and the Blue Nile Resort Hotel, a luxury resort on the shore of the lake. Don't confuse the latter with the separate Blue Nile Hotel in Beg Tera, which has older rooms, lake views from its upper floors, free Wi-Fi and can organise boat and car trips to the Blue Nile Falls; it sits in a festive, noisy area. Grand Resort and Spa occupies a big tower next to the stadium, visible from everywhere, while Papyrus Hotel on Giorgis road is a mid-range option with a swimming pool. Near Giorgis Roundabout, Ours Guest House is a clean place with hot showers and double rooms. Delano Hotel is a reasonable modern hotel near the new stadium, with air conditioning, decent Wi-Fi and hot water; it's close to the main road but quiet at night, though the credit card machine rarely works. Atop the Blue Nile Falls, Blue Nile Camping is a good choice if you want to see the falls at sunset or sunrise, with freshly cooked meals on request and luggage transfer arranged so you don't have to carry everything from the park entrance.
Food & drink
Fish is the thing to eat in Bahir Dar, and several places along Lake Street do it well. Lake Shore Resort, near Summerland Hotel, has a garden with wide views over the water and a foiled fish with a good reputation. Desset Restaurant, just behind the tall Grand Resort and Spa tower, serves food that is fine rather than memorable, but the lake view makes it a fine spot to sit with a beer as the sun goes down. Tana Restaurant turns out excellent fish dishes at low prices, and Azewa Hotel is known for fish goulash that is both inexpensive and among the best around.
For something other than fish, Al-Hanan Muslim Restaurant near Dalot Pension serves generous, tasty mutton even during Lent, and the owners are welcoming without charging tourists more; it is also a good place to take in an Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Hotel Bahir Dar has a cosy outdoor area and cheap food, while WaWi Pizzeria & Restaurant, on the second floor with indoor and outdoor seating, does decent Western dishes. In the evening, Checheho Cultural Restaurant on Lake Road near Wude Coffee is a cultural club as much as a restaurant, with azmari music and dance, and Balageru Cultural Club pairs meals and tej with azmari performances. Cultural nightclubs are scattered across the centre, and for Western music the liveliest options are Dream House and the bar above Friendship Cafe. Wude Coffee, in a wood-and-stone building on Lake Street, is a quiet spot for a drink and also serves Ethiopian food, and Hot Spot sits inside the Grand Resort and Spa tower.
What to see and do
The Lake Tana monasteries are among the oldest churches in the world, set on islands you reach by boat. Tours range from a few hours to a full day and can be arranged through your hotel, a guide, or the touts around town; you can also charter your own boat and visit only the islands that interest you. Note that women are not allowed to enter some monasteries, and you should respect Ethiopian Orthodox traditions when visiting. A boat trip may also take you to the Head of the Blue Nile, where the river leaves the lake and you have a good chance of spotting hippos. The Blue Nile Falls, known as Tis Abay, lie southeast of the city near the town of Tis Abay; the road there is rough and dusty, and the falls are far more impressive in the rainy season than in the dry months, when the flow is minimal. Paths can be deep in mud after rain, so bring suitable shoes, and ignore villagers who claim the last bus back has gone or is full. You can also stay overnight at Blue Nile Camping at the top of the falls to catch sunrise and sunset. Closer to town, the Palace of Emperor Haile Selassie sits on a hill on the east side of the Blue Nile and offers a picturesque view over the river and the lake, though you cannot go inside. The Martyr's Memorial Monument on Gonder Road includes a museum with pictures, and Kidus Giorgis church stands near the lake. In the centre of town, a small row of trees draws dozens of hornbills each evening; take a drink or dinner at one of the first-floor places across the street and watch. Bikes can be rented at the Ghion Hotel. If you are in the city for Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year in September, head to the shore of Lake Tana on the eve, when deacons from the island monasteries chant and play drums and sistrums through the night.Three days in Bahir Dar
Day one: Arrive at Bahir Dar Ginbot Haya Airport, served by Ethiopian Airlines with direct flights from Addis Ababa and connections to Lalibela, Gondar and Axum. Settle into the city on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile, and take your bearings in the Amhara Region's lakeside capital. An afternoon boat trip on the lake is the classic introduction, with the Blue Nile leaving the lake at its southern edge.
Day two: Give the day to Lake Tana and its monasteries, reached by boat from Bahir Dar. Dek Island is among the destinations worth building the day around. Back on land, the Blue Nile and its falls lie within reach of the city, and the waterside setting makes for an easy evening after a long day on the lake.
Day three: Use the city as a base for the wider region. Minibuses run daily from Bahir Dar, and overland routes link the city with Gondar via Azezo, with Woreta, Gashina and Woldia along the way, and with Gorgora on the northern shore of Lake Tana. If you are continuing by air, Bahir Dar Ginbot Haya Airport connects onward to Lalibela, Gondar and Axum.