Ethiopia · UNESCO Heritage Sites

8-Hour Addis Ababa Heritage Tour with Tiya and Melka Kunture

8 Hours Round trip from Addis Ababa Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Visit Adadi Mariam, a 13th-century rock-hewn church carved from a single piece of rock
02 See the UNESCO World Heritage steles of Tiya, erected in memory of a local hero
03 Explore the archaeological site of Melka Kunture with ancient stone tools and fossils
04 Meet Oromo and Gurage people in nearby villages for local cultural interaction

Take a day trip from Addis Ababa into the Great Rift Valley to explore some of the region's most important historical and cultural sites. Visit Adadi Mariam, a 13th-century rock-hewn church cut from a single piece of rock by King Lalibela, see the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tiya with its remarkable grave steles, and discover ancient stone tools and fossils at Melka Kunture. The experience also includes visits to nearby villages for local interaction with Oromo and Gurage communities.

Visit Adadi Mariam, a 13th-century rock-hewn church cut from a single piece of rock by King Lalibela, see the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tiya with its remarkable grave steles, and discover ancient stone tools and fossils at Melka Kunture.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 8 Hours

Tour type Shared

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Not included

Transport Included

Wheelchair access No

Cities Addis Ababa, Lalibela, Tiya

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Great Rift Valley Heritage and Village Experience

Drive to the Great Rift Valley to visit Adadi Mariam's church, which was cut out from a single piece of rock in the 13th century AD by King Lalibela. Located 73 km south of Addis Ababa on the Butajera road, this church, though not as monolithic as the other rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, has many similarities with some of the rock churches in north Tigray.
See the steles at Tiya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which are grave markers erected in the 14th century in memory of a local hero.
Visit the archaeological site of Melka Kunture to see various old stone tools and fossils of humans and animals.
Visit nearby villages and meet the interesting Oromo people and Gurage people.