2-Day Tigray Rock-Hewn Churches Tour with Abuna Yemata Climb

• After an early breakfast, we will drive to Wukro, which is 43 km from Mekelle and takes about an hour.
• We will visit the Wukro Cherkos church.
• Afterwards, we will drive about 15 km to visit the church of Abreha we Atsbeha.

We will then drive to Hawzien for the night.

• Today, after an early breakfast, we will visit three churches. We will leave the hotel and visit the Tigray churches of Abuna Yemata Guh, Maryam Korkor, and Daniel Korkor, all of which are very different in style but stunningly beautiful in their own way.
• To visit Abuna Yemata Guh, we will walk for about an hour before beginning a steep ascent up the side of the Gheralta massif. This steep ascent soon turns into a climb using footholds and handholds chipped into the sandstone rock by the passage of many hands and feet. The climb and the walk along narrow ledges with sheer drops to the side are not for the faint-hearted. The church itself can be reached by walking out on a ledge one meter wide, with a 200 m drop to the left-hand side. At the entrance, there is a small cave and a wooden door built into the rock.
• Of the three, Maryam Korkor is the most impressive architecturally. Twelve free-standing pillars support a vast, high ceiling. Looking at it, you cannot help but wonder how the architect managed to carve so high from the ground. Afterwards, we drive to Axum for the overnight hotel.
• Note: This tour can be started depending on your flight schedule from Axum or Mekelle.