Where to stay in Ethiopia: the best lodges and hotels

By Fiona Duncan, hotel expert
4 AUGUST 2016 • 12:31PM
Ethiopia is the fastest growing economy in Africa. Tourism, especially around the ‘northern circuit’ encompassing Lalibela, Lake Tana, Gondar, the Simien Mountains, Axum and Tigray is markedly on the increase, attracting affluent travellers who are looking for memorable accommodation to complement the complexity and beguiling beauty of the landscape and the people.

Will they find it? The answer is yes – just. While Aman junkies and luxury safari camp aficionados may not be rushing to stay in the country’s crop of new lodges, anyone who is captivated by the idea of characterful oases created by gutsy individuals in some of the most exceptional locations in the world should read on. Three of the following hotels – Limalimo, Bale Mountain and Gheralta also serve to unlock unforgettable experiences in wilderness settings.

The lodges outlined below lie on the northern circuit, except for Bale (pronounced Barlay) Mountain, which is south of Addis Ababa and perfect for winding down at the end of the trip. Long drives are necessary at times, but they are part of the pleasure: against an always engrossing, ever-changing, often Biblical landscape, the world drifts by, on foot, in horse-drawn carts, under bright umbrellas, constantly accompanied by livestock. A competent driver is key: in our case, Belete was pure gold, a man who could slip past cattle on a hairpin bend whilst explaining Ethiopian tribal differences and casually pointing out a rare endemic bird with what appeared to be a second pair of eyes.

Though modern life, particularly around rapidly expanding Addis Ababa, is fast gathering pace, what the traveller discovers in Ethiopia is an other-worldliness not found in the rest of Africa, an essentially agrarian, pastoral land, rooted in religion, that feels as if time has, though not forgotten, been put gently to one side

Gheralta Lodge, Tigray

It’s 10 years since Silvio and Enrica Rizzotti built Gheralta Lodge. Silvio was brought up in Addis Ababa and they acquired this land close to Hawzen, the main base for visiting Tigray’s rock hewn churches, on the day they saw it. Hardly surprising: the spaghetti Western view across the stony plain to the craggy Gheralta Mountains is astounding, though the mysterious churches secreted amongst them are the chief draw.

It is a place of great charm. Built of stone like everything in Tigray, Gheralta is deliberately simple, African/Italian in style and relaxing. It has a shady terrace with sun loungers, a quiet library, a sitting room that opens on to an internal garden surrounded by billowing white curtains, and a large dining room where a set menu of Italian home cooking is served. Guests feel immediately at home, and the pre-dinner complimentary aperitif gets everyone chatting. Bedrooms are in low stone huts dotted around the plateau. Some have baths, others showers, and they show signs of wear, but even when the door handle comes off in your hands you won’t much mind – at least we didn’t.

If you are travelling independently, the hotel will collect you from Mekele airport and organize rock church guides. We met an Italian mountaineer who had trained the guides in safety techniques… nice to know as we climbed nervously into harnesses and braved the sheer rock climb to Abuna Yemata Guh, where the white-robed priest was waiting at his wildly improbable church door, reached by a narrow ledge: slip here and you fall 600 feet. Worry not; there are easier rock churches to visit, or you could while away the day on the terrace at Gheralta Lodge, under the clear blue skies and balmy temperatures of Ethiopia’s near perfect climate. Double rooms £75, half board (00 251 11 6632893; gheraltalodgetigrai.com).

Read the full review: Gheralta Lodge, Tigray

Read the full review: Bale Mountain Lodge, Bale Mountains