The Ambo Road

The road towards Ambo is leaving Addis Ababa straight to the west.

Gefarsa Dam

The Gefarsa Dam is one of the reservoirs to provide the city of Addis Ababa with drinking water. The dam is found 25 km from the city and is of particular interest to birdwatchers.

Addis Alem

Menelik II founded Addis Alem, translated as ‘New World’ in 1900 as the new capital of Ethiopia. The introduction of the eucalyptus tree in the Entoto Hills near Addis Ababa solved a shortage of firewood in that area and therefore the capital remained the same. The new build palace for the emperor became the Debre Tsion Maryam church and is well worth a visit including the small attached museum. The distance between Addis Ababa and Addis Alem is 50 km (1 hr)

Mount Wenchi

At a distance of about 150 km (3,5 hours), Mount Wenchi makes a perfect day or overnight trip from Addis Ababa. This extinct volcano is situated in a beautiful setting with patches of forest amid the farmland and a crater lake dotted with islands. On one of these islands the Kirkos monastery is founded and is it possible to visit by boat.

A community tourism project (GETA) is started in 2002 and different walks and boat rides are available. As the walks may be tough for some, horses are available to make it easygoing. No riding experience is necessary.