Things to do
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Bahir Dar Market
Traders walk in from the surrounding countryside with grain, spice, woven cotton and livestock to a large open market a short way from the lake shore. Saturday is the main day and the ground fills early. Bargaining is expected and a guide helps with Amharic, and the fabric and basket sections sit towards the back.
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Blue Nile Falls
Tis Issat, the smoking water, drops over a basalt lip downstream of the lake, reached by a short drive and a walk across a seventeenth century Portuguese bridge. A hydroelectric scheme diverts much of the flow, so volume varies sharply by season. The full curtain returns in the months after the rains.
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Lake
Lake Tana
Ethiopia's largest lake holds dozens of islands, many carrying medieval monasteries that still guard illuminated manuscripts and church treasure. Papyrus tankwa boats work the shallows and hippos surface near the outlet. Trips are sold by the half day or the full day, and some monasteries admit men only, which is worth checking before booking.
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Ura Kidane Mehret
Circular and thatched, this church on the Zege peninsula is painted inside with scenes from the gospels and the lives of Ethiopian saints, layered in ochre and indigo. An ambulatory circles the painted sanctuary walls. Photography carries a fee, shoes are left outside, and morning boats arrive before the light goes flat.
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Zege Peninsula
Forested and quiet, a wooded headland on the lake grows coffee under old shade trees and hides several monastery churches within walking distance of each other. Boats land at a jetty where guides meet arrivals. Paths are shaded and level, and a half day covers two or three churches with time for coffee.