One Day Out of Addis: The Bishoftu Lakes

October 19, 2026

Warning before you plan a day out. Ethiopia is fighting an active war. Federal forces and Tigray-aligned groups clashed again from 23 September 2026, civilian flights to Tigray were suspended, and the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has heard of attacks, possibly by drone, on military sites in Addis Ababa. The FCDO advises against all travel to Tigray, Amhara and Gambela and to parts of Oromia, Afar and other regions, and it warns of a high terrorism threat and of crime at Meskel Square, Bole and Entoto. The US State Department gives Ethiopia Level 3, Reconsider Travel, in guidance that predates the September fighting. Because the countryside around the capital is where the advice is strictest, read gov.uk and travel.state.gov on the morning you travel, not only when you book.

Only one excursion from Addis Ababa is described on this page with any confidence, the Bishoftu crater lakes, because the FCDO treats that stretch of road differently from the land around it. The other places people ask about are listed in the table so you know where they stand.

Place	Distance from Addis	Where it stands on this page
Bishoftu crater lakes	About 48 to 62 km, 1 to 1.5 hours	Covered below
Menagesha Suba forest	About 40 km	Ask first, no booking links
Wenchi crater lake	About 155 km west	Ask first, no booking links
Tiya, Adadi Mariam, Melka Kunture	About 50 to 85 km south	Ask first, no booking links
Debre Libanos and everything north	North Shewa and beyond	Not a day trip

Why Bishoftu is the exception

East Shewa is an area where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel. It carves out the Addis-Adama Expressway, the land within 10 kilometres either side of the Addis-Bishoftu stretch, and the A7 road to Hawassa. Bishoftu, also called Debre Zeit, lies on that carved-out stretch. Sources give the distance as 48 to 62 kilometres. An exemption only removes the extra warning, and it does not promise calm on the ground, so check the FCDO’s regional risks page before you leave.

The lakes

Crater lakes ring the town. Lake Hora is the best known, with watersports, plenty of bird life and an annual festival. The names Bishoftu, Bishoftu Guda and Kuriftu also come up, and Chelekleka holds water only in some seasons. Kuriftu Resort & Spa Bishoftu sits by one of the lakes and has a water park reported to have opened in February 2020. It does not publish a day-pass price, so ask the resort and check that the park is running. To compare outings, you can search Bishoftu tours on Viator .

Rules for the road

Use the expressway in both directions and be back in Addis Ababa before dark.
Do not push on to Adama, Awash or the A1, where the FCDO flags attacks on vehicles.
Ask your hotel to find a driver, since the FCDO advises against blue-and-white taxis.
Tell the hotel your plan, keep a phone charged and save an offline map, because GPS can fail.
Protests and strikes can begin without notice and cut mobile and internet service.

Heritage sites to ask about

Menagesha Suba forest in the Finfine special zone has been protected since the 15th century, and sources call it the oldest conservation area in East Africa. Wenchi lies between Ambo and Weliso. Tiya, Adadi Mariam and Melka Kunture lie along the Butajira road, and Tiya is a UNESCO site. None of them appears in the FCDO lists, yet current security information for them is thin, and several of the roads pass through areas the FCDO flags for unrest. Check the advisory first and speak to a licensed operator. This page gives no itinerary and no booking link for these places.

Debre Libanos, the Blue Nile Falls and the northern towns are not day trips, and the FCDO advises against travelling to them.

Small practical points

Altitude can leave visitors tired, so drink water on the first day. Carry small birr notes, valued at about 160 to 165 to the US dollar in October 2026.