Rock Hewn Churches Lalibela

Travel advisory, as of October 2026. Lalibela is in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where the UK FCDO advises against all travel and the US government tells its citizens not to travel. Fighting has resumed across northern Ethiopia, flights to Lalibela have been suspended since 24 September 2026 with no restart date announced, and there is no safe overland route. Nothing described here can be booked now; this page describes the town for a future visit once advisories change. Read the FCDO advice and the US State Department before making any plans.

UNESCO and Lalibela

Lalibela’s eleven churches were cut down into pink volcanic rock in the 12th and 13th centuries. Priests and pilgrims still worship in them every day. They were among the first twelve sites UNESCO inscribed, in 1978.

Conservation

• Temporary metal roofs shelter several churches in the northern group.
• UNESCO has asked for those roofs to be dismantled and replaced by a lighter canopy, and no report says this has happened.

Visiting

• Leave your shoes at each church door and dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered. Women should cover their heads. Speak quietly, ask before photographing anyone, switch off the flash, and keep your hands off the carvings.
• Biete Golgotha is closed to women.