Day trip to Debre Libanos Monastery and Portuguese Bridge

The monastery of Debre Libanos was founded in the late 13th century by Abune Tekle Haimanot and is today famous for its miraculous spring. The new church that stands beneath a cliff on the edge of the gorge has beautiful stained glass windows and mosaic figures on the facade. The Portuguese Bridge - was not as it’s name suggests built by the Portuguese but was in fact built in the 19th century by an Ethiopian, called Ras Dargein. It as built in the style of the 17th century bridges around the Nile. The view in this area is simply breathtaking, with a waterfall and a deep gorge leading down to the Jemma River valley. It is also a habitat of several rare birds (lammergeyer, Abyssinian ground hornbill, endemic banded barbet, Abyssinian woodpecker and much more) and endemic Gelada baboons.