Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and 3pm. Two buses leave for Addis Ababa (Birr150, 12 hours) at 5.30am. There are also
minibuses to the capital, but since they're illegal they mostly travel at night, which isn't
safe. Vehicles are pretty frequent for Dessie (Birr45, 2½ hours) and Alamata (Birr30, 1½
hours), where you can get a connecting minibus to Mekele (Birr45, four hours). The bus
station is about 1km uphill from the town centre. A
bajaj
ride costs Birr1.
Hayk
POP 14,319 / ELEV 2030M
Lying 26km north of Dessie, the little town of Hayk is known for its monastery and
eponymous lake.
The museum at
Hayk Estifanos Monastery
(admission Birr60)
, on a long peninsula
4km northeast of town, dates from the mid-13th century and was founded by Abba Iyasus
Moa. Between the 13th and 15th centuries it was among Ethiopia's most important mon-
asteries. Today the museum holds the oldest-known manuscript to record its own date (the
book of the four gospels produced for the monastery between 1280 and 1281) and other
items like Moa's stone cross and various cooking utensils. It's open to men only, and the
church building is modern and ordinary, so overall it's really only worth a visit if you have
a serious interest in Ethiopian churches.
For most people the lovely lake, surrounded by tall hills, is a bigger draw; especially if
you've got an eye for birds. Signed as 'Erkum' the lakeside
Rikum Lodge
(
0911-877780; d/tw Birr170/280; )
, has basic bamboo huts and a garden restaurant
(mains Birr19 to Birr66), perfect for a lingering lunch.
Many minibuses run to/from Dessie (Birr8, 30 minutes).
Dessie
POP 131,600 / ELEV 2470M
Dessie's tall and solid downtown, surrounded by a vast city of rusted roofs, appears to of-
fer the promise of something interesting; but it doesn't. On the other hand, the presence of
the
Dessie Museum
(admission Birr20; 8.30am-noon & 2-7pm Mon-Fri)
, where old
weapons form the core of the varied collection, does put it ahead of the curve in the attrac-
tions department over most Ethiopian towns.
