The Lake Tana Monasteries

Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and the largest lake in Ethiopia, and scattered across its islands and peninsulas are monasteries founded from the fourteenth century onwards, several of which sheltered imperial treasures and remains in periods of upheaval. The churches are round, with a thatched or metal roof over a circular ambulatory and an inner sanctuary whose walls are covered in bold painted scenes: saints, dragons, biblical episodes and local hagiography in flat blocks of colour. Ura Kidane Mehret on the Zege peninsula is the most visited and among the finest. Boats run from Bahir Dar, and the trip out passes fishermen in papyrus tankwa boats, a design essentially unchanged for centuries.

What you actually see

• Ura Kidane Mehret - the most celebrated painted interior on the Zege peninsula.
• Narga Selassie - a remoter island church, quieter and further out.
• Papyrus tankwa boats - traditional reed craft still used by fishermen.
• The Blue Nile outflow - where the river leaves the lake at Bahir Dar.

When to go

October to March for dry weather and calmer water. Boat trips take a full day for the further monasteries. Timkat in January is a major celebration in Bahir Dar.

Honest expectations

Some monasteries admit men only, by long tradition, which is not always made clear when booking a boat; ask in advance. Entry is charged separately at each church and the day adds up. Boats are open and the lake can get choppy. Photography inside is sometimes restricted and flash is not appropriate for paintings of this age.

Nearby

The Blue Nile Falls are 30 km downstream; Gondar lies north.