I know some might be angry at me for posting a recipe for how to get into Lalibela for free, but for the backpackers, students and people like me, who were considering skipping a visit to the churches because of the hefty 50$ entrance fee it might be good, because you HAVE TO visit Lalibela.
A ticket (which look like this) is valid for four days, while most people just visit the churches one or two days. That means, if you go to a bar and buy some beers for any tourist, most likely he will agree to give you his used ticket before he leaves town. That’s what I did, and the guards checking the tickets never asked to see my passport, so I could walk around freely without feeling that I had been sneaking in.
Lalibela truly is an amazing place. It’s a town in Northern Ethiopia with 11 rock hewn churches dating back to the 12th and 13th century, Making them some of Africas oldest.
Before going there I had only seen pictures of St. George, which I thought was not even the most impressive! I was simply blown away as we discovered the churches in by one, walking through tunnels, over bridges etc to see all this beautiful work carved into the mountain. It was just as impressive as the World wonder Petra in Jordan. I therefore think Lalibela deserves the title as “the Eight Wonder of the World”.
