Day Trip From Addis Ababa To Debre Libanos & Portuguese Bridge

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Debre Libanos is an important monastic center for Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. The monastery was founded by the renowned 13th century mystic, St Teklehaimanot. Before driving back to Addis, we will stop at the Jemma River Gorge. The Jemma River is one of the tributaries of the Nile, and there is a drop of nearly 1000 metros to the valley below. We will walk downhill to the 17th century Portuguese Bridge. Here we can expect to see plenty of birdlife including the Banded Barbet, the Black headed forest oriole, the White billed starling, the Red Billed starling, the White winged cliff chat, the White backed black tit, white cheeked Turaco and Hemprich's hornbill. We will also see one of Ethiopia's endemic mammals, the Gelada or bleeding heart baboon. Leaving the Gorge we drive back to Addis Ababa.

   6 hAdmission included

2. Portuguese bridge near Debre Libanos was erected by the Portuguese in the 16th century; it was actually built at the turn of the 19th century by Ethiopians, albeit in the old Portuguese style. The narrow span makes a pretty picture and the gushing (in the rainy season) cascade just below it is even more impressive

   1 hAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 79 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 4Good tour, but a long rough ride.

  I was originally booked on a different tour that had to be canceled. The provider did a good job of communicating and working with me. This was a small group. The guide Asmir was great. Took great care of everyone and worked really hard. It is a bit of a journey on bad roads with traffic to get to the sites. To me it was worth it, but could only give 4 stars because of the ride. The guide and things to see were great. I would still recommend.

  markjA8345NNSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Very good

  It was really beautiful and Biruk (tour guide) and Temesgen (driver) was really nice and described the history behind the sights and they also showed me some local coffe and restaurant shops outside Addis Abeba. 5/5 would recommend if you visit Addis and want to spend a couple hours exploring the rich culture and history

  johanneshD1270WFSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 1Just dreadful. For...

  Just dreadful. For various reasons we spent 2 hours going nowhere and it seemed unlikely that we would ever get where we had hoped to go. Eventually we said we wanted to back to the hotel where we asked, through Viator, for a refund which was agreed to. The only positive out of the day was very good service by Viator.

  Blair_CJune 2026via Viator

• 3Debre Libanos is a holy...

  Debre Libanos is a holy and historical monastery of orthodox back to many centuries. You will be received and welcomed by a lovely priest guide who speaks English very well and takes in a beautiful and informative history journey. Also, he will take you after to the museum next door. The Portuguese Bridge is not worth travelling as it's too far and nothing interesting and difficult to walk to it, just a little bridge. Only the view is beautiful among mountains. This trip takes 6 hours just on the road, so It is worth visiting only if you have much time in Ethiopia or it's ok to spend much time on the road. If you have other options, go on a real trip like Safari or Cultural to see authentic Ethiopia.

  Habeeb81June 2026via Viator

• 5Lebre libanos

  It was a one day tour to lebre libanos and Portuguese Bridge Everything ok Yeabu is a very well informed guide and a very kind person He and his driver Tomas make the trip safe and joyful

  M900GCwaltergFebruary 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Ethiopia is a gem equal to any other

  The scenery during the drive itself, makes the trip worthwhile. Let alone the destinations. The guides are knowledgeable.

  Branimir_MFebruary 2026via Viator

Know before you go

How it compares in Addis Ababa

• Its from-price is 52% below the median of the 83 day trips we list in Addis Ababa.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 3 of 83.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, stands high on a plateau among eucalyptus-covered hills, with museums, markets, churches and African Union offices.

At around 2,400 metres, Addis Ababa is one of the highest capitals in the world, laid out on the slopes of the Entoto hills. The National Museum of Ethiopia tells the story of human origins through Lucy, a 3.2-million-year-old partial skeleton found in the country in 1974, while the Ethnological Museum is housed in a former imperial palace. Holy Trinity Cathedral and Saint George Cathedral are important churches, and Meskel Square hosts large gatherings.

Top-ranked sights in Addis Ababa: National Museum of Ethiopia, Mt. Entoto, IES Ethnographic Museum (Addis Ababa University).

See all 564 experiences in Addis Ababa