Experience the best of Bahir Dar

Bahir Dar is the capital of the Amhara region, on the southern shore of Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest lake and the source of the Blue Nile. Broad avenues lined with palms run down to a lakeside promenade where fishermen paddle papyrus-reed boats called tankwa. Bezawit Hill, behind the city, has a palace built for Emperor Haile Selassie and views over the lake.

Painted churches stand on the islands and peninsulas of Lake Tana, among them Ura Kidane Mihret on the Zege Peninsula, a circular church covered in vivid murals. The Blue Nile Falls, known in Amharic as Tis Issat, meaning smoke of fire, lie about 30 kilometres to the south-east, and Gondar, with its royal castles, is a half-day's drive to the north.

Injera, a spongy flatbread made from teff, comes with spiced stews called wat, and fish from the lake, often fried whole, is a local favourite. Coffee is roasted and served in a long ceremony, and tej, a honey wine, accompanies celebrations. The rains fall mainly from June to September, and the green landscape is at its best just after.