We visited the Blue Nile Falls from our base in Bahir Dar. We had the most amazing day! It’s a site definitely not to be missed on any Ethiopian itinerary.
This article is about hiking to the Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia. For information on other places to visit in this amazing country, as well as travel tips, please read my Complete Ethiopia Travel Guide.
In this article
Tis Abay – the start of our hike
From our base in Bahir Dar, we drove for an hour and a half over increasingly rough terrain to reach the small town of Tis Abay, the starting point for any hike to the Blue Nile Falls and the location of the ticket office. The town also gives its name to the local Amharic word for the falls.
Ticket Prices
Foreigners pay a much higher price than locals, which is only right, I feel. The fee is still very cheap!
- Adults – 50 Birr ($US1.75)
- Children/students – 20 Birr
- Video camera – 50 Birr
The Village
Mas, our guide, organised our tickets and we then walked 1.5km through the town to the start of the path to the falls. We attracted a great deal of attention from the locals, especially the children, as we walked. Life in the village was going on as it had for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Give or take the odd satellite dish, some of the scenes we saw were almost biblical – the husband leading his pregnant wife on a mule, the ladies cooking injera over open fires, the men in traditional dress standing by the road, the children playing with sticks in the dirt, the yoked oxen being taken to the fields, the mill where tef was being ground by hand to make flour.
The Hike
Leaving the village, we crossed a bridge near the hydro-electric plant which now takes most of the energy from the Blue Nile, meaning that the volume of water which tumbles over the falls is much less than it used to be. That, coupled with the fact that we were visiting during the dry season, meant that we weren’t expecting much of a spectacle when we finally reached our destination.
The start of the footpath is very rocky and leads down to a 17th-century Portuguese bridge, the first bridge to span the Blue Nile. Whilst we were watching our steps and picking our way carefully over the rocks mindful not to fall, we were overtaken by sure-footed locals virtually sprinting down the track. We were even passed by an old lady with her donkey – they were both well over normal retirement age and, astonishingly, the lady was barefoot!
Beyond the bridge, the path climbs steeply to reach the best vantage points to view the falls. The walk was quite strenuous (for me, anyway!), especially in the heat, but it was worth it!
The Falls
Despite our misgivings, the falls were stunning! The river pours over the side of a sheer 42-metre high chasm in three prongs and explodes into a magnificent display of mists and rainbows. Locals call the river here the ‘Nile that Smokes’ and, even with a restricted water flow, I understand why.
We took the time to appreciate the splendour of the view before beginning our descent which took us across a suspension bridge over the narrow Alata River. From here, we walked down to the base of the falls. Some of our group climbed onto rocks to have their photos taken against the backdrop of the curtains of water. They paid the price with very dirty trousers for the rest of the day, but it looked like they had fun and they said it was worth it!
Returning to the Village
We returned to the village by taking a motorboat back across the Blue Nile and then walking a further few kilometres.
As is the case everywhere in Ethiopia, people were offering items for us to buy all along our route. I succumbed when I came across a lady hand spinning some yarn – I just had to have a spool or two!
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David was my driver/guide when I visited Ethiopia in 2016. He was a great guide and driver. There were three of us and he was very patient with us and all our required coffee stops.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Joanna. We loved Ethiopia!! I’ve just been looking at your site – I love it! Your Ethiopia posts really resonated with me 🙂