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Aden of the North

Bahir Dar is a settlement on the southern shore of Lake Tana (Ethiopia’s largest lake), where local fishermen still use locally made canoes made out of papyrus reeds .It is just 32 km from the spectacular Tississat Falls or Blue Nile Falls. Here the Blue Nile creates ‘smoking water’; an awe-inspiring sight as it dives into the gorge below. Set at 1800 meters above sea level, Lake Tana is 75 km long and 60 km wide.
Majestic and mysterious, the Lake Tana is one of the fabled sources of the Nile, lies south-west of the simien mountains, that jagged plateau tableland dominated by Africa’s fourth highest peak, Ras Dashen. Its 3600 square kilometers surface is dotted with over 30 islands, many of which are homes to many ancient monasteries and churches. Bahir Dar port likewise provides access by boat to these historic lakeside and island churches and monasteries, near and far. For centuries Lake Tana has attracted mystics and religious individuals. Christianity probably first spread to this area from Axum as early as the fifth century AD but many of the monasteries of the lake did not appear before the 14th century. Most of them possess invaluable historical documents, relics, and the remains of Ethiopian kings in the medieval period and have beautifully painted walls