I only had time for two nights in Ethiopia as a layover at the end of my Rwanda-Uganda safari trip, and the first of those had to be in Addis Ababa because my flight got in fairly late.  I decided to take an early morning flight to Lalibela and spend about 28 hours there.  I am so glad I did because it was very impressive. I was a little rushed (the churches being closed from 12-2:00 didn't help), but I got to see all the in-town rock cut churches and just barely had time to get up to Asheton Maryam, another rock cut church at a monastery on a mountain overlooking Lalibela.  My photo here is of one of the churches, Bet Amanuel, which is thought to have possibly been the chapel for the royal family in Lalibela.  Seeing all these churches cut out of the solid rock, and to learn that they did it all in 23 years, starting back in the 12th century is really astounding. Yes, I heard the legend a couple times that angels helped with the work at night.  The way they are cut from the rock reminded me a little bit of Petra. (The two sites really have nothing to do with one another, just the construction technique.)  Since I was there on a Sunday morning, I got up early to see a little of the church services.  Hearing the chanting echoing across the town was pretty interesting.  The best worship service I got to see started with a procession of pilgrims, all dressed in white, coming up the street, then stopping to assemble for their service under a large tree just outside the entrance to the north group of churches.  Anyway, you can definitely have  a good visit to Lalibela in just one day, though I would have liked another day there, at least.  The little bit I saw of Ethiopia made me want to come back for more.

 

I could also comment on  the cost of seeing Lalibela. At $US50, a pass to all the in-town churches was pretty high, but at least I can think my money is put towards conservation. (That doesn't include a guide -- they are over-priced, too.) The fee for Asheton Maryam (the monastery high above town) is now $US20 as of Jan. 2020, which is ridiculous and definitely not worth it. Go there for the nice view for free, but skip the expensive church as it isn't as nice as the ones in town.