# Things to see in Lalibela (Ethiopia): 12 places and when to go > Lalibela is a town in Ethiopia, and this site lists 12 places in and around it, mainly Temples (11), History (2). The best known are Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela, Church of Saint George, Lalibela and Biete Maryam. The best time to come is October to February; also possible: March to April and September. In June there are 12 h 42 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 18. Here is what there is, when to go, how to get there and what else is nearby. - Address: https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/lalibela/ - Reviewed on: 2026-10-12 - Language: en ## In a nutshell - **Where:** Ethiopia · 12.0316, 39.0411 - **Places:** 12 places on this site, in the town and around it. - **What people come for:** [Temples](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/espiritual/) (11) · [History](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/historia/) (2) - **Best time:** October to February. - **Also possible:** March to April and September. - **Nearest airport:** MQX Mekele, 169 km as the crow flies - **Highest point:** Yemrehana Krestos Church, at 2,641 m. ## What to see in Lalibela The places in and around Lalibela, best known first, each with its own page: what it is, when to go and what is next to it. Distances are from the centre, as the crow flies. - [Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesias-excavadas-en-la-roca-de-lalibela/): Churches made from a single block of stone in Ethiopia · 287 m - [Church of Saint George, Lalibela](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-san-jorge/): One of eleven monolithic churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia · 5 m - [Biete Maryam](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-santa-maria/): Building in Ethiopia · 328 m - [Biete Medhane Alem](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-del-salvador-del-mundo/): Church in Ethiopia · 371 m - [Biete Abba Libanos](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-san-libanos/): Church in Ethiopia · 448 m - [Biete Meskel](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-la-cruz/): Church in Ethiopia · 336 m - [Biete Gabriel-Rufael](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-san-gabriel-y-san-rafael/): Church in Ethiopia · 392 m - [Biete Amanuel](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-san-manuel/): Church in Ethiopia · 488 m - [Biete Qeddus Mercoreus](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-san-mercurio/): Underground Orthodox church located in Ethiopia · 467 m - [Bete Golgota-Selassié](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-del-golgota/): Building in Ethiopia · 316 m - [Yemrehana Krestos Church](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/yemrehane-kristos/): Building in Ethiopia · 12 km - [Biet Mikael](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-san-miguel/): Building in Ethiopia · 305 m ## When to go to Lalibela The best time to visit Lalibela is **October to February**; also possible: March to April and September. This comes from its own places: a month counts as the town's best time when it is the best time for half of what there is to see. | Mes | Época | Hours of daylight | | --- | --- | --- | | January | Best time | 11 h 22 | | February | Best time | 11 h 37 | | March | Possible | 11 h 55 | | April | Possible | 12 h 16 | | May | Better not | 12 h 33 | | June | Better not | 12 h 42 | | July | Better not | 12 h 39 | | August | Better not | 12 h 24 | | September | Possible | 12 h 04 | | October | Best time | 11 h 43 | | November | Best time | 11 h 26 | | December | Best time | 11 h 18 | In June there are 12 h 42 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 18. In January, 12 of the 12 places are at their best. When to go to Ethiopia in general, with its festivals and peak seasons, is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/#cuando-ir). ## Getting to Lalibela The nearest main airport is Mekele Alula Aba Nega Airport (MQX, Mekele), 169 km as the crow flies. How to get around Ethiopia (train, car, bus) is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/#moverse), and what to sort out before you leave is in [its checklist](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/#antes-de-salir). - [Where it is](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=12.0316%2C39.0411) - [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=12.0316%2C39.0411) ## Other towns nearby - [Adigrat](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/adigrat/): 5 places · 255 km - [Addis Ababa](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/adis-abeba/): 16 places · 336 km And all of Ethiopia, in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is there to see in Lalibela? The best known: [Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesias-excavadas-en-la-roca-de-lalibela/), [Church of Saint George, Lalibela](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-san-jorge/), [Biete Maryam](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-santa-maria/), [Biete Medhane Alem](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-del-salvador-del-mundo/), [Biete Abba Libanos](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/etiopia/iglesia-de-san-libanos/). In all, 12 places in the town and around it, all on your trip map from day one. ### When is the best time to visit Lalibela? October to February; also possible: March to April and September. In June there are 12 h 42 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 18. ### How do you get to Lalibela? The nearest main airport is Mekele Alula Aba Nega Airport (MQX), 169 km away. From there, [directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=12.0316%2C39.0411) opens the route on the map. ### How do I add it to my trip? Create a trip with Lalibela as the destination and these 12 places are on your map, each with its category. The ones you like go into a day's plan with one tap, and Kokai reminds you when you pass nearby. Data from [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright), licensed under the ODbL, from [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0, cities from [Natural Earth](https://www.naturalearthdata.com/) and airports from [OurAirports](https://ourairports.com/data/). Daylight hours are calculated from the latitude. More in [credits](https://kokai.app/en/aviso/#creditos).