Bahar Dar

Bahir Dar is the third largest city in Ethiopia after Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. It is the capital of the Amhara region inhabited by the Amhara people, the country's ethnically and geographically second-largest group. The Ethiopian official language is Amharic. 

Bahar Dar is a clean and well-maintained city by African city standards. Even the basic accommodations have neat, but basic services on Ethiopia tours. The city is part of the famous Ethiopian Historical Circuit. Here, the Blue Nile Falls are about 35 kilometres/22 miles away. It is smaller than Victoria Falls but amazingly scenic. From the village of Tis Abay, it is a 30-minute walk to the falls. Bahar Dar grew around a Jesuit settlement, founded in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, from which time the Pedro Paez building dates. One of Emperor Haile Selassie's palaces is located near the city and the Emperor considered moving the national capital to this town. The palace is an impressive architectural work of its time. Facing Lake Tana, it provides a beautiful, picturesque scene of the Blue Nile when travelling to Ethiopia. 

Bahar Dar is also situated on the southern shore of Lake Tana. On the islands of the lake, you will find some of the world's oldest churches and monasteries. There are plenty of boat tours available to the monasteries which range from 2 to 12 hours in length. In some of these monasteries, women are not allowed to enter. Be aware of the traditions and rules of the Ethiopian Orthodox church when you visit on an Ethiopian tour. These churches are definitely unique to Ethiopia. Lake Tana is not the source of the Blue Nile, it is before it. The Blue Nile goes out of the lake up to Tis Abay.