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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Ethiopia

19 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Ethiopia

Updated February 17, 2025

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Sacred Spaces 6
Ecosystems 5
Geology 4
Geological Oddities 3
Churches 3
Archaeology 3
Intriguing Environs 2
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Stories About Ethiopia

Left to right: green, black, Chinese, white, and Ethiopian cardamoms.

A Guide to the Cardamoms of the World

The Cardamom Expanded Universe is bigger than you think.
by Andrew Coletti
A dramatic 2020 eruption of Kīlauea was nothing compared with Indonesia’s Toba supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago, the largest eruption of the past 2.5 million years.

How Indonesia’s Toba Volcano Changed Human Evolution

The massive supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago has been blamed for nearly killing off our species. The emerging truth is much more interesting.
by Gemma Tarlach

Podcast: Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

Explore an Ethiopian "Jerusalem."
by The Podcast Team
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: The Signs of Ethiopian Identity

by Alex Bellos

Podcast: Fendika Cultural Center

Keeping a unique Ethiopian musical tradition alive in the nation’s capital, in the face of breakneck urban development.
by The Podcast Team
A farmer in Ethiopia cradles a handful of maslin, mixed grains including different varieties of wheat and barley that are grown together.

This Nearly Lost Ancient Grain Tradition Could Be the Future of Farming

A past global staple you've never heard of, maslins are poised for a comeback.
by Gemma Tarlach
Supersize this guy by about 400 pounds, and you get some idea of the prehistoric Enhydriodon omoensis.

In Prehistoric Ethiopia, Otters Were as Big as Lions

But they didn’t eat our ancestors—probably.
by Sarah Durn
Sulfurous springs in the Danakil Depression discharge brine and acidic liquid.

Searching for the Limits of Life in Earth’s Most Extreme Environment

In Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression, a continent is tearing itself apart, and volcanic chemicals fuel ecosystems unlike anything else on the planet.
by Robin George Andrews

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