Guest House
Most people do not know that Awra Amba attracts some 14,000 visitors a year, about a quarter of whom come from abroad or from foreigners who reside in Ethiopia. Some people come every year to see the changes that have taken place since their last visit. They come because Awra Amba is a land of life and a land of ideas. It holds a unique place among the great attractions for visitors within Ethiopia such as Lalibella, the castles of Gondar, The Axumite Obelisks, The Blue Nile Falls and The walled city of Harar.
This is mainly because it is a successful experiment on civilized living and growing for the rest of humanity based on a unique principle that:
Human beings are the most important phenomenon in the universe and all human beings should be respected and their rights safeguarded and any economic, social and political system that fails to place the interests of human beings as its central core should be reexamined.
That is what makes Awra Amba unique. All the other tourist attractions mentioned above are there because they are historical heritage dating back hundreds or thousands of years. Awra Amba is a contemporary heritage that is only 50 years old.
Naturally this means visitors need a place to rest a while and take in ordinary life in Awra Amba, perhaps stay overnight and talk to the people, sample the famous Awra Amba Baltina cuisine and visit some of the attractions.
Considering the increased interest from visitors following the publicity of the 50th Anniversary celebrations, the community has modernized its guest houses recently by building new guest houses with integral bathrooms to cater for 11 overnight guests and counting the older guest houses that are still here and that could accommodate another 9 people with shared bathrooms, a total of twenty overnight guests. The 11 guest rooms with bathrooms are furnished with double beds and thinking of the importance of a good night’s rest for visitors, they have also got the best mattresses in the country that money can buy, properly strung and mindful of the need for ergonomic standards that travelers may have been used to.
With these new guest rooms, we are hoping to attract tour groups that could perhaps stay a few days and take part in some of the workshops that we have been working on for such guests such as an Awra Amba history workshop, or foundations of community life in Awra Amba, an Awra Amba film evening, or a fireside chat with Awra Amba founders together with a performance of our artistic youth groups and a buffet dinner.
Room and breakfast rates are 500 Birr for the new rooms with fitted bathrooms and 300 Birr for the other rooms mentioned above.
The Guest House Restaurant
The restaurant serves Vegan, Vegetarian and meat and Fish dishes.
