Korkor Lodge

the most characterful lodge in the country

Korkor Lodge is set on the outskirts of the village of Mageb, in a broad agricultural valley backed by dramatic sandstone Gheralta Mountains.

This is an extensive area of arid granite inselbergs and undulating hills which conceal an incredible wealth and diversity of secret rock-hewn churches.

Many of these amazing places are extremely inaccessible and many can only be reached by traversing some pretty extreme hiking trails.

The experience of visiting these churches is, without doubt, one of the most exciting and atmospheric things to do in Ethiopia. It really feels an honour that the lovely local people are generous enough to share these intimate places with outsiders.

At Korkor Lodge there is a very strong focus on sourcing products locally and sustainably, which is reflected in its use of traditional construction techniques. The walls are all of honey-coloured stone hewn by local masons and the roofs are thatched in the traditional style.

The lodge is centred on a main building with comfortable indoor lounge areas and a lovely dining area outside. A big feature of this place is the communal dining, which brings people together, makes the whole experience feel much more inclusive. Food is a mix of traditional local cuisine and international dishes.

We have always found the staff to be very attentive and when we have been lucky enough to bump into Luigi himself, we’ve found him to be very affable and extremely knowledgeable about the local area.

Guest accommodation is in twelve detached rooms, each with a conventional indoor bathroom, a private verandah and broad views of the surrounding landscapes.

Ownership

Kokor Lodge is owned and operated by Luigi Cantamessa, an Italian expat who has been living in Ethiopia since 1991.

Luigi is a passionate advocate of the Gheralta region and its people. He has contributed to many of the guidebooks and worked with countless photographers and documentary makers to bring the area to the attention of the world.

He also works with community and conservation organisations in the area, as well as scientific missions from prominent universities around the world down into the volcanic Danakil Depression to the east.

In other words, he’s the main man, a lovely guy who really has the best interests of the area and its people at heart.

He is also often around the communal dining table, which can really enhance the overall experience, we definitely recommend a prolonged chat if you get the opportunity.

Activities

Korkor Lodge is at the heart of the rock church area of the Gheralta Mountains, with over 140 Ethiopian Orthodox Christian churches and archaeological sites within easy reach.

The most famous church, the dramatic Abuna Yemata Guh, is just 2km to the east, so can be reached on foot, as can the Abuna Maryam Korkor monastery, which is even closer.

A whole raft of other locations can be visited on half day and full day excursions from the lodge, not only including the many historic rock-carved churches, but also hermitages, shrines, monasteries, villages and ancient sites from the Sabean and Axumite eras.

The Gheralta area tends to be combined in trips with various places of interest in the north of Ethiopia, including Danakil Depression, Axum, Lalibela, Gondar, the Simien Mountains and Bahir Dar.

Seasonality

The best time to visit the Gheralta Mountains is generally considered to be during the Oct-Mar dry season period, but it really is a viable option year round.

The greater region has a subtropical highland climate, with an Apr-Sep rainy season, which reaches a peak during Jun-Aug.

But whilst the majority of the north of Ethiopia experiences significant rains, in this more arid part of the country only tends to bring light afternoon showers, which tend not to be too disruptive to treks and the water soon evaporates and drains away.

Peak daytime temperatures are usually very comfortable, at around 27C/80F. But in advance of the rains during Mar-May they can rise to 30C/85F, potentially accompanied by high humidities, which can become uncomfortable (although night time temperatures usually still fall to a pleasant 13C/55F).

In an ideal world we would be able to plan visits around specific cultural events such as the wedding season, but these tend to be quite unpredictable. The main religious festivals of Ledet (Christmas) on the 7th January and Timkat (Epiphany) on 19th January are certainly interesting, but there tends to be a surge of both local and international visitors, so they might actually be worth avoiding.

Getting there

The north of Ethiopia is usually reached by means of regular daily flights from the capital Addis Ababa.

Some of the interconnecting journeys within the region are best done by air, others have to be done by road.

Gheralta is usually connected by air to most locations (via the airport at Mek’ele), but by road to nearby Axum and the Danakil Depression.

usually visited in combination with other areas to the north of Ethiopia