Known as the most beautiful city in Ethopia, Bahir Dar lies on the southern extremity of Laka Tana, the source of the Blue Nile river, in Northwestern Ethiopia. Bahir Dar’s origins as a settlement only reach back as far as the sixteenth or seventeenth century when Spanish missionary Pedro Páez erected several buildings which can still be seen within the compound of Saint George’s Church.  
Now, the city is mainly a tourist destination for those wishing to visit the Blue Nile Falls. Although somewhat less spectacular since a hydro-electric dam has been built on the river, the falls attract many visitors especially during the rainy season and all Bahir Dar tour guides feature the falls heavily. Watch out for fragile Tankwa canoes too. Made from papyrus, these canoes are still made and used at Bahar Dar to carry passengers and goods to and from surrounding islands.
Becoming more modern year on year, Bahir Dal has retained much of its traditional charm. Here, the wide, palm-lined avenues, plentiful tropical flowers and bustling weekly markets offer a taste of African life now in decline in more cosmopolitan cities.