shannonandsydney's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Afar Zone 1, Ethiopia

The Afar Rift

An ocean in the making, in the Ethiopian desert.
Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Manyate Coffee Village

An Ethiopian cloud forest protects some of the last wild arabica plants.
East Tigray, Ethiopia

Abuna Yemata Guh

Reaching the "Church in the Sky" requires scaling the cliff face of a sandstone pinnacle with a 650-foot drop.
Aksum, Ethiopia

Chapel of the Tablet

Supposedly this Ethiopian chapel holds the Ark of the Covenant, guarded by virgins who cannot leave the building.
Aksum, Ethiopia

Obelisk of Axum

Massive stele returned to Ethiopia after 70 years in Rome.
Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

Erta Ale

Ethiopia's "smoking mountain" is in one of the hottest regions on the planet and is home to two lava lakes.
Afar Zone 2, Ethiopia

Dallol

The hottest place on the planet.
Lalibela, Ethiopia

Bete Giyorgis of Lalibela

An Ethiopian "Jerusalem" featuring a church hewn out of a single rock.
Lalibela, Ethiopia

Ben Abeba

An otherworldly restaurant perched on the edge of a jagged cliff next to a medieval holy city.
Boa Vista, Cape Verde

Curral Velho

Once a bustling fishing village and trading post, today these Cape Verde ruins provide a home only for seabirds and turtles.
Boa Vista, Cape Verde

Wreckage of M/S Cabo Santa Maria

This ship carrying cargo and four church bells for the Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida ran aground in 1968.
Boa Vista, Cape Verde

Viana Desert

Rolling sand dunes of the Sahara... in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Batna, Algeria

Timgad

Classical ruins that remember ancient Rome's presence in Africa.
Tipaza, Algeria

Tipasa Roman Ruins

An extraordinary mix of Phoenician, Roman, early Christian, and Byzantine ruins beautifully set overlooking the Mediterranean.
Constantine, Algeria

Sidi M'Cid Bridge

This dizzying span over the ancient Algerian city was once the highest suspension bridge in the world.
Algeria

Tassili n'Ajjer

The abstract sandstone rock formations at this Algerian national park are rich with prehistoric art.
Oran, Algeria

Sacred Heart Cathedral of Oran

This former cathedral is now a bustling library packed with students and pigeons.
In Amguel, Algeria

Amguid Crater

One of the best-preserved impact craters on the planet is located in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
Tamanrasset, Algeria

Assekrem

A century-old stone hermitage overlooks this remote pass in the Hoggar mountains, surrounded by a landscape of eroded volcanic cores.
Algiers, Algeria

Martyrs' Memorial

This massive monument towers over the city as a constant reminder of the lives lost during Algeria's hard-won war for independence.
Algiers, Algeria

Opera d'Alger (Algiers Opera House)

A new landmark that fosters cultural exchange between traditions.
Tipaza, Algeria

Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania

The original resting place of Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony's only daughter.
Gishora, Burundi

Gishora Drum Sanctuary

This century-old site established by King Mwezi Gisabo preserves the art of Burundi's ancient drum rituals.
Musenyi, Burundi

Source du Nil

For millennia, explorers were obsessed with discovering the source of the Nile—is this small mountain stream really the answer?