Formerly known as Debre Zeyit, meaning ‘Mount of Olives’, Bishoftu is a flourishing resort town located only 50 kilometres from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Due to its proximity to the capital, the town serves as a popular alternate overnight stopover for travellers looking to avoid the frenetic chaos of the city. The main visitor attraction is a collection of four exquisite crater lakes set within steep volcanic calderas dotted with a range of resorts catering to all tastes and budgets. The lakes include: Lake Bishoftu, Lake Bishoftu Guda, Lake Koriftu, Lake Hora, and the seasonal non-volcanic Lake Cheleklaka. While Lake Hora offers an impressive array of watersports, birding enthusiasts should head to Lake Chelekleka which hosts impressive numbers of flamingo and pelican together with a wide variety of resident and migrant waterfowl and shorebirds.
