A salt worker and his camels cross the Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia. The landscape is one of harshest on earth, with wastelands of salt and sweltering temperatures that remain well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Raw, immense and majestically beautiful, the Erta Ale volcanic crater also sits within the Danakil Depression. Known for being the world's oldest active lava lake, the locals call it "the gateway to hell".
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia has a burgeoning fashion industry. It is known for its intricately woven cotton fabrics, and emerging designers such as Fikirte Addis and Liya Kebede are putting Addis Ababa firmly on the fashion map.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Another UNESCO World Heritage site is the tiny village of Negash, which was home to Ethiopia's first Muslim communities and is one of the most important sites in Islam. Legend has it that the Prophet Mohammed's daughter lived her for a time.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
In Ethiopia's capital Harar, this building is known as Arthur Rimbaud's house after the famous French poet who came to Harar. It was actually built by an Indian merchant on the site of an earlier house where Rimbaud is said to have lived.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
One of the colourful painted alleyways in Harar's Jugal, the 16th-century fortification within the modern capital.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia is home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Semien National Park. Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 meters.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, dating back to the early fourth century. Nowhere is this heritage clearer than the northern town of Lalibela, where 11 underground churches have been hewn out of the rock. The Church of St. George (Bet Giyorgis) was carved from a type of limestone around the early 13th century.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
In Lalibela, the many sacred sites are linked by tunnels. The chiseled creations have turned this mountain town into a place of pride and pilgrimage for worshipers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, attracting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors every year.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Priests and monks in Lalibela celebrate the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Timkat, which remembers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. The Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant is taken out of every Ethiopian church for 24 hours and paraded during a procession in towns across the country. Over 80 % of Ethiopians are estimated to be Orthodox Christians.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
The Danakil Depression desert basin reaches up to 125 meters below sea level due to the tectonic activity caused by plate movements in the region, and is home to fields of sulphurous hot spirings like this one.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
The inhospitable terrain of the Ethiopia's desert basin also features many acid pools.
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Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
A salt worker and his camels cross the Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia. The landscape is one of harshest on earth, with wastelands of salt and sweltering temperatures that remain well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hide Caption
7 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Raw, immense and majestically beautiful, the Erta Ale volcanic crater also sits within the Danakil Depression. Known for being the world's oldest active lava lake, the locals call it "the gateway to hell".
Hide Caption
8 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia has a burgeoning fashion industry. It is known for its intricately woven cotton fabrics, and emerging designers such as Fikirte Addis and Liya Kebede are putting Addis Ababa firmly on the fashion map.
Hide Caption
9 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Another UNESCO World Heritage site is the tiny village of Negash, which was home to Ethiopia's first Muslim communities and is one of the most important sites in Islam. Legend has it that the Prophet Mohammed's daughter lived her for a time.
Hide Caption
10 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
In Ethiopia's capital Harar, this building is known as Arthur Rimbaud's house after the famous French poet who came to Harar. It was actually built by an Indian merchant on the site of an earlier house where Rimbaud is said to have lived.
Hide Caption
11 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
One of the colourful painted alleyways in Harar's Jugal, the 16th-century fortification within the modern capital.
Hide Caption
12 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia is home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Semien National Park. Massive erosion over the years on the Ethiopian plateau has created one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 meters.
Hide Caption
1 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, dating back to the early fourth century. Nowhere is this heritage clearer than the northern town of Lalibela, where 11 underground churches have been hewn out of the rock. The Church of St. George (Bet Giyorgis) was carved from a type of limestone around the early 13th century.
Hide Caption
2 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
In Lalibela, the many sacred sites are linked by tunnels. The chiseled creations have turned this mountain town into a place of pride and pilgrimage for worshipers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, attracting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors every year.
Hide Caption
3 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
Priests and monks in Lalibela celebrate the Ethiopian Orthodox festival of Timkat, which remembers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. The Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant is taken out of every Ethiopian church for 24 hours and paraded during a procession in towns across the country. Over 80 % of Ethiopians are estimated to be Orthodox Christians.
Hide Caption
4 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
The Danakil Depression desert basin reaches up to 125 meters below sea level due to the tectonic activity caused by plate movements in the region, and is home to fields of sulphurous hot spirings like this one.
Hide Caption
5 of 12
Ethiopian appeal 12 photos
The inhospitable terrain of the Ethiopia's desert basin also features many acid pools.
Hide Caption
6 of 12
(CNN)You would be forgiven for thinking it was Spain, Thailand or Italy. But this year the accolade of World Best Tourism Destination has been given to a surprising candidate: Ethiopia.
The country has been praised for its outstanding natural beauty, dramatic landscapes and ancient culture, leading the European Council on Tourism and Trade to select it out of 31 countries as this year's top holiday spot.
Visitor numbers in the country have increased by 10% over the last decade, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Last year, more than 600,000 tourists visited Ethiopia, attracted by its fertile national parks, 3,000 year-old archeological history and nine UNESCO world heritage sites.
Tourism contributed an estimated 4.5% to the country's GDP last year, generating nearly a million jobs and over two billion dollars in revenue, according to the World Bank.
Flick through our gallery of stunning Ethiopian sites to find out more about the country that has been chosen by industry experts as the top place to travel to this year.
Source: CNN
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