Bishoftu, also known as Debre Zeyit, is a resort town of 171,000 people (2012) in Central Ethiopia, about 50 km from the capital Addis Ababa.

Understand

Bishoftu is on the road from Addis Ababa to Adama. Being close to the capital and containing several lakes, it is a popular getaway destination for Ethiopians and tourists alike.

Get in

Buses leave regularly from Addis Ababa's Kality bus station, at the south of the city and 10 km from downtown (1/5 of the distance to Bishoftu), inconvenient to reach by public transportation and expensive by taxi, but there likely may be services from other, more conveniently located bus terminals around the city - ask locally, e.g. in the place where you're staying in Addis, about the best option from that location.

Bishoftu has a station on the Addis Ababa – Djibouti Railway. The train runs every 4 days on the 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, and 29 of each month, and takes 15½ hours to complete its trip between the two capitals.

See

Lake Bishoftu

There are at least five small lakes in Bishoftu. Bishoftu Lake is the closest to the main road and has a few resorts located on its rim, with good views of the lake. The other lakes are Lake Hora (a base for watersports, many water birds and an annual festival), Lake Bishoftu Guda, Lake Koriftu and the seasonal Lake Cheleklaka.

Nearby points of interest include Mount Yerer, and Green Crater Lake.

Sleep

The main road has many hotels. On Bishoftu Lake's rim there are a couple of resorts.