It's 1 hour drive from the town of Bahir Dar across the bridge to the majestic view of Blue Nile fall. It's locally known as Tis Ibay, means smoke of fire. The falls are estimated to be between 37 and 45 metres high, consisting of four streams that originally varied from a trickle in the dry season to over 400 metres wide in the rainy season. Regulation of Lake Tana now reduces the variation somewhat, and since 2003 a hydro-electric station has taken much of the flow out of the falls except during the rainy season.

LAKE TANA MONASTERY ISLANDS
Lake Tana is the biggest lake in Ethiopia with an area of 3000 km² surface and the source for the Blue Nile. Lake Tana has thirty-seven islands, twenty of which are home to churches and monasteries of significant historical and cultural interest. They are decorated by beautiful painting and innumerable treasures. The islands with interesting historic churches are Birguida Maryam, Daga Estifanos, Dek, Narga Selassie, Tan Cherkos, Mitsele Fasilada, Kebran Gabriel, Debre Maryam, Ura Kidane Mehret, Azwa Marizm and Giorgeous. Many of these churches have beautiful mural paintings and house church crosses, crowns and clothes of former kings. Some of the churches and monasteries are off-limits to women. All the churches are approached by boat from the port of Bahir Dar town from the south side of the lake or from Gorgora from the north side.