Founded in the 13th century by Saint Tekle Haymanot, who legend holds stood on one leg for seven years until the other withered away, Debre Libanos Monastery anchors Ethiopian Orthodox spirituality 105 kilometers north of Addis Ababa. The current church, rebuilt in 1961 after Italian forces destroyed its predecessor during the 1937 occupation, houses illuminated manuscripts and processional crosses that survive from the original complex. Pilgrims walk barefoot across its courtyard stones worn smooth by six centuries of devotion, seeking blessings at the saint's tomb and the holy spring that flows beneath the sanctuary. The monastery sits at the edge of the Blue Nile Gorge, where basalt cliffs drop 1,000 meters to the river coursing through Oromia's highlands. The Portuguese Bridge—misnamed, as it was built by Ethiopians in the 19th century—spans a tributary gorge 20 kilometers west, its five stone arches carrying the old caravan route to Gojjam. Debre Libanos tours typically combine the sacred site with viewpoints along the gorge rim, where acacia woodlands give way to sheer drops and the sound of the river rises as mist. Entry to the monastery grounds remains free, though guides and tour operators coordinate access to restricted areas including the saint's cave and the museum of ecclesiastical vestments. The cliffs around Debre Libanos support Ethiopia's largest accessible population of gelada baboons, endemic primates found only in the Ethiopian Highlands. Troops of 200 or more forage on grasses at dawn and dusk, their crimson chest patches flaring during social displays. Unlike other baboons, geladas are terrestrial grazers, and the North Shewa population has adapted to human presence, allowing close observation from designated trails. Morning tours between 08:00 and 11:00 offer the clearest weather for photography and the highest probability of baboon sightings before the afternoon heat sends them into the gorge. Debre Libanos monastery day tours from Addis Ababa traverse the Sululta Plains and Muger River Valley, passing terraced barley fields and eucalyptus groves planted during the 20th-century reforestation campaigns. The route crosses into Oromia Region at the 2,400-meter escarpment, where the Blue Nile Gorge opens to the west. Most guided excursions allocate two hours at the monastery, one hour at the Portuguese Bridge, and 90 minutes for gorge viewpoints and gelada encounters, returning to Addis by evening.