Lalibela a very isolated place and the journey overland is still quite long and arduous - the sense of arrival in the little town is rather like that after making a great pilgrimage. In fact, Lalibela is a centre of pilgrimage. Among the dimly lit passageways and tunnels of the medieval churches, robed priests and monks still float; from hidden crypts and grottoes comes the sound of chanting, and in the deep, cool recesses of the interiors, the smell of incense and beeswax candles still pervades.
Lalibela undoubtely ranks among the greatest religio-historical sites, not only on the African continent, but in the Christian world. Just as remarkable, however, is its total disregard for this status. Medieval Lalibela just goes about its business. Here, more than anywhere in Ethiopia, one has the impression of landing in a time at least seven centuries behind our own. (Taken from Lonely Planet)