Background: A colostomy is a surgical procedure in which a stoma is created. Many patients with colostomy encounter several problems in daily activities, psychosocial and physiological aspects. In Ethiopia, some quantitative studies suggested that quality of life of patients who have colostomy is reduced. Despite the burden of living with colostomy, scant quantitative studies and insufficient qualitative studies were conducted related to the lived experiences of patients living with colostomy in Ethiopia. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences and coping mechanisms of patients with colostomy in Bahir Dar city public referral hospitals, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 2023. Methods: A phenomenological study was conducted from March 27 – May 19/ 2023 in Bahir Dar city referral public hospitals, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. All patients who have colostomy were source populations, and patients who lived 3 months and above with the colostomy were included in to the study. Convenience sampling was applied to select a total of 10 participants in Bahir Dar public referral hospitals in 2023. An in-depth interview guide was applied to collect the data and thematic analysis was employed with the help of ATLAS.ti8 for analysis. Result: The findings of this study led to the emerging of 5 main themes, which were 1. impacts on daily activities, 2. economic impacts, 3. nutrition and digestion related problems, 4. psychosocial impacts and 5. coping and management strategies. Participants conveyed their experiences and revealed problems they faced and it was multidimensional. Difficulty to perform different tasks, devastated psychological conditions, limited social interactions, abstained from sexual engagement, economical burdens, and tried different coping mechanisms were noted issues of the study. Conclusion: Patients living with colostomy encounters many challenges including physical, psychological, social, sexual, economic, and nutritional problems. Due to this reason patients with colostomy used different coping mechanisms to reduce the bad odor, using simple plastic bags, choosing appropriate places to sit, using other plastics instead as a pouch, having hope, getting support from family and health professionals. Keywords: colostomy, stoma, lived experience, phenomenology, Ethiopia