The altitude of the park ranges from 1,540 to 2,075 meters (5,051 to 6,806 feet), the highest peak being Mount Fike, situated between the two lakes. The temperatures can be high, reaching 45°C (113°F) at maximum and 5°C (41°F) at minimum. Rain falls between March and April and June and September, averaging 500 mm (19.5 inches).

The surrounding area is mainly acacia woodland, some of which is very degraded by man.

Lake Abijatta is 14 meters (46 feet) deep as opposed to Lake Shalla which has a depth of 260 meters (853 feet).

The Park was created for the many aquatic bird species that use the lakes, specially great white pelicans and greater and lesser flamingo. The birds use Lake Abijatta as a feeding center while using Lake Shalla’s island as breeding site.

2- Awash National Park
The Awash River, one of the major rivers of the Horn of Africa, waters important agricultural lands in the north- eastern part of Ethiopia and eventually flows into the wilderness of Danakil Depression. The dramatic Awash Falls as the river tumbles into its gorge, is the site not to be missed in the national park. A special attraction is the beautiful clear pools of the hot springs (Filwoha).

The Ethiopian Rift Valley, which is part of the famous East African Rift Valley, comprises numerous hot springs, beautiful lakes and a variety of bird life. The valley is the result of two parallel faults in the earth’s surface between which, in distant geological time, the crust was weakened, and the land subsided. Ethiopia is often referred to as “water tower” of Eastern Africa because of the many rivers that pour off the high tableland. The Great Rift Valley’s passage through Ethiopia is marked by a chain of seven lakes.

Most of the lakes are suitable and safe for swimming and other sports.

In short, the Rift Valley is endowed with many beautiful lakes, numerous hot springs, warm and pleasant climate and a variety of wildlife. It is considered as one of the most ideal areas for the development of international tourism in Ethiopia.

10- Sof Omar
Sof Omar, a tiny Muslim village in Bale, is the site of an amazing complex of natural caves, cut by the Weyb River as it found its way into the nearby mountains.

This little developed National Park covers an area of 4,730 square kilometers. With an altitude of 400 to 1,459 meters (1,300 – 4,800 feet) above sea level, the Park was established for the purpose of protecting an endangered species – the wild ass. Gerenuk, Sommerring’s gazelle, Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra and Hamadryas baboon are also found in the Park.

Source – Ethiopian Music

Using Lake Langano as your base, it is an easy side trip to visit Abijatta-Shalla Lakes National Park, which is 887 square kilometers (550 square miles) in size, 482 (300) of these being water.

The altitude of the park ranges from 1,540 to 2,075 meters (5,051 to 6,806 feet), the highest peak being Mount Fike, situated between the two lakes. The temperatures can be high, reaching 45°C (113°F) at maximum and 5°C (41°F) at minimum. Rain falls between March and April and June and September, averaging 500 mm (19.5 inches).

The surrounding area is mainly acacia woodland, some of which is very degraded by man.

Abijatta and Shalla are both terminal lakes but very different in nature. Lake Abijatta is 14 meters (46 feet) deep as opposed to Lake Shalla which has a depth of 260 meters (853 feet).

The Park was created for the many aquatic bird species that use the lakes, specially great white pelicans and greater and lesser flamingo. The birds use Lake Abijatta as a feeding center while using Lake Shalla’s island as breeding site. White-necked cormorant, African fish eagle, Egyptian geese and others are in abundance in the park.

Lying in the lowlands east of Addis Ababa, and striding the Awash River, the Awash National Park is one of the finest reserves in Ethiopia. The Awash River, one of the major rivers of the Horn of Africa, waters important agricultural lands in the north- eastern part of Ethiopia and eventually flows into the wilderness of Danakil Depression.

Awash National Park, surrounding the dormant volcano of Fantale, is a reserve of arid and semi-arid woodland and Savannah, with riverine forests along the Awash River. The bird life is prolific specially along the river and in amongst the 392 species recorded.

Access to the park is the best from the main Addis-Assab highway, and there is a caravan lodge called Kereyu Lodge at the edge of the gorge.

3- Dallol Depression

One of the most important features of this region of Africa resulted from faulting and cracking on its eastern side. This has caused the Great Rift Valley, which extends from
the Middle East to Mozambique, passing in a north-south direction right through Ethiopia. This shearing of the earth’s surface occurred at the same time that the Arabian
Peninsula, geologically a part of Africa, was sundered from the rest of the continent.
Earth tremors are often felt, and exposed cones of old volcanic plugs are seen throughout the plateau. Behind these barriers the trapped inland sea that had formed began to evaporate under the fierce heat of the tropical sun – a process that is almost complete today. Only a few scattered, highly saline lakes – Gamarri, Affambo, Bario, and Abbe remain. Elsewhere, there are huge beds of natural salt – which, at points, are calculated to be several thousands of metres thick.

One of Ethiopia’s least developed parks and receiving few visitors, Gambella National Park is located on the Akobo River system. It was originally created for the protection of the extensive swamp habitat and the wildlife there.

The park is 5,060 square Kilometers (1,954 square miles) in area, and its altitude ranges between 400 and 768 meters (1,312 and 2,519 feet). Rainfall is 1,500 mm (58.5 inches) a year, falling between April and October. Temperatures are high. Malaria is a problem and precautions must be taken.

The park contains forty-one species, many representative of neighboring Sudan and not found elsewhere in Ethiopia, such as Nile lechwe and the white-eared Kob, the latter migrating in the large numbers.

The most important of the 154 bird species present here is the whale-headed stork, an unusual large-billed, tall bird seen standing in the swamps.

4- Lake Tana

Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia, is the source and from where the famed Blue Nile starts its long journey to Khartoum, and on to the Mediterranean. The 37 islands that are scattered about the surface of the lake shelter fascinating churches and monasteries. Some of which have histories dating back to the 13th century.

Boats can be hired from the Marine Transport Authority in Bahir Dar.

Along the lake shore bird life, both local and migratory visitors, make the site an ideal place for bird-watchers.

Bird lovers will not want to miss Fasiledes island, which is specially famous as an important wetland. The whole of the lake Tana region and the Blue Nile gorge host a wide variety of birds both endemic and migratory visitors.

5- Mago National Park

Covering an area of 2,162 square kilometers on the banks of Omo River, the Mago National Park is relatively undeveloped for tourists. The broad grasslands teem with herds of Buffalo, Giraffe, Elephant and Kudu, while sometimes it is possible to find Lion, Leopard and Burchell’s Zebra.

Mago National Park mainly grass savannah, with some forested areas around the rivers. Very dense bush makes for difficult game viewing. Kingfishers and herons can be seen around the Neri River, which provides an alternative habitat.

Lakes Abaya and Chamo are the twin rift valley lakes separated by a neck of land better known as a “Bridge of Heaven”. They are the integral part of the park. The park is home to Burchell’s Zebra, Grant’s Gazelle, greater Kudu and others.

The 188 bird species – including two endemic of the area are quite varied, reflecting the different habitats within the park. Both the red-billed and the gray hornbill are common here, and the Abyssinian ground hornbill is also seen. Also common are fish eagle, kingfishers, and rollers. Various bustard species are found in the park including the large and impressive Kori.

7- Blue Nile Falls

THE SMOKE OF FIRE

This misty deluge produces rainbows, shimmering across the gorge, and a small perennial rainforest of lush green vegetation, to the delight of the many monkeys and multicoloured birds that inhabit the area.

To reach the falls, which are about thirty-five kilometres (22 miles) away, drive south from the town of Bahir Dar for about half an hour and stop at Tis Isat village. Here travelers will quickly find themselves surrounded by a retinue of sometimes overzealous youthful guides who, for a small Fee, will show the way and point out several places of historic interest en route.

After leaving the village the footpath Meanders first beside open and fertile fields, then drops into a deep rift that is spanned by an ancient, fortified stone bridge built in the seventeenth century by Portuguese adventurers and still in use. After a thirty-minute walk, a stiff climb up a grassy hillside is rewarded by a magnificent view of the falls, breaking the smooth edge of the rolling river into a thundering cataract of foaming water.

A rewarding but longer trek is to walk along the east bank all the way to the back of the falls; crossing the river by papyrus boat known as ‘Tankwa’.

8- OMO VALLEY

The Omo Valley is virtually free of human habitation but it is rich in palaeo-anthropological remains. According to research conducted in 1982 by the University of California at Berkeley, hominid remains from the Omo Valley probably date back more than four million years.

Much of Africa’s volcanic activity is concentrated along the immense 5,000 kilometres crack in the earth’s surface known as the Rift Valley. It is the result of two roughly parallel faults, between which, in distant geological time, the crust was weakened and the land subsided. The valley walls 97 daunting blue-grey ridges of volcanic basalt and granite – rise sheer on either side to towering heights of 4,000 metres. The valley floor 50 kilometres or more across, encompasses some of the world’s last true wildernesses. Ethiopia is often referred to as the water tower of Eastern Africa because of the many rivers that pour off its high tableland, and a visit to this part of the Rift Valley, studded with lakes, volcanoes and savannah grassland, offers the visitor a true safari experience.

Since 1973, the river has proved a major attraction for white-water rafters.

The river passes varied scenery including an open gallery forest of tamarinds and figs, alive with colobus monkeys. Goliath herons, blue-breasted kingfishers, white-cheeked turacos. Beyond the forest, hippos graze on the savannah slopes against the mountain walls, and waterbuck, bushbuck and Abyssinian ground hornbills are sometimes to be seen.

The valley is the result of two parallel faults in the earth’s surface between which, in distant geological time, the crust was weakened, and the land subsided. Ethiopia is often referred to as “water tower” of Eastern Africa because of the many rivers that pour off the high tableland. The Great Rift Valley’s passage through Ethiopia is marked by a chain of seven lakes.

Each of the seven lakes has its own special life and character and provides ideal habitats for the exuberant variety of flora and fauna that make the region a beautiful and exotic destination for tourists.

Besides, lakes Abijatta and Shalla are ideal places for bird watchers. Most of the Rift Valley lakes are not fully exploited for tourism purposes except lake Langano where tourist class hotels are built. The Rift Valley is also a site of numerous natural hot springs and the chemical contents of the hot springs are highly valued for their therapeutic purposes though at present they are not fully utilized.

In short, the Rift Valley is endowed with many beautiful lakes, numerous hot springs, warm and pleasant climate and a variety of wildlife. It is considered as one of the most ideal areas for the development of international tourism in Ethiopia.

10- Sof Omar

The settlement, which is a religious site, is named after a local Sheikh.

Some 35 per cent of the Ethiopian population is Muslim. A further small percentage of the population adheres to traditional and other beliefs, including Judaism.

11- Yangudi-Rassa National Park

Situated in a semi-desert area the Yangudi-Rassa National Park has very little rainfalls. With an altitude of 400 to 1,459 meters (1,300 – 4,800 feet) above sea level, the Park was established for the purpose of protecting an endangered species – the wild ass. Gerenuk, Sommerring’s gazelle, Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra and Hamadryas baboon are also found in the Park.

Source – Ethiopian Music

Ethiopian News – In recent months, the Ethiopian government began marketing abroad one of the hottest commodities in an increasingly crowded and hungry world: farmland.

“Why Attractive?” reads one glossy poster with photos of green fields and a map outlining swaths of the country available at bargain-basement prices. “Vast, fertile, irrigable land at low rent. Abundant water resources.

Governments across Southeast Asia, Latin America and especially Africa are seizing the chance to attract this new breed of investors, wining and dining executives and creating land-leasing agencies and land catalogues to showcase their offerings of earth. In Africa alone, experts estimate that about 50 million acres – roughly the size of Nebraska – have been leased in the past two years.

The trend is driven in part by last year’s global food crisis. Relatively wealthy countries are shoring up their food supplies by growing staple crops abroad. The desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for instance, is shifting wheat production to Africa. The government of India, where land is crowded and overfarmed, is offering incentives to companies to carve out mega farms across the continent.

Increasingly, though, purely profit-seeking companies are snatching up land, making a simple, if somewhat grim, calculation. As one Saudi-backed businessman here put it, “The population of the world is increasing dramatically, so land and food supplies will be short, demand will be higher and prices will rise.”

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is in the midst of a food security summit in Rome where some of the 62 heads of state attending are to discuss a code of conduct to govern land deals, which are being struck with little public input.

“These contracts are pretty thin; no safeguards are being introduced,” said David Hallam, a deputy director at the FAO. “You see statements from ministers where they’re basically promising everything with no controls, no conditions.”

The harshest critics of the practice conjure bleak images of poor Africans starving as food is hauled off to rich countries.

“We don’t trust this government,” said Merera Gudina, a leading opposition figure here who accuses Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of using the land policy to hold on to power. “We are afraid this government is buying diplomatic support by giving away land.”

“If these deals are negotiated well, I tell you, it will change the dynamics of the food economy in this country,” said Mafa Chipeta, the FAO’s representative in Ethiopia, dismissing the worst-case scenarios. The human spirit would not allow it.”

‘Everybody is coming’

Few countries have embraced the trend as zealously as Ethiopia, where hard-baked eastern deserts fade into spectacularly lush and green western valleys fed by the Blue Nile.

Many of the workers were children. The day rate: 8 birr – about 70 cents.

“We have no problems with them.”

Supervisors treat them cruelly, he said, and most workers were just biding time until they could go work for a Chinese construction company rumored to pay $2 to $4 a day.

“I’m a machine operator and I make 800 birr [about $65] a month. This is the most terrible pay.”

Rao said he had trained about 60 Ethiopians to drive tractors; others would learn to run shellers, and how to fertilize and irrigate land. If things work as they should, he said, Ethiopians will adopt the modern techniques in their own farms.

Along a muddy road leading to Karuturi farm, people said they were hopeful that might happen. Most said they were struggling just to buy government-subsidized fertilizer, much less tractors. In any case, Ethiopians cannot own land, instead holding “use certificates” for their tiny plots, making it difficult to get loans, or to sell or increase holdings.

“We think they might be beneficial to us in the future,” said Yadeta Fininsa, referring to the new companies coming to town. “But so far we have not benefited anything.”

Source – Ethiopian Music