Southern Ethiopia

A trip to Southern Ethiopia

A trip to the southern part of Ethiopia will have you see different tourist attraction sites that will make your trip to the country worth it. Some of the highlights as you head to southern Ethiopia include:

Exploring the Weyto village

The Weyto village is a home to the Tsamai people who are a total population of just 10,000people. The village is extremely hot due to the fact that it is about 550 meter above sea level. As you pass through the village, you will learn more about the locals and the different cultural practices that they carry out, get to shop for some colorful souvenirs in the market and also meet the other people who come in the village like the Banna and Konso.

Meet the Daasanach

The Daasanach are a group of people who live in the Omo valley and they live in the town of Omerate which is a few kilometers away from the border of Kenya. These have a beautiful culture that you will not want to miss out on for example you will find men covering their heads with clay caps and these show how they killed a certain animal or an enemy. Some put them on for beauty purposes and a visit to this place will leave you awed as you carry out fishing and boat riding on the Omo River and experience the unique culture at the same time.

The Arba Minch

The Arba Minch is located in the southern part of the country and it is one of the few destinations that you will see when you head out for your southern tour in Ethiopia. The Arba Minch has a lot to offer to tourists for example you will see the Lake Chamo and Lake Abaya where you will be able to see the many bird species that habitate in the around the Lakes, the different animals that live in the Nechisar National Park that is also found in the Arba Minch and many more other things that will make your trip to the south of Ethiopia worthwhile.

A visit to the Rift Valley Lakes

The Rift Valley Lakes that are found in the southern part of Addis Ababa are worth visiting due to the diverse life that habitates around it and other tourist attractions. Some of the Rift Valley Lakes that you will visit on your trip south of the country include the following:

• Lake Langano

Lake Langano is the only Lake that is found in Ethiopia which is not affected with Bilharzia and therefore making it the perfect Lake for swimming. There are various activities that can be carried out like boat riding, swimming and fishing and you will find many lodges around that offer accommodation.

• The Koka Dam Lake

The Koka Dam Lake is an artificial Lake that came about due to the construction of the Koka Dam and there are not many activities that are carried out here but it is a the best spot for birding.

• The Lake Hawassa

Lake Hawassa was formerly known as the Awasa is commonly known for the fishing activities that are carried out on the Lake. It has a very big fish market which is the top tourist attraction on the Lake and tourists get to buy fish cheaply and also participate in the fishing process.

• The Ziway Lake

The Ziway Lake is located in the Axum city and it is a home to the Ark of the Covenant. It has a wide number of bird species that habitate in the area and that is why many tourist go to the Lake to see the endemic birds of Ethiopia and some migratory ones.

• The Abijatta and Shala Lake

The Abijatta and Shalla Lake are located near the Abijatta and Shala Lake National Park and just like the other Lakes in the Rift Valley besides the Lake Langano, swimming cannot be done here due to the Bilharzia effect it has. A visit to these twin Lakes will give you a chance to also visit the National Park and trek through as you view the different wild life that habitates in the Park.

The Konso Karat

The Konso Karat was declared a UNESCO heritage site and it is one of the top destinations in the country. The Konso tribe lives here just next to the Omo valley and their village is surrounded by a large wall that separates it from the rest of the villages. They are extremely organize people that live in groups that is you will find the old people who call themselves generational living in the village squares whereas others are evenly distributed in communal houses and individual compounds. You will be able to go to the village market which is normally held on Mondays and Thursdays and enjoy shopping for the unique things that are locally made, enjoy the food prepared by the locals, visit the Karat Bridge and also enjoy visiting the cemetery that is found in the hills and these are marked using wooden sticks. That is the only way they can identify who was buried since they have limited land as they burry in hills.

Explore the Bales Mountain and the Bales Mountain national Park

The Bales Mountain is one of the beautiful sceneries that you will find when you visit the southern part of Ethiopia. There are very many tourist attractions that you are bound to see besides trekking through the Bales National Park and view the wildlife that habitates within and hiking up the Bales Mountain and these include:

• Exploring the Sof Omar caves

These are located near the Bales Mountain and they are mostly visited by Muslim pilgrims who come to worship from the caves. The caves are named after the Sof Omar chief who is believed to have been visited by Allah in the caves and that is why pilgrimages are made to the caves. The best time to go to the caves is during the dry season as it might be impassable due to the presence of the water body that passes through it and the hot and cold springs.

A visit to the Jinka town

The Jinka town is located in the Omo valley and it is considered to be the largest city in the Omo valley. It is a home to many tourist attraction sites and it is also a home to the Mursi tribe which lives around the Omo River.

• The Mago National Park

As you head down to the Jinka town, you will pass by the Mago National park where you will a few of the animals that still habitate in the area especially baboons, bushbucks, a few bird species, monkeys and you also get to camp around the park and enjoy the wild night in the park.

• Visiting with the Mursi people

The Mursi people live in a very good area which has a lot to offer when it comes to phot safaris and this is because they have a very good scenery in form of trees and animals. They also live as the Masai who live in Kenya do and they also share some customs. They have traditional practices that are almost barbaric to the outsiders but to them it is a sign of beauty especially for the women. The women start wearing plates in their lips when they are young and these elongate their lips to the size of the plates and they also do the same to their ears. Everyone woman who does this is considered a great beauty in the community. They are also known to be aggressive people especially when it comes to their cattle and therefore you should first ask for their permission in case you want to take a photo or talk to them.

• Visiting the Ari people

The Ari people also live in the Jinka region and unlike their counterparts the Mursi, these ones are hospital and can easily be approached. They almost have the same characters like the other tribes that are found in the Omo Valley it is just that the Ari have finally adopted to the western culture of dressing and are trying to adapt to the western world. They are renowned agriculturalists and they grow the largest percentage of vegetables that you will find on the market in the different parts of Ethiopia.

There are several places in between that you will find as you head down to the southern part of Ethiopia and they are both educational and enlightening. The trip can easily be arranged using the itineraries that we have on our website and then you will be able to enjoy your trip without worry. And for each place that you will make a stopover, you will need a tour guide who will help you when it comes to translation as most people in the country can barely speak English and the tour guides also help with the easy approach to the locals who value their privacy life.