Southern Ethiopia

The Bale Mountains National Park is known for its wildlife more than any other park in Ethiopia, but it’s a very beautiful place, too. Approaching from Dodola, ridges to the east are punctuated with fortress-like escarpments, standing out from the gentler, rounded rock pinnacles to the north, and great wildlife watching begins as soon as the road cuts through the Gaysay Grassland in the valley between them, which is home to Ethiopia's densest concentration of large mammals.

Up in the hills are deep gorges, alpine lakes, rushing streams, several waterfalls, lava flows and views that go on almost forever. It would probably be as popular as the Simien Mountains if it wasn't located in such a remote corner of the country. For hikers, nature lovers, birders and wildlife watchers, the Bale Mountains National Park is a must.

Key Afar (ቀይ አፈር) rests on a lush plateau along the Konso–Jinka road. A rather large modern town, what it lacks in atmosphere for six days out of the week it more than makes up for on Thursday with one of the best markets around. Thousands of Banna, Hamer and Tsemay descend on the town, along with every tourist in the vicinity – memorable!

The most visited village, simply because it’s the easiest to reach, is Gamole, 6km west of Konso town. Just as interesting architecturally, and better overall because of the much lower number of visitors, is Machekie, 14km southwest of Konso. It still has three original sets of weathered wagas and also a rare newly erected set. Near Machekie, the village of Gesergio itself gets few visitors, but the oddly eroded valley alongside it does. Thanks to the towering pinnacles that someone decided resemble skyscrapers, it’s now commonly known as ‘New York’. One local legend explaining the landscape states that it’s the result of a magic spell cast by village elders to reveal the location of a chief’s stolen sacred drums.

Fasha, between Gesergio and the turn-off to Machekie, hosts the biggest market in Konso-land; Tuesday is a smaller affair. The road to Machekie and Gesergio passes the home of Chief Kalla Gezahegn, one of the nine Konso clan chiefs. A former civil engineer in Addis Ababa, he speaks fluent English and welcomes (paying) visitors.

Though seldom visited because it requires walking or riding a motorcycle 4km, Busso (5km southwest of Konso) is perhaps the loveliest village, as it surrounds a rocky point. It’s also home to some original wagas. Dekatu, about 1km off the main road near the Dokatu Market, is the nearest traditional village to Konso town and also very interesting. It’s best accessed by foot because the road is so bad. Usually a stop on the way to the Lower Omo Valley, Arfaide, 20km out of town along the Jinka road, has a large collection of old waga that were recovered after being stolen.

Gersale is the one village of note along the Arba Minch road. It’s just north of town and is visited for a new tree-planting program (plant a tree for US$20), where a small plaque with your name is placed in front of your tree, and for the half-hour traditional dance performances rather than its architecture. Inquire at the tourist office.

Before visiting any of these villages (except Arfaide) you must pay fees (village fee per day Birr100, vehicle Birr50) and hire a guide (per group Birr200) at the Konso Tourist Information Centre. You’ll likely be charged an additional Birr20 to enter individual compounds and Birr5 per picture of people.

The children’s faranji frenzy (a result of previous visitors handing out sweets, pens, etc) gets irritating at times, but it’s only truly aggressive at Gesergio. If you want to give something, ask your guide to take you to the local school.

Resting between Shashemene and Bale Mountains National Park, the diminutive town of Dodola is a great base for hikers, nature lovers or indeed anyone who is receptive to the untamed beauty of a wilderness environment. Superb treks (on horseback or on foot) can be organised in the area.

High up in the Guge Mountains, northwest of Arba Minch, is cold and cloudy Dorze territory. Dorze (ዶርዜ) people are famous for their towering homes and fine cotton weaving. Experiencing a cultural immersion in a Dorze village is one of the highlights of any trip to southern Ethiopia – not to mention the journey up here, which affords some spectacular views over Arba Minch and the Rift Valley lakes.

This bizarre crater lake is about 800m across and 600m below the crater rim – it is so dark in colour that it looks like an oil slick amid the ruddy rocks. Valuable and muddy, black salt has been extracted from the lake for centuries, carried up on the backs of donkeys. It’s a half-hour, knee-trembling walk down and a full-hour, thigh-burning slog back up. It’s best to visit during the morning’s cooler temperatures when the salt gatherers are actually working.

For almost all visitors, the Mursi tribe is the most anticipated of those in the Lower Omo Valley. The unique chance to meet half-naked women with giant lip and ear plates and ritually scarred bodies simply proves irresistible. But visiting comes with a catch. Even though things have improved in recent years, the Mursi are the most aggressive tribe in their interaction with tourists and you can expect to have your arms, clothes, camera bag and maybe even hair pulled. Things are worse in the afternoon, after lots of alcohol has been consumed.

There are five Mursi villages (የሙርሲ መንደር). The most visited is Hayloha. It’s the biggest and even has a few ‘modern’ buildings. Smaller and purely traditional, Marige and Yilma tend to have fewer hassles. The other three villages are rarely visited. All charge Birr100 per person to enter.

Omo National Park (ኦሞ ብሄራዊ ፓርክ) has long been one of the most remote parks in Ethiopia and travelling here can be incredibly tough – but never less than fascinating. But getting to the park has just got a whole lot easier – with two new bridges over the Omo River, the park can now be reached from the rest of southern Ethiopia, making it more accessible than ever before.

The park consists of grasslands, hot springs and riverine forests, which provide good wildlife habitat. Surveys of what animals exist here are still underway, but birding is excellent with 312 recorded species. Highlights include the blue-breasted kingfisher, red-naped bush shrike, bare-eyed thrush (burdened with the rather unfortunate scientific name Turdus tephronotus…), Boran cisticola, violet wood hoopoe and Donaldson Smith's sparrow-weaver among others.

Perfectly poised at Lake Awasa’s edge, the capital of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) is large, modern, well organised and a bit of a shock to the system for those who’ve been slogging it through the south for a long time. While Awasa (አዋሳ; officially Hawassa, but this new name hasn’t completely caught on yet) has no major sights, the scenic Lake Awasa and its lush surrounds and good amenities offer a relaxing respite from the rigours of southern travel or the hectic pace of life of Addis – small wonder it's a popular resort town.