going south in april and may

i am also considering this trip for april/may. according to the '05 Bradt guide, it's possible to get to karat-konso & on to jinka from addis by bus. roads to jinka from k-k should be ok, even in rainy season. if there's not much rain, getting to turmi & omorate by truck should also be possible. the interior of the "circuit" & mago nat'l park (mursi) would likely be inaccessible. et me know if you'd like to join forces!
i have friends living in harar who have seen the passenger train leave from dire dawa - it seems to be running, but they've had not too much luck obtaining any schedule information. it sound like fun to me. they say dire dawa is good on weekends for nightlife. some travel warnings advise not riding the train, due to some incident back in 2003, which you may or may not wish to consider.

It's certainly possible to travel some of the Omo valley by public transport - your guidebooks should be able to give you all the info. weather-wise. However, remember that travel in Ethiopia by public transport is really tough going - the roads are terrible, the seats have no cushioning, the buses have no suspension, you have to sit around at the bus stop for two hours before you leave (at 5am), and it isn't at all comfortable. We had considered travel by public/local transport down in the Omo Valley, but were glad we decided to hire a 4WD.

Hello Angiez,

Thanks for your information.
Why not join forces! Sounds like fun.
For the moment we don't know yet when we will leave Addis. I suppose it will be around the 29th of april.
But we'll keep in touch!

Grtz,
Kathleen

hello there Julie & Angiez,

Julie, are you saying it is in any weather possible to travel to and partly through the Omo Valley and surrounding region with public transport? (even when rough)

Our travel guide (guess which one) and other sources say you can't, certainly not in april/may. We aren't planning on spending two weaks in the Omo region ( we're going to Bale Nat'l Park, Arba Minch and surrounding water parks and some project we need to check for sure, and maybe the train East if still possible) nor willing to pay expensive private 4x4. But hey, who knows what will happen. How much did you pay the 4x4?

Angiez, when precisely are you planning this? I think we'll be heading down somewhere around may 1-2-3. And you? We're certainly going to Bale National Park first, before going further down South. That would be at the end of april (four more weeks!).

Bye

If you're looking to travel in the south by yourself, make sure you have a lot of time, money and patience. It's possible, but not easy!

You can take the bus as far as Jinka. After that it gets complicated. You need to organize either 4x4s from NGOs or other organizations or try to convince the Isuzu trucks to take you.

The Isuzu trucks are currently not allowed to take foreigners with them. You might be able to convince them (i.e. pay them lots of money), but they still might not let you go because if they get caught they've got to pay a hefty fine. Additionally, you might need to get out of the truck while passing by police checkpoints.

Additionally, keep in mind that you'll be riding on the back of a pickup with goods for market days...this is when the Isuzus go - on market days, so you'll offten have to wait for days until someone is going.

If you are looking to hitch up with other tour cars or NGOs, it might be best if you're a smaller group (i.e. 2 people max), because there won't be a whole lot of room.

If you do decide you want to rent a 4x4, I suggest you contact Abeba Tours, as I was very happy with their services.

Hope that helps!

Cattootje - I dont mean weather-wise. I mean comfort-wise. I was there in the dry season at Christmas and the roads were bad enough. 10 years ago I was there after rains (but not in the rainy season) and we got stuck on one 30km stretch of road for 3 days. This road has improved in the last 10 years but Im sure there's still some pretty bad roads out there.

cattootje -
had trouble sending this before...will also pm you...
i am in addis now & ready to head south...i've already been to bale, but could meet you in arba minch when you're finished trekking, perhaps, for south omo...
keep in touch & take everything warm you have for the FREEZING bale nights! also, your food selection will be better outside dinsho. i'd recommend skipping rental of the kerosene stoves & sleeping bags in dinsho, if you can, as they are crap! you can cook on your guide & horseman's fire...
angiez