Using lake Langano as a base (225 km from the capital, and the only blaneable lakes of the Rift), it is an easy side trip to visit the Abijatta-shalla lakes National Park, 887 sq. km, 482 of it water. Are both terminal lakes but very different in nature. Surrounded mainly by acacia woodland, Lake Abijatta is a shallow pan 14 meter deep saline beach. While Lake Shalla is at 260 meter deep (Ethiopian deepest Rift Valley lake, possibly the deepest lake in Africa north of Equator), with several hot springs, rocky, salted, with few fishes.
Many birds, as white pelicans, greater and lesser flamingo, white-necked cormorant, African fish eagle, Egyptian geese, herons and more leave here together with greater-kudu, oribi, warthog and golden jackal.
Other equally important parks to be visited are yangudi Rassa, Gambella National park & many other wildlife sanctuaries.
Apart from its historic sites, beautiful scenery, wildlife sanctuaries and other things, Ethiopia is a home for people of unique cultures and ways of life, especially to the south of the country. You will be experiencing people of extraordinary ways of life. Many of these people, despite the world around them, have preserved a cultural way.
Just to mention some names:
- Omotic people around the Mago National Park and below Arba Minch and Awassa towns: the Konso, Borena, Tsemay, Ari, Benna, Mursi, Karo, Bume, Dassanech, Hammer, Erbore, Dorze people…
- On the west bank of Omo river and up to around Gambel town (part of them Nilo-Saharian people): surma, Dizi, Tishena, kitchepo, Anuak, Nuer,….
East Ethiopia: Kereyou, Afar and Issa. All with unique traditions and cultures.
We can mention Konso’s terracing agricultural, wooden totems and unique tradition: Dorze’s intricately woven houses and their woven cotton clothes, false banana and sorghum cultivations and more; Mursi and Surma’s men scarification and women wooden or terra-cotta disks into the ears and lips for beauty; Hammer, Karo, Dassanech, Erbore, Tsemay and others elaborated hairstyles, many form of gleaming adornments, men carve deep incisions on their arms and women in their body, and body painting (using clays and locally available vegetable pigments) on face, chest, arms and legs, and so on. But also their ceremonies make them unique. As Hammer people marriage ceremony, with women’s slashing and men’s jumping of the bull; Mursi and Surma game of the Donga (a ritual stick fighting), and many others.