Southern Ethiopia: Different from the historic route of northern Ethiopia, Southern Ethiopia is better known for its natural attractions than its historical and archaeological sites. It is dominated by mid-altitude Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes and is home to the most stunning diversity of birds and some mammals. This southern rift valley floor is an outstanding geological manifestation of how our Earth works. Highlights of this pleasant part of Ethiopia are Six Lakes of different colors despite their proximity to each other oriented from northeast to northwest direction.
Lake Zeway – the first from the Addis Langano main road 160km (about 99.42 mi) south of Addis is 430kmSq occupies a shallow depression and has a maximum depth of 7m. The lake shore is a wonderful place to score lots of both aquatic and acacia species of birds. The lake also supports hippos and the nearby Island called Tulu Guddo rises 300 m above the Lake surface and is home to the Monastery of Mariam Tsion founded during the 9th C.AD by priests from Axum brought the Ark of the Covenant for safety following apolitical instability in Axum. Tradition has it that the Ark stayed here for 70 years.
Lake Langano: it is 200 km from Addis and 305 km Sq total surface area, has a maximum depth of 48 m located in a faulted basin. This is reasonably fresh and free from Bilharzia, which makes it popular for swimming and water sports. The water is brownish in color due to rivers flowing into the lake bringing fine mineral particles of red-brown iron-rich soil which settle to the lake floor and remain suspended in the water.
Abijatta- Shalla Lakes National Park: These are the two most important Lakes listed as the 7th nesting and feeding grounds in the world. The 887 km2 National Park protects the two lakes which are separated by 3 km of land. The park offers a spectacular array of birds (554 different species of birds recorded), both migratory and permanent residents. Lake Abijatta is the shallowest and is the feeding ground for the pelicans and the flamingos. It is a deep blue color due to the water which is rich in coagulated dissolved soda that precipitates the fine suspended materials. Lake Shalla is the deepest lake of all the rift valley lakes plunging to 266m. It lies within a caldera after an unusually dramatic explosion and collapse. It has seven islands serving as nesting grounds for the pelicans and the flamingos. It has a deeper blue color due to the silica suspended on the water’s surface and its greater depth. The nearby hot springs are famous for their healing power so they attract a large number of local bathers.
Awassa: which used to be much larger than the present, lies within an ancient caldera called Corbitt and gives an excellent ambiance for the Regional Capital City, Awassa. It is home to an astonishing variety of birds around the lake shore and a short boat trip would reward a sighting of hippos. The colorful Awassa Fish market is another excellent vibrant spot for the local Sidama people to feast on freshly cooked fish Flete, fish soup, and the Japanese- like Suchi. The road from Awassa to Moyale passes through fertile Sidamo hills covered with natural forest patches home to the best Coffee Arabica Beans and dotted with beautiful round traditional Sidama Houses. Yirgalem, Dilla, and Yirgachefe towns are important agricultural business centers, known for the production of high-quality Coffee beans. The road offers to explore one of the best archaeological sites in southern Ethiopia such as the Manchiti Rock Art which is a 3,000-year-old rock engraving of around 50 stylized cattle like-moving on a vertical rock face. The two medieval period stele fields Tutu Fela dominated by 300 phallic-shaped steles whose clear marks of circumcision near the top is seen, and the Tututi stele field has the tallest stele known from southern Ethiopia measures 7.5 m seen standing among the 1,200 carved stones. This stele field has human and drum steles. As the road winds south, the vegetation changes to acacia woodland and so is the landscape it becomes drier this is the Borna the homeland of the Borna Oromo known for their traditional political system, the Geda System. Their economy is based on cattle herding and the livestock is central to their identity. The Yabello town has been serving as a base to explore El-Sod lies 100km south of the town and is an example of a geological wonder. It is a 1.8km in diameter and 340m deep unexpected hole in the ground and at the bottom is a black lake saturated with salt. The local people mined the salt and carried it out on donkey back. The salt itself is not black, but the color is due to the black organic matter mixed with it. The crater is an example of an explosive crater produced by stem explosion probably several hundred times. The deposit can be seen at least 10km which shows the explosions were violent and started very deep down below the earth’s surface. 65km from Yabello town a village called Dublok is the site of two so-called Singing wells where the Borna men form a chanting human chain to haul the water on a bucket to the top for watering their cattle. The area is an important birding site for two African Range restricted species White Tailed Swallow and Stresemann’s Bush Crow described in 1938 and 1942, and both restricted to the arid acacia scrub. The arid land also supports Zebras (Borna National Park), dik–dik, and the long-necked Gerenuk.
From the town of Yabello, the road forks eastwards to Konso the gateway to the Omo Valley, which is the homeland of the industrious Konso People recognized as the 9th world heritage site of Ethiopia in 2012. Konso lies at the southern limit of the western highlands, east of the Omo Valley. A strong agricultural community, divided into nine clans, the Konso developed a unique settlement pattern on top of the hills, surrounded by formidable defensive generational stone walls while the family house has its own private compound and entrance. These generational walls of villages protect not only the people from the immediate danger from a potential enemy but also their unique culture that has been surviving since time immemorial. The generation pool erected in the main public square, the Community mora house, and the agriculture are institutions the Konso built uniquely for the perpetuation of their own history, culture, and tradition. Their traditional political system gives hereditary kingship from the father to the son while clan chiefs own representative power and work closely with the King. The agricultural institution is such a strong one that it must be done with special attention so as to ensure the economic, social, and political well-being of the Konso people. The Konso are known for their mixed agriculture and almost their entire land is terraced with stone to make it more sustainable and grow Maize, Sorghum, Fingermilate, Tobacco, Cotton, and tropical fruits and the most important plant is the Moringa. The Konso erect memorial Totems for their Kings and their own family members to narrate their legacy through such a material culture. Village heroes will be remembered by memorial stones erected along village entrances.
90 km north of Konso is Arba Minch literary meaning the 40 Springs, another pleasant town situated overlooking the two rift valley lakes of Abaya and Chamo separated by a natural bridge called Bridge of God. These two lakes are the southerly most rift valley lakes both fall within the boundary of the Nech Isar National Park, creating such a spectacular landscape rich in biodiversity.
Lake Abaya: is Ethiopia’s largest rift valley lake measures 1,160km Sq with a maximum depth of 13m deep, surrounded by mountains in the north and rivers that drain into it resulting in the suspension of ferric oxides which change the watercolor and blocking the penetration of the sunlight which affect the Fish population. Lake Chamo Ethiopia’s second largest rift valley lake is 550 km Sq and has a depth of 14 m. it is rich in Fish and a short boat trip will take you to the sighting of Africa’s deadliest predator the Nile Crocodile.
North of Arba Minch is the village of the Dorze Tribe whose language belongs to the Omotic and occupies the Guge hills. Their traditional bamboo huts surrounded by the False Banana grove; the high-quality hand-woven cotton cloths and their agricultural life add a real cultural experience.
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