Southern Ethiopia
“Forty springs”: two Rift Valley lakes, crocodiles on Lake Chamo and the Dorze highlands above.
Overview
Arba Minch means “forty springs”, for the water that rises at the foot of the escarpment and feeds a groundwater forest. Below the town lie Lakes Abaya and Chamo, divided by a forested ridge called the Bridge of God.
On Chamo’s shore, at the Crocodile Market, Nile crocodiles lie in the sun by the hundred. Nechisar National Park’s plains hold zebra, and the Dorze weave cotton in tall bamboo houses in the Gamo highlands above town.
Highlights
Plan your visit
All year; wettest March to May
Daily flights from Addis Ababa.
By 4x4 and by boat on Lake Chamo.
Gallery
Photos: Unsplash
Journeys
Length 03 days
Arba Minch
Crocodiles basking on Lake Chamo, zebra on the Nechisar plains and Dorze weavers in tall bamboo houses, from a base above two lakes.
Keep exploring
Southern
A river valley home to many distinct cultures, with colourful weekly markets.
Southern
Alpine moorland and forest, and the best place to look for the Ethiopian wolf.
Southern
Stone-walled hill towns and hand-built terraces, a UNESCO cultural landscape still farmed.
Plan with us
Tell us when you want to travel and what you love. A local specialist will reply with a suggested plan and a clear price.
