Southern Ethiopia
Stone-walled hill towns and hand-built terraces, a UNESCO cultural landscape still farmed.
Overview
In Konso the hills are stepped from foot to crest with dry stone terraces, and the towns sit on top inside up to six rings of stone wall. People have farmed this dry country the same way for more than 400 years; UNESCO listed it in 2011.
Inside the walls, lanes run like a maze to the mora meeting houses and the poles raised for each new generation. Carved wooden waga figures mark the graves of respected men.
Highlights
Plan your visit
All year, best outside the rains of March to May
Fly to Arba Minch, then about two hours south by road.
On foot inside the walled towns, with a local guide from Karat.
Gallery
Photos: Unsplash
Journeys
Length 02 days
Konso
Stone-walled hill towns, terraces built by hand over 400 years and carved wooden grave markers in Konso, a UNESCO landscape still farmed.
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
“Forty springs”: two Rift Valley lakes, crocodiles on Lake Chamo and the Dorze highlands above.
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.
