Lakes & Wildlife · Southern Rift
Arba Minch & Nechisar
Arba Minch — "forty springs" — sits above two great Rift Valley lakes, Abaya and Chamo, divided by a narrow isthmus known as the Bridge of God. Below it lies Nechisar National Park, and above it the cool Gamo Highlands of the Dorze weavers.
Why We Go
Forty springs, two Rift Valley lakes, and crocodiles basking on the shore of Lake Chamo.
The town takes its name from the springs at the entrance to Nechisar National Park, and the park itself stretches across the ridge between Lakes Abaya and Chamo and the pale grass plains to the east — the white grass that gives Nechisar its name.
The classic outing is by boat across Lake Chamo to the stretch of shore known as the Crocodile Market, where large numbers of crocodiles gather in the sun. Birdlife along the lakes is rich, and the views back to the escarpment are some of the best in the southern Rift.
Up in the Gamo Highlands, around Chencha at 2,732 metres, the Dorze are known for their weaving and for their tall beehive-shaped houses woven from bamboo, which can reach twelve metres and last for decades. We visit with a Dorze guide, and Arba Minch has flights from Addis Ababa, making it the natural gateway to Konso and the Omo Valley.
Highlights
- 01A boat on Lake Chamo to the Crocodile Market, where hundreds of crocodiles sun themselves
- 02The Bridge of God, the isthmus between Lakes Abaya and Chamo
- 03The Nechisar plains — the park's name means "white grass"
- 04The Dorze villages near Chencha, with woven bamboo houses up to 12 metres tall
Best combined with a stay of 2 – 3 days, travelling October – March.
Journeys Including Arba Minch & Nechisar
Routes that pass through here
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