Southern Nature, People and Culture

Rift Valley Lakes via Butajira, Hosaina and Sodo towns

There are some of interesting sights that can be explored while driving to Arba Minch from Addis Ababa. These sights include Adadi Mariam: Is a subterranean semi monolithic rock hewn church encircled by a wide tunnel containing a few disused monastic cells. It is far closer in style to its counter parts at Lalibela than to any other rock hewn church in Tigrai. Melka kunture: is best known for the numerous stone age artifacts that have been unearthed along the river including a variety of cleaves, hand axes and other tools made from basalt and other hard rocks .Tiya stelae field: mark the northern limit of a belt of mysterious engraved stelae that stretches across southern Ethiopia.

Northern Rift Valley Lakes via the junction towns of Mojo and Shashemene

The Great Rift Valley, which extends from the Middle East to Mozambique, passes right through Ethiopia, endowing the country with some spectacular features that range from hot, dry, and barren places to a string of beautiful lakes. Volcanic activity, which greatly contributed to the formation of the Rift Valley, continues up to present times. In Ethiopia it finds expression in the presence of hot springs many parts of the country, as well as volcanic cones in the Danakil Depression in the north-east. Much further south, between and far below the two escarpments, lie the glittering watery jewels of Lake Awasa, Lake Shala, Lake Abijatta, Lake Langano and Lake Ziway:

Dilla, Yabello and Moyale

The moyale road covering 500km south of Awasa is long stretch of road connecting Ethiopia and Kenya. This circuit boasts many worthwhile and untrammeled cultural, archeological and ornithological attractions. The largest towns to the south of Awasa are Dilla and Yirgalem known for their archeological interest for its ancient rock engravings and medieval stelea fields. Thus day trips to Tutu Fela and Tututi stelae fields, driving through the natural forest, enset and coffee farms of

This region can be organized from Dilla or Yirgalem. Dilla, Yirgalem and Yirgachefe lies in the fertile green mountains of the Eastern Rift Valley escarpment. These are important agricultural business centers known mainly for the excellent coffee grown in the vicinities and the surrounding hills.

Abaya and Chamo

Arba Minch meaning ‘forty springs’ is situated at an elevation of around 1300m in the foot hills of the Rift Valley and amid a country with abundant water, on a high, cool ridge overlooking two of the southern Rift’s most beautiful lakes Chamo and Abaya. The town is directly opposite Nechisar National Park entrance. ‘Nech’ means white and ‘Sar’ means grass- and the combination ‘white grass’ clearly describing the broad plains area of Nechisar National Park supporting a good number of mammals including, the large greater kudu, with spectacular spiral horns and white-striped flanks, the tiny Guenther’s dik-dik, usually seen in pairs, herds of Burch ell’s zebra, which mingle with Grant’s gazelle and an occasional Swayne’s hartebeest – an endemic subspecies.

People of Ethiopia

The Italian historian Conti Rossini Described Ethiopia as a museum of people. The country has diverse people, more than 80 languages and more than 200 dialects spoken in Ethiopia. Some of these people include

The Oromo: is believed to have migrated from the south and from present day Kenya. They are Cushitic and were once nomadic pastoralists and skilled warrior horsemen. Today most are leading agrarian life and most of them are Muslims, Christians and animists in religion. They are also known for their egalitarian society which is based on the famous Gada system (age group system) they are estimated to form the largest group in Ethiopia.

ja_mageia