A Glimpse at Some of Ethiopian Natural Attractions

 
The Blue NileFalls and Lake Tana-

Locally known as “Tississat”, meaning ‘water that smokes’ presents a spectacular water fall with an intense gash from more than forty-five meters (150 feet) peak, producing rainbows across the gorge. The area is also inhabited by fascinating wild lives and birds.

Lake Tana is the largest lake in the country and considered the source of the Blue NileRiver. The lake is home to close to 20 islands. Most of the islands shelter historic relics and items of great historic significance.

Simien Mountains-

SimienMountains are home to Ethiopia’s highest peak Ras Dashen with the height of 4437m (14,550 feet).

With the assistance of a professional guide, the area is ideal for mountain trekking. The endemic Walia Ibex and the Gelada Baboon are also found here.

The Rift Valley Lakes-

Ethiopia is one of the countries that the Great Rift Valley system traverses. The Valley embraces the beautiful chains of lakes with abundant wild life and variety of birds. The Rift Valley comprises of the country’s famous natural parks known asAbijatta-Shalla, Nechisar, Mago and Omo national parks. Each national park presents a unique feature for bird-watching, trekking and wild life scenery.

The Sof Omar Caves-

Not far from Bale mountains and named after Sheikh Sof Omar, who took refuge there centuries ago, the caves have been an important Islamic shrine for centuries.

In the dry cool caves of Sof Omar village, nature has worked a marvel of architecture i.e., soaring pillars of stone twenty meters high, flying buttresses, fluted archways, and tall airy vaults. Apart from its Islamic shrines, visitors can discover inside the caves remnants of traditional beliefs that pre-dated islam.

Wildlife and Bird-watching-

Ethiopia is remarkable among African countries for its high rate of endemicity, as stated on the WorldConservationMonitoringCenter’s Biodiversity Index.

To date 845 species of birds and 260 species of mammals currently registered. Out of these, as many as 50 are indigenous to Ethiopia.

In most of the places where the National Parks are situated, a mix of fascinating wildlife and breathtaking natural scenery is found.