One of the most
beautiful national parks in Ethiopia, its 4068 km2 of
wilderness bordered by the Omo river, is home to an amazing range of
wildlife. 306 species of birds have been identified here, while large
herds of Eland, some Buffalo, Elephants, Giraffe, Cheetah, Lion, Leopard,
Burchell's Zebra are not uncommon.
The park is not easily
accessible, as the current means of access is via Omorate and the ferry to
the north bank of the river. The park HQ is 75 km from Kibish settlement.
However, a new airstrip is available close to the HQ and to a pleasant
campsite on the Mui River - plans are in hand for further major
improvements.
Omo
National Park, the largest in the country, with an area of 4,068 square
kilometres. It is a vast expanse of true wilderness, adjacent to the Omo River, which flows southwards into Lake Turkana and is one of the
richest and
least-visited wildlife sanctuaries in eastern Africa. Eland, oryx, Burchell's zebra, Lelwel hartebeest, buffalo, giraffe, elephant,
waterbuck, kudu, lion, leopard and cheetah roam within the park's
boundaries.
The
Omo Valley is virtually free of human habitation but is rich in
palaeo-anthro-pological remains. According to scientific research
done in 1982 by the University of California at Berkeley, hominid remains
from the Omo Valley probably date back more than four million years.
Much
of Africa's volcanic activity is concentrated along the immense
5,000 kilometre crack in the earth's surface known as the Rift Valley. It
is the result of two roughly parallel faults, between which, in distant
geological time, the crust was weakened and the land subsided. The valley
walls - daunting blue-grey ridges of volcanic basalt and granite -
rise sheer on either side to towering heights of 4,000 metres. The valley
floor, 50 kilometres or more across, encompasses some of the world's last
true wildernesses.
Ethiopia is often referred to as the 'water tower' of eastern Africa
because of the many rivers that pour off its high tableland, and a visit
to this part of the Rift Valley, studded with lakes, volcanoes and
savannah grassland, offers the visitor a true safari experience.
The
Omo River tumbles its 350 kilometre way through a steep inaccessible
valley before slowing its pace as it nears the lowlands and then meanders
through flat, semi-desert bush, eventually running into Lake Turkana.
Since 1973, the river has proved a major attraction for white-water
rafters. The season for rafting is between September and October, when the
river is still high from the June to September rains but the weather
is drier.
The
river passes varied scenery, including an open gallery forest of tamarinds
and figs, alive with colobus monkeys. Under the canopy along the
riverbanks may be seen many colourful birds. Goliath herons, blue-breasted
kingfishers, white-cheeked turacos, emerald-spotted wood doves and
red-fronted bee-eaters are all rewarding sights, while monitor lizards may
be glimpsed scuttling into the undergrowth. Beyond the forest, hippos
graze on the savannah slopes against the mountain walls, and waterbuck,
bushbuck and Abyssinian ground hornbills are sometimes to be seen.
Abundant wildlife, spirited rapids, innumerable side creeks and
waterfalls, sheer inner canyons and hot springs all combine to make
the Omo one of the world's classic river adventures.
Contact Address
Ethiopia Tourism commission
P.O. Box
2183
Tel.
5514838/5512923
Fax: 251-1-5513899
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
Email:
info@tourismethiopia.org or
tour-com@telecom.net.et
|