Things to see and do South

The local community has set up boat tours for tourists (prices per group of 1 to 4 people). A good opportunity to observe the many hippos here. You can go to Gelila Island (1h30 tour) or Tullu Guddu Island (half-day trip), which is very pleasant. Nice 1-hour walk on the island. Birdwatchers will be able to observe hundreds of birds on Bird Island on the way back, including pelicans. You can picnic and eat fish on the island, but negotiate the price beforehand. A few craft stands in the harbour.

Funded by the musée des Arts premiers du quai Branly, this very interesting museum opened in 2009 and describes (in English and French) the complex Konso society. Photographs and everyday objects are on display. The museum's mission is to protect and preserve the waka, carved wooden funerary steles placed on the tombs of Konso clan chiefs. These rare pieces have long been easy prey for traffickers and unscrupulous grave robbers. The architecture of the building pays homage to Konso culture.

A boat trip on the lake is a welcome moment of calm to observe the birds and hippos gathered in a secluded marshy cove. As the boats are not motorized, you should allow two to three hours for a complete excursion. Rentals can be made at the main jetty or in Amora Gedel Park, located at the very end of the trail. Meaning "valley of birds", this is a bird-watching mecca where kingfishers and other lake birds live side by side with grey-cheeked hornbills.

The entrance to Nechisar National Park is close to Sikela, the lower town of Arba Minch. But beware, the headquarters are 1 km further on. A guide is required to enter the park. Please note that there are currently no accommodation facilities inside the park. Although a full day is sufficient to explore almost the entire Nechisar, camping (very rudimentary and self-sufficient) is nevertheless permitted, allowing you to enjoy the first moments of dawn before the park opens.

The sanctuary is located 17 km east of Yabelo (follow the signs). However, the park office - an obligatory stopover - is located in the town. Originally created to protect the Swayne's hartebeest, the sanctuary has become a popular spot for Burchell's zebra. In addition to these two species, the 2,496 ^km2 acacia savannah habitat is home to kudu, gerenuk, dik-dik and Grant's gazelle, as well as some 194 bird species. It is possible to camp near the park gate in a dedicated area, but you need to bring everything with you and pay the tax at the office beforehand.

Discovered in 1935 by archaeologist Johnsen, the Tututi site lies to the south of Dila. After 22 km, a track climbs to the right and leads to the site after 4 km. Currently considered to be the megalithic site with the largest number of stelae in Ethiopia, Tututi could be, according to studies by French professor Anfray, the most important site of its kind in the world. The Tuto Fela site can be reached via a 3 km track starting to the left of the road, 15 km south of Dila.
Several other sites, of which Gollecha 55 km south of Dila is the most important, feature similar steles.

History. Numerous stelae have been erected in the Rift Valley region of southern Ethiopia, the anthropomorphic stelae of Gedeo country in particular, as well as thousands of phallic stelae in Sidamo. It's understood that these monuments date back to historical times, but their origins remain a mystery. As the populations settled in these territories have no oral tradition of such funerary steles, it would appear that they were erected by two distinct civilizations, between the ^8th and ^11th centuries, with no connection to the current occupants. The Gedeo, who share similarities with their Sidama neighbors who also erected phallic stelae, have preserved ancestral beliefs linked to a sky god, Mageno. It is known that some Oromo tribes continue to erect funerary monoliths around tombs or at some distance from them, but it seems that, as with the waga of the Konso, these monuments are reserved for certain people, heroes or reckless hunters, rather than for a god.

The Tututi site is home to more than 2,100 stelae spread over 3 hectares, the most imposing of which reach 8 m in height. Amidst those still standing, a multitude of others are lying, broken or buried, scattered among the crops and even in the enclosures of the dwellings. Here, all the steles are identical in their phallic shape, highlighted by a horizontal groove at the upright end of the shaft.

Tuto Fela site. This megalithic site comprises 217 stelae erected on a large stone tumulus, 200 of which are anthropomorphic and the others phallic. Following the discovery of the site in 1931, studies and excavations carried out by the team of French professor Roger Joussaume unearthed human bones that seemed to confirm the funerary symbolism of the monuments. Most of the cylindrical stone shafts bear the representation of a schematic face at their end, while others are engraved with geometric motifs that may have a feminine symbolism.

Odola Galma, Soka Dibicha and Godana Kinjo sites. The other archaeological wealth of the Gédéo region lies in the rocks engraved with animal motifs. These sites, located a few kilometers apart on the banks of the Anshi Macho river, group together some fifteen engraved blocks. Access is via a 25 km track, which begins 3 km to the left south of Dila and can be difficult to negotiate. According to Professors Anfray and Joussaume, specialists in these sites, these representations of cattle, clearly identifiable by their horns, could date back four thousand years and give an indication of societies that undertook the domestication of cattle.

Entrance fees must be paid at park HQ. Except for hikers accustomed to the high mountains, it is preferable to take horses to transport equipment. A cook can also be hired for long treks. It's important to make sure that your guides have brought their own provisions, and it's essential to make arrangements the day before departure. Prices are detailed in the park.

The Awassa fish market, 1 km south of the Lewi Resort, is held every morning from 6.30 am. In this auction port, fishermen negotiate their night's catch, mainly tilapia and catfish, fish that testify to the richness of the lake's waters. In addition to the buyers, the boats bring with them countless hungry birds, including the inevitable marabouts, always ready to collect their pittance without the slightest effort. Monday and Thursday are market days in town.

To get to the Omo National Park, you have to pass through Mizan Teferi, already a 4-hour drive from Jimma, to reach Maji in another 3 hours. The Omo National Park headquarters and overnight camp are located on the banks of the Mui River, 3 hours south of Maji. From here, a scout is required to reach the best sites in the park. This is a very isolated park, where you'll need to plan to camp, as it's impossible to visit in a day. You'll also need to check safety conditions before setting off.

Discover the famous traditional huts of this people. The original finesse of their construction, in the shape of a huge beehive, will delight architecture enthusiasts. The Dorzé community is also home to a cooperative of twenty-eight weavers. All kinds of beautifully crafted scarves are on sale, as are small handicrafts ranging from horn spoons to six-string lyres. A very nice visit, a very warm welcome, a real "coup de coeur".

The island of Tullu Guddu is home to the ruins of the original monastery which, according to local legend, welcomed the Ark of the Covenant as it fled from Aksum in the ^9th century. It is now inhabited only by a few raccoons. You'll pass through picturesque villages on the island and come across fishermen on their papyrus boats, the tankwa. The priest who shows you around the new church (of little interest) is loquacious about Ethiopia's Christian history. A museum houses some famous holy books, beautifully illuminated and over seven hundred years old.

A boat trip to the "crocodile market" is a must in this natural area of great beauty, teeming with animal life and human activity. Hotels organize boat trips, but the easiest and cheapest way is through the Rift Valley Boat Service Association, an association of local guides. It's safe, and led by seasoned guides. As the trip is in a national park, you'll need a scout.

Of the three alkaline volcanoes in the region, El Soda ("the house of salt") is the only one easily accessible. The village overlooks a crater more than 100 m deep, at the bottom of which is the oil-black circle of the lake, which can be reached by a half-hour walk. The ascent is much more strenuous, requiring at least 1 hour. Depending on the season and water temperature, the men start work earlier or later in the morning. Before embarking on the excursion, make sure that the salt harvest has begun.

Entrance to Abijata and Shalla Lakes National Park is paid for at the park gate, located on the right-hand side of the main road. In addition to the conservation fee per person (valid for 24 hours), there is a charge per car and the compulsory escort of one scout and one guide per small group. The park is accessible all year round and is subject to the usual rainy seasons, mainly from June to September. However, we advise against visiting during the rainy season, because of the muddy trails around the lakes.

The local guides' association is very dynamic, just take a look at their website. It offers hot-spring bathing with a cultural village tour. Or opt for a day tour that also includes a climb up a hill to a viewpoint and a stroll to the natural "shower" of Emperor Haile Selassie, who used to come here to relax near a therapeutic sandbank. You can also hike to a waterfall or Lake Dabash.

Shappe is the most impressive of the prehistoric rock carving sites in Dila, but nearby Laga Harro is also worth a combined visit. Located in an unmarked wilderness area, a guide is essential to get there. You'll find one at the Oromia District Office, 7 km from Dilla near the village of Guangua on the Shappe road. It's also here that you must pay an entrance fee per car. Negotiate a guide for two or three sites while you're at it, as the stones don't speak for themselves and the road to Shappe is complicated. The centerpiece of this site of prehistoric engravings is a fresco depicting seventy cows in motion at the edge of a cliff and a river. Partially destroyed, it is thought to be between three and five thousand years old; it's hard to say, as it hasn't revealed all its mysteries and, to tell the truth, no one has looked into it until now. It is, however, unique in that the drawings have a singular style, with small heads, large horns and large udders full of milk. In 2000, local archaeologist Gizachew Abegaz discovered two new, equally mysterious engraving sites nearby. These include Laga Harro, which features six engraved cows and two human figures, one with a penis cover and the other jumping above the cows as during the Oukouli ceremony among the Hamer in the Omo Valley.