Things to see and do Omo Valley

Entrance fees and guides must be paid at the park office in Jinka. Scouts and guides are obligatory to accompany visitors (one of each per group) to the best wildlife observation sites and Mursi villages. The Mago Park headquarters, 30 km from Jinka, is located overlooking the Neri River. The Mursi villages located between 60 and 100 km from the park headquarters change location regularly. Once past the village gate, new arrivals are immediately snapped up by the Mursi, who are all looking to negotiate their image for 5 or 10 birrs! Unfortunately, this is the tribe most perverted by tourism. It's essential to agree on the price of each shot (you can negotiate for 5 birrs), and above all beware of trying to "steal" photos! If nothing seems to discourage tourists eager to discover this mythical ethnic group, it's not impossible that some feel uncomfortable faced with the ardor of these warriors with whom it seems pointless to establish any form of communication. It's best to leave your camera in the car for a while, and above all to visit the most remote villages, which are obviously the least visited, even if access to them means enduring particularly chaotic tracks. Despite the temperature, we advise you to wear long clothing to avoid being bitten by tsetse flies, which sometimes swarm in these parts during the rainy season. Their presence has the advantage of keeping natives and their herds away from the protected areas of the park. To avoid exiting the park via Jinka, it is possible to take the Murlé trail and visit the Karo villages along the way, and from there reach Turmi or Omoraté. Of course, this route can also be taken in the opposite direction. In both cases, it is advisable to check on the condition of the tracks, which are always very uneven, before embarking on this excursion.

Smart tip. The nearest Mursi camps are the most visited, and interaction is sometimes complicated because money is at the center of everything. Push on a little further to get to a little-visited village, even if it means losing a few hours - you haven't come this far to worry about that! If you continue even further, you can also visit the Bodi.

A small river crossing on a pirogue, a guide and entrance to the village are all included. The Dassanech are unique in the region, but the interaction is rather focused on birrs and photos, and the guide doesn't always know their traditions well, which is a pity. The village is very isolated on the Kenyan border, and it takes half a day to get there and back from Turmi. So if you really want to do it, you'll need to take your time.

Founded by Ivo Strecker, an anthropologist who spent thirty years in the Omo Valley, this research center, the anthropologists' HQ, houses an interesting little museum devoted to the rites and beliefs of the region's peoples and their confrontation with the modern world. A mine of information on life, culture and ritual practices. There's also a collection of objects, crafts and jewelry... Situated on a hill overlooking the town, it offers a lovely panoramic view. Bookshop.

The guides know these villages of the Arboré ethnic group, where tourists are permitted. It's interesting to discover the life of this tribe, whose traditions are very particular and different from those of neighboring ethnic groups. They are immediately recognizable by the large, colorful beaded necklaces worn by their women. Not to be confused with the Nyangatom, who also have beaded necklaces, but quite different from those of the Arboré.

Called Chew Bahir ("salt sea") in Amharic, and also known as Lake Stephanie, it lies at the end of the Ethiopian Rift, less than 400 m above sea level. The flooded surface area of this basin depends on its supply by the Segan and Weyto rivers. In the dry season, evaporation causes the lake to cover only 10% of its surface area, leaving areas crystallized by rising salinity. After the rains, a more diversified wildlife takes possession of the swampy area, with herbivores attracting their predators in their wake.

Tommy is a Hamer guide, deeply involved in the Turmi Guides Association, who will take you to various tribes in the region. He can guide you to the Hamer, particularly during the Oukouli ceremonies, as well as to the Karo, a little further along the trail. He speaks excellent English and can find you 4 x 4s to rent in Turmi, or accompany you on a one-way trip if you're on a tour, or with more economical motorcycle cabs.