Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples'

A chain of lakes strings down the floor of the Great Rift Valley through this region, each with a genuinely different character: Lake Awasa sits close enough to Addis Ababa for a weekend trip and draws birdlife directly to its lakeside restaurants; Lake Chamo, further south near Arba Minch, holds enough large Nile crocodiles that a stretch of its shoreline is known locally as “Crocodile Market” for the density of animals basking there, alongside hippos visible from boat trips. The lakes sit at markedly lower altitude than Addis Ababa, giving the whole southern circuit a warmer, more tropical feel than the highland north.

Nechisar National Park, whose name means “White Grass” in Amharic for the pale savanna covering much of it, occupies a narrow strip of land between Lakes Abaya and Chamo known locally as the “Bridge of God” — a natural land bridge with water visible on both sides simultaneously from its higher points. The park protects savanna wildlife including Burchell's zebra and Grant's gazelle, though its profile has always run lower than Ethiopia's mountain parks. Arba Minch, whose name means “Forty Springs,” serves as the practical gateway to both the lakes and, further south, the lower Omo Valley, its own name referring to the numerous natural springs that feed a groundwater forest on the town's edge.