National Parks of Ethiopia
Awash National Park
The park is situated on the Awash River. The main dominant is 1800 m high semi-dormant Fantalle volcano. Park is characteristic by rocky blisters, which can be found else only in Hawai.
| Area: | 765 km2 |
| Location: | 225 km east of Addis Abbaba |
| Animals: | oryx, bat-eared fox, caracal, aardvark, colobus,green monkey, Anubis, Hamadryas baboons, klipspringer, leopard, bushbuck, hippo, Soemmerring's gazelle, Grevy's zebra, cheetah kudu, around 400 species of birds |
Bale Mountains National Park
Mountains are over 4000 m high and create part of the Eastern Highlands of the larger Ethiopian Plateau. The highest mountain is the Mount Batu (4307 m). Park compounds vast moorlands as well as lower reaches covered with St John's wort. Typical for the park are also virgin woodlands, pristine mountain streams and overall alpine climate.
| Area: | 2470 km2 |
| Location: | 400 km south of Addis Ababa |
| Animals: | Simien red fox, Mountain nyala, Menilek's bushbuck (all endemic animals) |
Gambella National Park
Park is situated between Baro and Gilo rivers near Gambella, a western Ethiopian town. Park is covered with undulating plains of high Sudanese grass. Park is situated in the true tropical zone and contains all elements of a typical African safari.
| Area: | 5060 km2 |
| Location: | 700 km west of Addis Ababa |
| Animals: | Nile Perch, huge crocodiles, white, eared kob, Nile lechwe, buffalo, giraffe, tiang, waterbuck, antelope, zebra, bushbuck, Abyssinian reedbuck, warthog, hartebeest, lion, elephant, hippotamus |
Omo National Park
Park is situated on the Omo river in the Omo Valley. It compounds richest and least visited wildlife sanctuaries in Eastern Africa with paleoanthropological remains.
| Area: | 4068 km2 |
| Location: | 870 km south-west of Addis Ababa |
| Animals: | Eland, oryx, Burchell's zebra, Lelwel's hartebeest, buffalo, giraffe, elephant, waterbuck, kudu, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dogs |
Simien Mountains National Park
Park compounds a broad plateau cut off on the north and west by an enormous single crag over 60 km long with average elevation of 4000 m. Mountains are composed of hardened basalt, crags and buttresses (Simien escarpments). The Ras Deshen (4453 m) is the highest peak in Ethiopia, and 4th largest in Africa.
| Area: | 179 km2 |
| Location: | 600 km north of Addis Ababa |
| Animals: | Gelada Baboon, Simien red fox, Walia ibex (all 3 endemic animals), Ethiopian Wolf, Hamadryas baboon, klipspringer, bushbuck, lammergeyer bird (famous bone-breaker), Auger buzzard, Verreaux's eagle, kestrel, Lanner falcon |
Mago National Park
Park is composed mainly of riverine forest, wetlands along the Mago and around Lake Dipa, the various grasslands, and scrub on the sides of the hills. Other rivers include Neri and Omo. Lower Omo areas are populated with a rich diversity of ethnic groups, including the Aari, Banna, Bongoso, Hamer, Karo, Kwegu, Male and Mursi peoples. The major attraction is Mursi ethinic, famous for piercing their lips and inserting disks made of clay.
| Area: | 2162 km2 |
| Location: | 770 km southwest of Addis Ababa |
| Animals: | river birds Turdoides tenebrosus, Estrilda troglodytes, Phoeniculus damarensis, Porphyrio alleni, Butorides striatus, Pluvianus aegypticus, Scotopelia peli and Cossypha niveicapilla |
Nechisar National Park
Charcteristic of the park are the "Bridge of God" (an isthmus between Lakes Abaya and Chamo), and white grass (Nechisar) with plains east of the lakes. Park was founded originally as a game reserve to the east of Lake Chamo to provide protection for the population of Swayne's Hartebeest and other local wildlife.
| Area: | 574 km2 |
| Location: | 225 km east of Addis Ababa, in the Southern Rift |
| Animals: | Swayne's hartebeest (endemic) |
Yangudati-Rassa National Park
Park is shaped by the Mount Yangudi near the southern border and the surrounding Rassa Plains (400m to 1459 m above sea level, sandy semi-desert and wooded grassland. Park is crossed by the Awash River. Park lies between the territory of the Afars and the Issas, tribes which are in conflict. Park was originally founded to protect African Wild Ass.
| Area: | 4730 km2 |
| Location: | 500 km northeast of Addis Ababa |
| Animals: | African Wild Ass, Phoenicopterus minor, Petronia brachydactyla and Ardeotis arabs, endemic to the park are Beisa Oryx, Soemmering's and Dorcas gazelle, gerenuk and Grevy's zebra |
Semien Mountains National Park
Crocodiles near Arba Minch
Lake Chomo pelicans
Camels near Turmi
Crocodiles and pelicans, Chomo lake