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Ethiopian
Omo National Park
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.
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