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| Home : Rift Valley & Bale Mountains |
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Ethiopia - Rift Valley & Bale Mountain
 One of Africa's most striking geographical features is a giant tear across the earrh's surface visible even from space :
the Great Rift Valley, Extending from the Middle East to Mozambique, the Rift Valley passes from the northeast to the southwest right through Ethiopia, endowing the country with some spectacular sights that range from hot, dry, and barren places to a string of beautiful lakes.
Volcanic, activity, which greatly contributed to the formation of the Rift Valley, continues up to present times. In Ethiopa, it finds expression in the presence of hot springs in many parts of the country, as well as volcanic cones in the Danakil Depression in the north-east.
The Danakil, or Afar, Depression, which encompasses a good portion of the Afar region, is one of the earth's hottest and most inhospitable places, with many points more than 100 metre (330 feet) below sea level and noon-time temperatures soaring above 50°C (122°F). It it the site of a dry salt lake from which Ethiopians since time immemorial have obtained their amoles, or bars of  salt, used both for consumption and, not long ago, as a regular currency. Mined by the Afar people for at least a milleniuim and a half, the salt is loaded on camels and taken to the highlands, where it is still in considerable demand and fetches a good price.
The landscape of the Danakil seems carved from the infernos of hell and is a reminder of the furies that once ravaged thhis region, with volcanic cones rising above the scabs of black lava. Earth tremors are frequent, and there are several still-active volcanoes in the area. Amazingly, there is also wildlife to be seen here, and particularly zebra and wild ass.
As a total contrast, the Bale Mountains, with their vast moorlands, their lower reaches covered with St. John's wort, their extensive heath, their virgin woodlands, their pristine mountain streams and their alpine climate, are a beautiful world all of their own set in the southern highlands of Ethiopia, 425 kilometres from Addis Ababa. The mountains rise to a height of over 4,000 metres, with Mount Batu, the second highest peak in Ethiopia, rising to 4,307 metres high.
 The Bale Mountains National Park, which covers an area of 2,470 square kilometres, and through which one can either walk or drive, is one of the best places to see the endemic Simien red wolf, the Mountain nyala and Menilek's bushbuck. Amongst a profusion of birds, other animals to be seen include Anubis baboons, colobus monkeys, giant forest hog, lions and leopards. The creeks of the park, which become important rivers further down, offer some of Africas finest fishing for both rainbow and brown trout.
Not far from the Bale Mountains is one of the world's most spectacular and extensive underground caverns: the SofOmar cave system, Formed by the Web River as it changed its course in the distant past and carved a new channel through limestone foothills, SofOmar is an extraordinary natural phenomenon of breathtaking beauty.
The two southernmost of the chain of Ethiopia's Rift Valley lakes, Abaya and Chamo, are the lushest in vegetation and the richest in wildlife. The Nechisar National Park embraces the eastern shores of the lakes and was established as a sanctuary for the endemic Swayne's hartebeest. The lakes support many species of fish including the Nile perch and the tiger fish, as well as hordes of hippos and crocodiles. The bluff between the lakes has numerous springs after which the nearest town, Arba Minch, the local name for 'forty springs', is named. |
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