Arba Minch
A rift-valley town between Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo, the gateway to Nech Sar National Park, boat trips to see crocodiles, and the weaving villages of Dorze in the highlands.
Arba Minch lies in the floor of the East African Rift Valley in southern Ethiopia, between Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo, at about 1,300 meters above sea level. The town is divided into an upper town, Sikela, and a lower town, Secha. Its name means 'forty springs', after the many springs that rise from the forest below the town. It is the hub of southern tourism. To the east, Nech Sar National Park has zebras and gazelles. On Lake Chamo, boat trips offer close views of the 'Crocodile Market' and hippos. About an hour north, the Dorze and Chencha highlands, at nearly 3,000 meters, are known for bamboo elephant-trunk houses and handwoven cotton. About two hours south lies the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Konso Cultural Landscape and the 'New York' sandstone pillars, from where you can continue deeper into the Omo Valley.
The best season is October to March, the dry season. April–May and July–September are rainy, and the roads become muddy. Arba Minch has an airport with daily flights to Addis Ababa. The overland journey takes about 7–8 hours.
Plan 2–3 days: one day for the lakes and the national park, one day for Dorze, and one day for Konso. Most parks and villages require a local guide. The town is hot, so protect yourself from the sun and mosquitoes, as this is a malaria risk area.
Top sights
- Nechisar National Park – A national park between Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo, known for zebras, gazelles and the groundwater forest on its white-grass plains.
- Lake Chamo Crocodile Market – A boat ride to the sandy north shore of Lake Chamo, where large Nile crocodiles sun themselves in groups, with hippos and waterbirds along…
- Dorze Village – A Dorze village on highland at about 2,800 m, known for its tall bamboo-woven houses resembling elephant heads and for fine hand-woven cott…
- Konso Cultural Landscape – A UNESCO World Heritage site where the Konso people built stone-walled terraces and walled villages on dry hills, a tradition that has last…
- Lake Abaya – The largest lake in Ethiopia's Rift Valley. Its water is reddish brown from suspended sediment, forming a sweeping backdrop north of Arba M…
- Forty Springs (Arba Minch) – The forty springs that give the town its name, welling up in the underground water forest of Nech Sar, where the shady woods are home to mo…
- Bridge of God Viewpoint – A cliff-top viewpoint above town overlooking the narrow isthmus between Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo, the Bridge of God, with both lakes and t…
- Arba Minch Crocodile Ranch – A state-run crocodile farm east of town that raises Nile crocodiles collected from Lake Chamo, with pens sorted by age so you can see every…
- Chencha Market – A big market in the highland town of Chencha, where Dorze and Gamo people come to trade cotton cloth, enset, livestock and more in a riot o…
- Gesergiyo (Konso "New York") – A canyon of sandstone pillars near Konso, carved out by rain, looking like a forest of skyscrapers that locals call 'New York.'
Where to eat
- Soma Restaurant – Arba Minch's most acclaimed fried-fish spot, serving whole tilapia fried until crisp, with enough to share among a fami…
- Paradise Lodge Restaurant – A lodge restaurant on a hillside overlooking Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo, serving both local and Western dishes.