Ethiopia & East Africa · office in Gondar · Open daily · 8:00 - 18:00 (East Africa Time)
Southern & Eastern Ethiopia
Savanna, shadow rivers and the thunder of the Awash Falls on the floor of the Great Rift Valley — one of Ethiopia's oldest wildlife parks.
Awash National Park protects a swathe of acacia savanna, riverine forest and open grassland where the Awash River cuts a dramatic gorge through the Rift Valley floor.
Wildlife includes hamadryas baboons, Soemmerring's gazelle, kudu and oryx, while more than 350 bird species make it one of the country's best birding parks.
The park's skyline is dominated by the 2,007m Fenatale (Fantale) volcano, scarred by the lava flow of 1820, and in the north hot springs run at a steady 36°C.
A broad waterfall where the river forces a narrow basalt gorge.
A fossil-rich erosion valley walk at the park's eastern edge.
Opposite the river, a quieter side for oryx and dry-country birds.
Most travellers arrive through Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport, then fly or drive north. We arrange every flight, transfer and road leg as part of your itinerary.
Read the transport guideDomestic flights link the capital with Gondar, Lalibela, Axum and Bahir Dar across the northern circuit.
We arrange airport and hotel transfers as part of every itinerary.
The northern circuit can be driven between sites by private 4x4, which we arrange for you.
See the Awash Falls — a rushing cataract in the middle of semi-desert.
Spot hamadryas baboon troops that patrol the river gorge.
Birdwatch among 350-plus species, from vultures to sunbirds.
Drive to the Fantale volcano viewpoint and walk the hot-spring pools.
Falls, wildlife and the railway city
The Rift's eastern park in a compact two days — Awash's waterfalls and baboons, then the colonial avenues and cafés of Dire Dawa.
Ethiopia's remarkable endemic wildlife — giant troops of gelada baboons, the rare wallia ibex, the endangered Ethiopian wolf — plus the birds and big game of the lowlands.
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Photographing and absorbing some of Africa's most dramatic scenery — vast escarpments, deep valleys, deserts, great lakes and endless savanna horizons.
Learn moreHalf a day for the falls and a game drive is the classic visit; a full day allows Kudu Valley and a riverside walk.
Most travellers combine this destination with another — the northern circuit, the Danakil, the Omo Valley or beyond. See which places fit your route.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the crown of the Ethiopian highlands — the 'Roof of Africa' — where sheer escarpments fall thousands of metres.
The 'Camelot of Africa' — an imperial city of castles, churches and a rich royal history in Ethiopia's northwest highlands.
Home to the extraordinary rock-hewn churches of Lalibela — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa's great pilgrimage destinations.
Send us an inquiry and we'll help you build the perfect itinerary — tours, timing and logistics included.
