Mursi, Dorze, Borana and Hamar
Southern Ethiopia has the largest tribal concentration in Africa. All these tribes have different origins, religion and language and form a colourful whole. Many are half nomadic and you only come across them in the weekly markets, the social event for them.
Flamingos in Great Rift Valley
In addition to the tribal area, you will also cross the Great Rift. Due to its low location, many lakes have sprung up here and it is a breeding ground for various bird species such as flamingos and white pelicans. After a boat trip across Lake Chamo (where scientists say the world's largest crocodiles live), head into Nech Sar National Park where you'll find many native species such as the endangered 'Wayne's hartebeest', zebras of various antelope species and fat fat. As one of the first tribes, you will visit chenka the Dorze tribe, known for its huts of up to fifteen meters high and masters in weaving and baking kotchos, loaves with extracts of the 'false banana'.
From bellicose to singing tribes
Another tribe, the Konso, enjoys worldwide fame for its large wooden ancestor statues and ingeniously built villages with yards and paths separated by walls of stacked stones. They live fairly peacefully, no matter how different from the Mursi tribe, which has quite a reputation for being bellicose. Many of them carry an AK-47 weapon. In the battle for grassland for their herds, they regularly come into conflict with other tribes. After crossing the Omo River, visit the Dassanech tribe, a half-nomadic tribe that now lives mainly on arable land. The Karo are also farmers and their bodies are 'decorated' with scars. In the case of women it is mainly decoration, with the men the scars also stand for the animals or enemies they have killed. A 'happier' image can be found at the Borana tribe. Under loud chanting, the cattle are washed and given to drink at self-excavated wells, the 'singing springs'.
Tips and top Tour Tribes in the Omo Valley:
- The largest open-air market in Africa, the Merkato in Addis Ababa is the best place to buy souvenirs
- Visit the weekly market in Jinka, where it is teeming with many colourful tribesmen
- The impressive salt lakes Abiyata and Shala, near the Great Slenk, together form a national park half of water
- Nech Sar National Park is the only place in the world where you can find the 'Wayne's hartebeest' in the wild
- The huts of the Dorze are inspired by the shape of an elephant's head but look like giant beehives
- You look out your eyes at the Omorate market, an important trading centre for centuries
- If you want, descend into the volcanic crater at El Sod to see the salt extraction by the naked Borana men up close
