Nechisar National Park

‘Nechi sar’ means white grass. And it is white, high grass that covers the savannah of the national park, parched by the bright and blinding sun. The national park measures 514 square kilometres and is located near the town of Arba Minch in the Rift Valley of the south. Many antelopes, gazelles and herds of zebras live here. The park was established in 1974 and is particularly special due to its scenic diversity as the area includes grasslands, lakes, mountains and dense forests.

Two large lakes called the Chamo and Abaya, lay at the foot of Nechisar. After Lake Tana, Abaya is the second largest lake in the country and has a peculiar rust-red colour caused by the iron sediment in the water. In contrast, Chamo is known for it’s large population of aquatic animals. Idyllic boat tours take you to the so called ‘crocodile market’ – a strip of land where many crocodiles lie close together taking their bath in the sun. Not far away, hippos bob about near the shore where hundreds of pelicans crowd together. Fishermen balance delicately on wooden boats as they cast their nets by the reeds at the shore.

A narrow ridge, called God’s Bridge (‘egzer dilday’) separates the two lakes from each other. Across this bridge the trail leads steeply uphill to the higher-lying savannah of the park. The view stretches far beyond the lakes into the valley below. Large herds of zebras hang about, alongside gazelles and antelopes. Volcanic mountains rise faintly in the background.

Back in the low-lying areas near the park entrance, the trail leads through dense forest. Giant trees tower above, in which vervet and guereza monkeys cavort. Dik-diks, bushbuck and greater kudus roam in the dense bush. It’s also a great area to visit for bird lovers – 342 species of birds have been officially registered here. However, this probably does not represent all of the wildlife of the park – during a research expedition in 1991, 15 new endemic butterfly species and eight dragonfly species were discovered in Nechisar National Park.…

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Wildlife: 342 species of birds and 70 mammals have been recorded in the park, e.g.: Burchell’s Zebra, Grant’s gazelle, Swayne‘s hartebeest, Guenther’s dik dik, greater kudu, crocodile, hippo, waterbuck, vervet monkey, guereza monkey, olive baboon, bushbuck, bushpig, warthog

Birds: white-tailed lark, white-fronted black chat, silvery-cheeked hornbill, sparrow-weaver, raptors, rollers, starlings etc.

Surrounding Area: Around six kilometres from Arba Minch is a large crocodile farm not far from the shores of Lake Abaya. About 8,000 crocodiles are held here, reared from the eggs in the lake. The farm is open to the public.

Travel Season: All year round. However, after heavy rains large parts of the park are not accessible because the steep slope up to the savannah is impassable. Most precipitation falls in April and May.

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