Category: Rift Valley & Return to Addis Ababa

We departed Arba Minch on November 4th and made our way north to Sabana Beach Resort on the shores of Lake Lagano.

It was a windy, cloudy and cool day, the lake was very brown, foreboding and uninviting and the scenery was limited so we didn’t take any pictures.

We spent the night at the lake and then made our way to Abiatta-Shala National Park with the drive having some beautiful views of lakes Abiatta and Shala.

Lake Shala is a soda lake and it is the deepest lake in Ethiopia. It can host thousands of flamingos but when we were there only a few dozen hung around the shoreline.

The park itself has a population of warthogs, ostriches and gazelles and near the lakeside were some thermal hot springs.

Finishing up at the park we made our way back to Addis Ababa for a short overnight stay before heading north to Lalibela.

In all, we travelled 2,376 km over 9 days through southern Ethiopia in an uncomfortable Toyota Landcruiser with our driver Sophy.

All of our accommodation was comfortable and generally 3+ star.

Although we had many long driving days, it was still a great adventure. However, I think stretching the itinerary by 2–3 days would have made it feel a little less rushed.