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dishes are pretty good. The friendly owner also serves pasta and local dishes and does coffee ceremony. Zebib Café & Snack EUROPEAN-ETHIOPIAN $ (mains Birr20-30) Fast food (ful, pasta, etc)
served in a pleasant garden out the back. Abi Restaurant ETHIOPIAN $ (mains Birr15-50) Known for shekla tibs made
with goat from its on-site butchery. Fruit Supermarket
SELF-CATERING $
Small, but it’s the best-stocked grocery in town and has a few exotic items like peanut butter and imitation Cocoa Puffs.
8 Information SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA N AR 8 EC BH A IM S AI NRCNHAT & IA ORNOAUL NPA D RK
The telecommunications offices in both Shecha and Sikela still handle international calls. The internet cafes (per hour Birr30) with the most reliable connections are those in front of the Tourist Hotel in Sikela. Arba Minch General Hospital (% 0468810839; h24hr) The region’s best hospital. Commercial Bank Still changes Amex travellers cheques. Dashen Bank Hosts Arba Minch’s sole ATM.
8 Getting There & Away Ethiopian Airlines (% 0468-810649) flies between Addis Ababa and Arba Minch (US$57, one hour) three times a week. At least three buses leave Sikela’s bus station for Addis Ababa (Birr147, nine hours) and there’s at least one daily to Jinka (Birr101, six hours) and Awasa (Birr83, six hours). All depart at 6am. Many minibuses serve Konso (Birr32, two hours). Though most people contract with a tour agency in Addis Ababa, it’s possible to begin Lower Omo Valley tours in Arba Minch. The See Us Tour Guide Association and some hotels, including Paradise Lodge and Dorze’s Mekonen Lodge (p158), hire out 4WDs for US$150 to US$160 per day, including fuel and driver. One local guide with several solid recommendations is Tuti Mesfin (% 0911-805971; tutiman_utd@ yahoo.com), who offers both 4WD and cheaper minibuses, which can get to most Omo destinations. With notice he can also arrange fully supported boat trips on the Omo River.
8
Getting Around
Frequent minibuses connect Sikela and Shecha (Birr2.50) from around 5am (for getting to the bus station) to 9pm. For a motorcycle taxi/ bajaj between the two, try to bargain for Birr15
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to Birr20. To reach the airport, hire a minibus (Birr100) or bajaj (Birr70). Bikes can be hired near Sikela’s roundabout for Birr8/40 per hour/day.
Nechisar National Park ነጭ ሳር ብሔራዊ ፓርክ Spanning the narrow yet mountainous ‘Bridge of God’ that separates Lakes Chamo and Abaya, Nechisar National Park ranks among the most scenic national parks in East Africa. Although only 514 sq km, the park contains diverse habitats ranging from wideopen savannah and acacia woodland to thick bush and sections of riparian forest. The bleached savannah grasses actually spawned the park’s name, which means ‘white grass’ in Amharic. It’s the scenery that makes Nechisar special, but there’s still wildlife left, despite the government’s refusal to tackle the rampant land encroachment and poaching. On the Nechisar Plain (where animals are most easily seen), the Burchell’s zebra is the most conspicuous, sometimes gathered in herds of 100-plus animals. Visitors usually also see Swayne’s hartebeest, greater kudu and Grant’s gazelle. A small population of lions still roams the park, too, but don’t expect to meet them. Olive baboons, blackand-white colobus and Guenther’s dik-dik can often be seen between the headquarters and Forty Springs. The birdlife is more diverse: 351 species have been counted and there isn’t a birder alive who doesn’t want to see the Nechisar nightjar (see the sidebar on p269), but you’ll probably have to settle for Abyssinian ground hornbills and Kori bustards. Whether entering by land or water, you must pay park fees at the park headquarters (admission US$10, vehicle US$2; h6.30am5.30pm). Armed scouts (up to 12hr US$6, up to 24hr US$10) are mandatory for everywhere
except the Crocodile Market.
1 Sights & Activities Crocodile Market
WILDLIFE ENCOUNTER
Where the Kulfo River empties into Lake Chamo you’ll find oodles of crocodiles sunning themselves. Both the size of the congregation and the size of the crocs (6m is common) makes this one of Africa’s best crocodile displays. There are also plenty of hippos, fish eagles and shore birds.
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