Ethiopia is a land of natural contrasts, from the tops of the rugged Simien Mountains to the depths of the Denakil Depression which, at 120 meters below sea level, is one of the lowest dry land points on earth.

The cornucopia of natural beauty that blesses Ethiopia offers an astonishing variety of landscapes: Afro-alpine highlands soaring to around 4,300 meters, deserts sprinkled with slat flats and yellow sulphur, lake lands with rare and beautiful birds, moors and mountains, the splendor of the Great Rift Valley, white-water rivers, savannah teeming with game, giant waterfalls, dense and lush jungle?the list is endless. Endemism is rife, particularly amongst large and small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

Ethiopia?s mountains rise up to a height of over 4000 meters, with Mount Batu, the second highest peak in Ethiopia, raising to 4,307 meters. The national parks enable the visitors to enjoy the country?s scenery and its wildlife, conserved in natural habitats, and offer opportunities for travel adventure unparalleled in Africa.

Awash National Park is the oldest and most developed wildlife reserve in Ethiopia. Featuring the 1800 meter Fantalle Volcano, numerous mineral hot-springs and extraordinary volcanic formations, this natural treasure is bordered to the south by the Awash River and lies 225 kilometers east of the capital, Addis Ababa.

The wildlife consists mainly of East African plains animals, but there are now no giraffe or buffalo. Oryx, bat-eared fox, caracal, aardvark, Columbus and green monkeys, Anubis and Hamadryas baboons, Klipspringer, leopard, bushbuck, hippopotamus, Soemmering?s gazelle, cheetah, lion, kudu and 450 species of birds of all kind live within the park?s 720 square kilometers.

The Bale Mountains with their vast moorlands - the lower reaches covered with St. John ?s Wort ? and their extensive heath land, virgin woodlands, pristine mountain streams and alpine climate remain an untouched and beautiful world. Rising to a height of more than 4,000 meters, the range borders Ethiopia?s southern highlands, whose highest peak, Mount Tullu Deemtu, stands at 4.377 meters.

The establishment of the 2,400 square kilometer Bale Mountains National Parks was crucial to the survival of the mountain Nyala, Menelik?s bushbuck and the Sim`ein red fox. The fox is one of the most colorful members of the dog family and more abundant here than anywhere else in Ethiopia. All three endemic animals thrive in this environment, the Nyala in particular being seen in large numbers. The Bale Mountains offer some fine high-altitude terrain for horse and foot trekking, and the streams of the peak ?which become important rivers further downstream ?are well stocked with rainbow and brown trout.

The Baro river area, accessible by land or air through the western Ethiopia town of Gambela, remains a place of adventure and challenge. Traveling across the endless undulating plains of high Sudanese grass, Visitors can enjoy a sense of achievement in simply finding their way around. This is Ethiopia?s true tropical zone and here is found all the elements of the African Safari, enhanced by a distinctly Ethiopian flavor. Nile perch weighing 100 kilograms can be caught in the water of Baro, snatched from the jaws of the huge crocodiles that thrive along the riverbank. The white eared-kob also haunts the Baro, along with other riverbank residents that include the Nile lechwe, buffalo, giraffe, ting, waterbuck, roan antelope, zebra, bushbuck, Abyssinia reedbuck, warthog, hartebeest, lion, elephant and hippopotamus.

The Simien Mountain massif is a broad plateau, cut off to the north and west by an enormous single crag over 60 kilometers long. To the south, the tableland slopes gently down to 2,200 meters, divided by gorges 1,000 meters deep which can take more than two days to cross. Insufficient geological tine has elapsed to smooth the contours of the crags and buttresses of hardened basalt.

Within this spectacular live the Walia (Abyssinian) ibex, Simien red fox and Gelada baboon- all endemic to Ethiopia- as well as the Hamadryas baboon, klipspringer and bushbuck. Birds such as the lammergeyer, augur buzzard, Verreaux?s eagle, kestrel and falcon soar above this mountain retreat. Twenty kilometers north-east of Gondar, the Simien Mountain National Park covers 179 square kilometers of the highland area at an average elevation of 3,300 meters. Ras Dashen at 4,620 meters, the highest peak in Ethiopia, stands adjacent to the peak.

The simian escarpments, which are often compared to the Grand Canyon in the United States of America, have been named by UNESCO as a world Heritage sites.  

Ethiopia boasts seven of the Great Rift Valley lakes. Some are alkaline brown, yet surprisingly good for swimming; some are tropical in setting; some are bordered or fed buy hot mineral springs; some host to large flocks of flamingos, pelicans, cormorants, herons, storks and ibises; with 831 recorded bird species, Ethiopia is a bird watcher?s paradise.

There are nine national parks with their own endemic animals and beautiful landscapes.

1.    SIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARKS
2.    AWASH NATIONAL PARKS
3.    YANGUDI RASSA NATIONAL PARK
4.    NECHISAR NATIONAL PARK
5.    ABIJATTA-SHALLA LAKES NATIONAL PARK
6.    MAGO NATIONAL PARK
7.    OMO NATIONAL PARK
8.    BALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARKS
9.    GAMBELA NATIONAL PARK