The Rift Valley, part of a huge fault in the earth’s surface extending from Turkey across the Red Sea and down through Africa as far as Mozambique, enters Ethiopia through the Danakil; Depression. 

This sector covers Lakes Zeway, Langano, Abiata, Shalla and Awassa, the southern most two - Abaya and Chamo - are covered elsewhere.

From Lake Awassa this sector takes us west to the beautiful Bale Mountains National Park, an area of high altitude plateau, with volcanic crags and lakes forests, alpine moor land, trout filled streams and a striking variety of fauna and flora. 

There is a road running through the park, the highest all weather road in Africa, but visitors may prefer to trek, on foot or on horse. 

Several endemic mammals, including the Mountain Nyala, Simien Wolf and Menelik’s Bush Buck, are found within the park, while 16 endemic bird species have been recorded. In the Harenna forest in the southern part of the park there are leopards and lions, although the dense forest makes spotting animals difficult. 

A one-day excursion from Goba takes the visitor to the fantastic underwater river and caves of Sof Omar. (This itinerary involves some camping, but if visitors prefer not to camp, Goba can easily be used as base for daily excursions by vehicles into the park.)