Awash National Park

This past weekend I took a trip to Awash National Park which is about a five hour drive east of Addis lying in the Great Rift Valley. It was really dry, really hot, and dominated by thick vegetation making it difficult to spot game. When I did see animals, it was tough to get a picture of them because they would dash into the bushes. I had a wonderful time though and was fortunate to see a lot of animals. My favorite from the trip was Salt's Dik-dik, a tiny little antelope about the size of a small dog. With their big brown eyes and over-sized ears, these guys win the prize for cutest animal in Ethiopia. Unfortunately they were so small and quick that I didn't get a good picture of one. Here some of pictures I took...

 The resident ostrich at Awash Lodge. This guy was unnervingly comfortable around humans, and may actually think he is a human. He would come stand next to me with an expectant look on his face. Very cool to spend time with him.
 

Beisa Oryx -- beautiful white antelopes with long horns and an intricate black pattern on their faces. My camera doesn't have a very good zoom so this was the closest shot I could get. It was really fun watching them through binoculars.

Giant tortoise -- not sure what species it is, but this guy was sure a surprise to come across! In the middle of this desicatted park it was just hanging out in the underbrush, apparently very comfortable in the absence of water.

Common warthog -- these animals are pretty impressive. They don't like people very much and are much bigger than I anticipated. Larger than the ones I saw in the Bale Mountains.

Awash River Gorge and the Awash Falls -- whenever I travel outside of Addis I am always astounded at the scenery and natural beauty of this country.
 

 

Sodore
On the way back from Awash, we stopped at the small spa town of Sodore and took a short hike. It was a really hot but pleasant hike.


Driving through Ethiopia, it’s rare if you look out the window and don’t see any cows, but I though this was a particularly attractive scene.  
 

Blue sterling -- this pretty bird was ubiquitous around Sodore. Usually, I can’t get close enough to birds to take a decent picture but this one was willing to pose for me. 

Vervet monkeys -- these guys are smart, playful, and numerous, but most importantly they are thieves. They will steal your food if you aren’t looking out. I wasn’t victimized myself but I saw them carrying out an operation from a distance on some unaware Ethiopians.  

A traditional woven house made in the style of the Sidamo people.