Awash National Park, Ethiopia

The Awash National Park was established in 1966, although the act authorizing its existence was not completely passed for another three years. In establishing this park, as well as the Metehara Sugar Plantation to the south, the livelihoods of the Karayyu Oromo people indigenous to that area have been endangered -- an effect that is contrary to the Ethiopian government's original intention of these establishments serving to benefit the local population.Wildlife in this park include the East African Oryx, Soemmerring's Gazelle, Dik-dik, the lesser and greater Kudus, and Warthogs.Anubis baboons and Hamadryas baboons are present, as well as over 350 species of native birds. Previously there were packs of the African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus, but this species may now be locally extirpated.

      Awash National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Spanning across the southern tip of the Afar Region and the northeastern corner of the Misraq Shewa Zone of Oromia, this park is 225 kilometers east of Addis Ababa (and a few kilometers west of Awash), with its southern boundary along the Awash River, and covers at least 756 square kilometers of acacia woodland and grassland. The Addis Ababa - Dire Dawa highway passes through this park, separating the Illala Saha Plains to the south from the Kudu Valley to the north. In the south of the park the Awash River gorge has amazing waterfalls. In the upper Kudu Valley at Filwoha are hot springs amid groves of palm trees.

The park takes its name from the Awash River which marks the park’s southern boundary. The rivers last gesture is the salt lake, Lake Abbe, on the Ethiopia-Djiboutian border.The park offers quite good wildlife and outstanding birdlife viewing. It also contains an interesting range of volcanic landscapes.

One of the main features of the park area is the Fentale Volcano, on the southern flank of which can be seen the dark scar of the last lava flow of 1820. The other feature is the turquoise-blue pools of the natural hot springs in the extreme north of the park where you can spot Waterbucks and Hamadryas baboons and sometimes hear Lions at night.