Things to do in Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The dry window: best Nech Sar track conditions, calmest Chamo mornings and clearest two lake views.
The long rains, peaking in April and May. Forest magnificent, park road can close, plains walk replaces the drive.
A greener, mixed and quieter window. Highlands lush and birdlife strong, roads and boats decided week by week.
The short wet spell, October often very wet, easing through November as the dry window assembles.
What's on
- Genna (Ethiopian Christmas) 7 January
Ethiopian Christmas, marked at churches across Arba Minch and the Dorze highlands.
- Timkat (Epiphany) 19 January
Tabots are processed to water, blessed and returned, the great water festival of a lake town.
- Ethiopian New Year 11 September
The Ethiopian new year, celebrated in town and in the highland villages.
- Meskel 27 September
The Finding of the True Cross, with bonfires lit on the eve in Arba Minch and Chencha.
- Dorze Market Mondays and Thursdays, weekly
Weekly Dorze village market days, the best days to pair with a Dorze homestead and weaving visit.
- Chencha Market Tuesdays and Saturdays, weekly
Weekly Chencha highland market days, the fullest expression of Dorze highland trade.
Best things to do in Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South
Nech Sar National Park
White grass plains between two Rift Valley lakes, with zebra herds and a land bridge setting, best reached by boat and on foot.
Forty Springs
The springs that named the town, bubbling out under a groundwater forest of huge figs, with colobus monkeys overhead.
Dorze Village
Beehive shaped enset houses and master cotton weavers in the Guge highlands above town, best visited with a local guide.
Chencha Market
The Dorze highland market town at its busiest on market days, for woven cloth, enset, spices and ordinary town life.
Bridge of God
The narrow ridge between rust red Abaya and green Chamo, and the finest viewpoint in the park when the track allows.
Where to stay in Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South
Secha ridge
first visit, views, couples and families
The uptown ridge with the view resorts, gardens and pools, both lakes below and a bajaj ride to Sikela.
Sikela
budget, early starts and onward travel
Downtown by the bus station, park headquarters and fish restaurants, where the practical town hotels sit.
Dorze highlands
one night in the weaving villages
Traditional huts above the lakes with village walks from the door, best as one night inside a longer stay.
Think twice about
- Konso Zone
Conflict-affected zone in the South Ethiopia Region. Visit only when that position changes.
- Amaro, Derashe, Burji and Gedeo zones
The other conflict-affected South Ethiopia zones. Do not base or route through them while the conflict risk stands.
- Lake shores after dark
Hippos come ashore to graze at night and crocodiles hunt the shallows. View both lakes from the ridge or a boat in daylight only.
Best restaurants in Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South
JEBM Restaurant
The town's most ambitious fish kitchen, with tilapia tibs, fish goulash and an open kitchen in a garden setting.
Abaya Restaurant
The lodge table at Paradise Lodge, for a slower sunset dinner of lake fish and Ethiopian dishes above the forest.
Mamush Asa | Fish House
A busy local fish house and bar for grilled lake fish, tibs and cold beer at mid range prices.
Soma Restaurant
Whole fried tilapia and Nile perch at local prices, the fish dinner Arba Minch residents recommend first.
Roza Pizza
Pizza and Ethiopian staples in Sikela, the reliable change of pace after days of fish and injera.
Best coffee in Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South
Zebib Cafe and Snack
A central cafe for buna, macchiato and snacks between the market, the park office and the bus station.
Outdoor things to do in Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South
Lake Chamo
A morning boat among hippos, fish eagles and huge Nile crocodiles basking at the Crocodile Market shore.
Kulfo River
A shaded groundwater forest walk along the Kulfo, for birds, monkeys and cool air minutes from Sikela.
Lake Abaya
The red brown northern lake seen from the Secha ridge and its fish landing, a viewpoint rather than a boat lake.
Konso Cultural Landscape
A UNESCO listed landscape of stone walled villages and terraced hills, for a calmer window when conditions allow.
Best hotels in Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South
Haile Resort Arba Minch
The fullest facility stay in town, big lake view rooms, pool, spa and gym on the ridge above both lakes.
Paradise Lodge Arbaminch
Hilltop tukul style lodge over the park forest and both lakes, the classic Arba Minch splurge.
Kuriftu Resort & Spa Arba Minch
The newest luxury option, villas and a spa on the ridge, with private pools in the top rooms and lake views.
Mora Heights Hotel
A small clifftop hotel with bungalows, fast food service and long views over the forest to both lakes.
Dorze Lodge
Traditional Dorze huts with hot showers in the highlands, campfire evenings and the lakes spread out below.
Ezana Arbaminch Hotel
A garden hotel in town with small clean rooms, birds in the trees and honest prices for a night or two.
Arba Minch Tourist Hotel
The central old standby in Sikela, basic rooms and a busy restaurant, useful for bus and park office access.
Forty Springs Hotel
A locally run hotel used by tour groups for years, simple rooms and a desk that can arrange boats and cars.
Is Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ETB 2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ETB 8,000 a person |
| Splurge | ETB 20,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Konso Cultural Landscape: a few days ahead
- Haile Resort Arba Minch: a few days ahead
- Paradise Lodge Arbaminch: a few days ahead
- Kuriftu Resort & Spa Arba Minch: a few days ahead
- Book nothing non refundable until the current travel advice and the domestic flight are rechecked for your dates.
- Reconfirm the Nech Sar track and the Chamo boat the day before, because rain closes the road and wind closes the shore.
- Book front row ridge cottages ahead for the Timkat period in January in a workable window.
Is Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South safe?
- Ethiopia has serious unrest, and Konso, Amaro, Derashe, Burji and Gedeo are conflict-affected. Arba Minch town itself is outside those areas, but check the latest advisory before you go.
- The border warning for this region covers only within 10 km of the South Sudan and Kenya borders. Konso is, a calmer-window excursion only.
- Do not photograph military or government buildings, checkpoints, soldiers or police, and comply promptly at checkpoints.
- Lakeside Arba Minch is malarial country. Take current medical advice on prophylaxis, use repellent from late afternoon and sleep under a net or air conditioning.
- Never swim in Lake Chamo or Lake Abaya. Stay in the boat, keep hands out of the water, and keep the boatman's distance from hippos and crocodiles.
- Carry cash birr. Cards work only at the ridge resorts in good weeks and town ATMs run dry.
Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A guaranteed road game drive to the Nech Sar plains in the rains. The boat plus plains walk is the reliable product.
- Old guidebook wildlife lists promising lion and elephant. The real offer is zebra, plains game, forest monkeys and birds.
- Whole fish priced by size and agreed after cooking. Agree the price before the fish is cooked, everywhere.
- The Konso day trip sold without mention of its security position. Decide on the security position, not the sales pitch.
- Self appointed guides at Dorze and the boat landing. Settle one named guide and the stated fee at the office before the walk.
Getting around Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South: public transport and more
- Fly Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa to Arba Minch airport in about one hour and five minutes, with multiple daily flights in current listings.
- Secha and Sikela are about 4 km apart on a paved road. Use bajajs in town and agree the fare before you move.
- Pay park fees in cash birr at the Sikela headquarters before the boat landing or the park gate.
- Arrange cars for Dorze, Chencha and the park through hotels and operators, and travel all roads in daylight only.
Who Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Arba Minch & the Rift Valley Lakes South your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store