Sidama Savannah

Sidama Savannah - Sidama visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Sidama Savannah' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Sidama.

The savannah plains of Sidama lie north west of Lake Abaya in Ethiopia's Great Rift Valley. Home to around 3 million people, this region is one of the most populous and poorest of the Ethiopian nations. Around 90% of people live outside the urban areas and work in agriculture, tending livestock or employed by the extensive coffee plantations in this area. This panorama was taken near the main highway between the towns of Wendo and Yirga Alem.

Aleta Wendo, to the south, lies in the usually lush and fertile forested parkland which surrounds Lake Abaya. The southern and eastern banks of the lake are included in the Nech Sar National Park. To the west, the peaks of the Guge Mountain range crest the skyline. Such is the beauty of this area that a panoramic viewpoint on a ridge near south-western township of Arba Minch has been nicknamed the "Bridge of Heaven".

Yirga Alem, to the north, is known by several names including Abosto and Dalle as well as variant spellings such as Irgalem, Yrgalam, Yrgalem and Yrga Alem. This town is 40Km south from the regional capital city of Awasa.

As a precious water source, the area surrounding Lake Abaya is classified as a protected habitat for birds, plants and wildlife. The lake itself is a rich source of fishing and this industry is the main economic support for many communities. Amongst the catch are such breeds as Fighting Tigerfish, giant Nile perch, Barbel, Catfish and Tilapia - all make excellent game fishing for visitors. The surrounding savannah grasslands, including here in Sidama, is home to Swayne's Hartebeest, Zebra and Grant's Gazelle. During the dry season the landscape can become arid and dusty but the vegetation is known to adapt and rapidly regenerate when the rains return.

The resourceful people who live in this area have developed intricate farming methods to adapt to such dry seasons as these. The indigenous Guji, Ganjule and Konso peoples proudly guard their heritage and culture and have cultivated the landscape to look distinctly different to other regions of Ethiopia. They utilise a complex system of terraced irrigation channels to maximise the intensive agriculture on the hillsides. They also build unique "Dorze huts" for their homes - towering beehive-shaped structures which can stand up to 12 metres high. Inside they are dark but spacious and airy with floors of compressed earth. The ceilings are covered with a thatched weave of ensete (false banana) to form a smooth and unbroken convex dome. Clustered together in villages, they are quite unlike other dwellings and help set apart the unusual and distinctive landscape of this region.
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