Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Southwest Omo Valley
Prepare to be amazed! The Omo Valley and its fascinating ethnic peoples is nowadays one
of the biggest tourist attractions in Ethiopia. The vast majority of visitors to this region fo-
cus on the easier to reach, safer and ethnically more diverse eastern side of the valley (
Click here
)
, but for those with a streak of adventure a mile wide, there is another side to
the Omo Valley and it's one filled with the spirit of pure, raw Africa.
This near roadless wilderness is the home of the Surmi - a people adorned with lip
plates and spirit-like white paint, whose cattle-herding lifestyle remains, for the moment
at least, fairly untouched by outside influences. To spend time with these people, experi-
encing a genuine slice of tribal African life, is an honour and a privilege, but it is not one
that comes easily.
Visiting this western half of the valley is a very different kettle of fish to the eastern
side. Great patience and understanding is required, as is a fair amount of money. Getting
here is a serious undertaking. There is no public transport (a few goods lorries do travel
down here but you will not be allowed to go with them) so you will need to hire a jeep
through a tour company in Addis. The road system is almost nonexistent and even in the
dry season getting here and around can be very hard going. After rain most of the few
tracks become completely impassable. There are almost no tourist facilities here. Unless
you are prepared to put up with one of the exceedingly rough local 'hotels' (think barn) in
Kibish village then you will need to bring camping gear, food, water and everything else
you need with you.
WARNING
The southwest Omo Valley is an area with a highly volatile security situation. Cattle rustling and tribal fighting are
very common and can lead to significant loss of life (indeed, a week or so before our last visit around 200 people
were rumoured to have been shot in the market place of Kibish village). There is also a not-insignificant risk of ban-
ditry. This is a particular problem along the Mizan Tefari to Kibish route where a sparsely inhabited 50km stretch
has seen a number of attacks on passing vehicles.
Be aware that the situation changes very fast here. It's rare for foreign embassies to have much in the way of solid
information on the current security situation and Addis-based tour companies often have only fairly old news. Hav-
ing said that they should be your first port of call for the latest, but do be prepared for plans to change at the last
second in this region due to the fluid security situation.
