Sharyem Tours
The Ethiopian Travel Specialists

Chencha and the Dorze

Chencha is a lovely day trip or overnight stay. Cool, misty, moist and with great views of Arba Minch below. Of most interest is that Chencha is the home of the Dorze people, renowned for their cotton weaving skills and the distinctive, tall beehive shaped dwellings unseen in the rest of Ethiopia. The shami cloth that is woven there is said to be the finest in Ethiopia. The plain white gabbi robes and brightly coloured scarf-like netalas are sold on the roadside. There is also a 30 metre high waterfall set in lush green vegetation and very tall bamboo that is worth a visit.

The Dorze houses are quite an eyeful, built 6-7 metres tall initially, they are gradually ‘shrunk’ by termites eating them from the ground level. When this happens, the whole structure can be moved to a new location, or another house is build and the now dwarf original becomes a spare room or kitchen. The Dorze house has internal rooms on two levels. All functions of day to day living happen inside, including the housing of animals.

Konso

The Konso people are mixed agriculturalists, experts at terracing and use animal dung as fertiliser. They are extremely hard working and the main crops are sorghum, maize, coffee and beans.

This is probably the first region of Ethiopia where you will notice that the coffee beans are shunned in favour of the leaves; this is something that the peoples of the Omo Valley do. The Konso dry the leaves and mix them with sunflower seeds and spices to form the local equivalent of instant coffee!

Their distinct dress, now phasing out, is a tiered skirt and occasionally you will still see some women with uncovered breasts.

The Konso settlement is typically sited on the top of a hill surrounded by stone walls, with few exits and entrances, making the village easily defensible. Inside the settlement, there are individual family compounds, each surrounded by a stone wall and with a gateway covered and supported by thick wooden struts. In each settlement there is a mora or communal house, which is a tall building with an open-sided ground floor supported by juniper trunks, and a sharply angled thatched roof covering a wooden ceiling. The ground floor is a shady place where men, boys and girls (but not women) can relax, play, gossip and discuss communal issues. Traditionally, the upstairs is where boys from the age of 12 sleep until they get married. Girls and women are not allowed to sleep in the mora.

The famous Konso waga, carved wooden statues used as grave markers, are traditionally erected above the grave of any important Konso man or warrior. The main statue will be surrounded by smaller carved statues of his wives and defeated foes. This practice has largely disappeared due to theft and damage. However, there are some fine examples collected by the regional tourist office, which are definitely worth visiting.

Konso has two markets, which are typically buzzing and full of colour and excitement. As there is a good road from Arba Minch through Konso to Jinka, trade is good here as lorries can bring their goods to sell.

Jinka

Jinka is a small town and the administrative capital of the South Omo zone. It is a town of two worlds combining urban and rural attributes in equal proportion. It is relatively high, cool and damp and stands apart from the rest of South Omo in that it has a bank, petrol stations and some acceptable hotels.

The South Omo Research Centre & Museum is perched on a hill overlooking the town centre. Apart from the view, the museum has excellent anthropological content that provides an overview of the cultures of South Omo.

Jinka is a base from which to explore the Mago National Park (by 4 x 4 only) and visit the Mursi people, who are known throughout the world for the lip plates the women wear and their fierce fighting ability. If you are in Jinka on market day, then you will have an opportunity to see many different people together. Jinka is a central market and people come from far and wide to trade.

Turmi

As we continue on our Omo Valley adventure, we reach the small town of Turmi, the home of the Hamar people. As with most of the people of the South Omo, the Hamer are a strong, independent and lively people whose dancing, singing and initiation ceremonies are known worldwide. The women wear goat skin skirts decorated with shells.

Turmi is the base from where we visit the Omo River at Omorate, the Geleb people and local markets such as Dimeka. Soak up the huge dramatic skies that stretch forever over the acacia scrubland.

The Moyale Road

Heading back from the Omo Valley, via Konso, the next town of note is Yabello, on the junction of the Moyale Road, the main road south of Awassa, stretching for 500km to Kenya. This road is mostly travelled by those heading to or from Kenya. Yabello can also be reached from the south east Bale Highlands through the small town of Negele Borena. Regardless of which route, heading from the highlands, the landscape gives way to low-lying acacia scrub. You are now in the land of the Borena pastoralists, who measure their wealth by the size of their prized cattle herds.

The biggest and most developed town along this route is Dilla, which is undoubtedly the last town where good accommodation, banking facilities and fresh fruit are available. But most notably, Dilla is a very convenient town for a number of wonderful archaeological sites such as the Tuta Fela Stelae Field and the Machitti Rock Carvings.

Yabello

Yabello is a non-descript town that mostly serves as an overnight stop for onward travel to Kenya, Awassa or the Bale Highlands. The main interest is mostly to ornithologists or bird watchers as Yabello is in the heart of the territory occupied by the white-tailed swallow and the Streseman’s bush crow. These are two of Ethiopia’s most localised endemics. Small wild mammals like Guenther’s dik-dik and ground squirrel are sighted around the Moyale road but for larger animals like Zebra, Swayne’s hartebeests or gazelles, the Yabello Game Sanctuary Park is probably a better bet.

Dilla

Dilla is a relatively large town south of Awassa and north of Yabello on the Moyale and is the administrative capital of the Gedea zone. The town lies in fertile green mountains and is also known for the excellent coffee grown in the vicinity: both Yirga Cheffe and Sidamo are sought after on the international markets. If coming to Dilla from the south or southwest, the fresh juices and pastries are most welcome, as is the reasonably good accommodation to be found along with some good restaurants. The recent news is that Dilla now has a much needed national bank, which gives this town further significance for those journeying from the south.

Dilla is a lovely town to use as a base for excursions to see the Stelae of Southern Ethiopia and the fascinating prehistoric Machitti rock carvings. The rock carvings are based in the Oromia region and it is possible to arrange a local Oromia guide. It is important to start out early though, as it is a good 8 km walk without a vehicle and the sun gets hot. The rock carvings are thought to be at least 3000 years old and show affinity with similar carvings found in South Africa and as far north as Eritrea: they depict herds of cattle with small heads, large decorated horns and large udders.

The Tutu Fela Stelae Field is one of the most impressive archaeological sites out of the 50 or so fields known in the Gedea zone, the other site being Tututi. There are two styles of stelae: the phallic stelae thought to date from the 9th century and the anthropomorphic stelae, thought to date from the 12th century. Tutu Fela has around 300 stelae of both styles (mostly anthropomorphic), whereas the Tututi stelae are mostly phallic and some standing up to 6m high. These obelisks are essentially grave stones and excavation has revealed artefacts ranging from iron and copper bracelets, to pottery, beads and tools, which were buried along side the occupant.

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