Cyber Ethiopia

One of the defining geologic features of Ethiopia is the Great Rift Valley, slicing through the middle of the country from the Red Sea to Kenya. In the bottom of the valley are a series of deep lakes, which have become a great attraction for both bird life and visitors. Lake Langano The most popular weekend get away spot for foreigners living in Addis is Lake Langano, 200 kilometers away. People flock to Langano more for the lack of any alternatives than the charm of the lake. Although Langano is situated in the natural beauty of the Rift Valley, the lake itself is brown and brackish. This is related to why people go there, the salty water from the poor drainage of the lake is inhospitable to

fresh water snails, which cause bilharzia. This nasty little disease infests most of the lakes of Ethiopia, keeping the cautious foreign swimmers away. The popularity of the lake is not wholly unfounded. Once you get into the water it is quite nice and refreshing. The dissolved minerals that give it the brownish hue are quite benign, even wholesome once you think about it. A large and healthy fish population is maintained here, as attested by the nets of local fishermen and the enthusiastic foreign anglers. There are several ‘resorts’ and plenty of cottages, mostly run for different embassies to help their staff escape from the urban tensions of Addis. As development increases, so does the growth of hotels and water sports. Based on the old boat storage facilities at the Wabe Shebelle Hotel it looks like Langano was once a much livelier place than it is today. This makes sense. In the years before the Derg, this place must have been very lively. Motorboats with water skiers plied the waters of the lake, while the wealthier classes mixed and sunned themselves on the shore. These were the days of the Ethiopian nobility and a large foreign population, largely Italian and Greek businesspeople. Flamingos in Lake Shalla The Derg put an end to all this in 1974, and Langano fell into relative disuse. The tough Communists of the Derg period had little use for the frivolities of Langano, and the nobility and foreign businessmen who frequented the lake mostly left the country. Travel outside of Addis was also more difficult under the Derg, which required passes for almost everything, so most of the remaining foreigners, diplomats and aid workers who came and went, didn‘t travel much. Despite belated plans by the Derg to encourage tourism, Langano and the other hotels and resort areas were generally quiet and neglected during this time. With a new government since 1991, tourism and resorts have gradually picked up. Langano is one of the places to benefit from this. Although it hasn’t returned to the playground of the elite status it formerly enjoyed, it is a pleasant and quiet place to spend some time relaxing and swimming. Increasingly there are motorboats and even water skiers plying the lake. There is even the emergence of ski jets, the loud motorized monsters which are ruining the relaxation of lakes around the world. Fisherman at Langano One refreshing exception from intrusive tourism is the Bishangari resort on the south end of Langano, an eco tourism lodge due to open before the end of 2001. It is reached by traveling 11 km off the main road just a few km south of the Bekelle Molla hotel turnoff, then following a rather bad dirt road to the SIM centre, then a further 5 km to the picturesque spot on the edge of the lake. Although the lodge can also be reached by motorboat, the jetty is kept far away enough to avoid the noise disturbing the customers. The large bars and comfortable bungalows are solar powered, and sport nature friendly water and sewage systems. Exclusivity is purchased with the price of accomodation, along with private walkways which enjoy a variety of monkey and birdlife Lake Shalla and Abiata Across the road from Langano are Lake Shalla and Lake Abiata, which are part of a national park. The best place to enter is on the Southern end, across from the turnoff to the Bekelle Molla hotel on Langano. There is a park gate, where you pay a modest fee to enter. Ostriches are in a fenced area in the front, which probably will give you the closest sighting of wildlife on your visit to the park. Apart from the flamingos which often congregate especially on Lake Shalla in large numbers, you will see some other birds such as the very large ground hornbill, pelicans, and plenty of kites and hawks. The flamingos are pretty shy, so it’s difficult to get close enough for a good look. From the park entrance you follow a windy and often rough road (four wheel drive recommended) down to the shore of Lake Abiata. Before you descend the ridge to the lakes, there is a very nice spot to stop and look over both lakes and across the valley to the mountains beyond. The interesting thing here, apart from the nice scenery of the lake, is the natural hotsprings which flow into the south end of the lake. The water is extremely hot. Local Oromo people use the hottest pools to cook maize, which boils up nicely. Although it is too hot for people, the pools closer to the lake are cool enough for people to immerse themselves. It is a local resort! Following the road, or dirt track, north from Abiata brings you to the shore of Lake Shalla. There are considerably more waterfowl here, and there are beaches to walk along if you choose. The road is not great, but with a little fortitude you can follow it back up to the main road on the northern end, or return the way you came from the south. Back on the main road you are only a short distance to the crossroads of Shashamene, about 40 km south, from which you can go in various directions. Shashamene is fairly non-descript although it has a Bekelle Molla hotel and the pretty good Rift Valley hotel if you want a place to stay. It is famous as the settlement area of Rastafarians from Jamaica, who were given a land grant here by Haile Selassie. You see a number of dreadlock clad people around, pursuing the normal religious ceremonies of the famous Rastas, and listening to reggae music! The Road to Langano The drive to Langano has improved immensely over the last few years. The road was repaved in patches. During the long period of construction the drive from Addis could take 4 hours or more. With the road paved all the way to Langano the time is cut to 2 ½ hours or less. According to the mileage sign, Langano is almost exactly 200 km from Menelik Square in Addis. The first 70 kilometers are on the main road to the east, through the towns of Dukem and Debre Zeit (Bishoftu). The turn to the south is at unusually named Mojo, which was the name of a small candy where I come from. Again the drive has improved greatly since the Mojo bypass was put in. Driving through Mojo is a form of torture. It is exceptionally crowded with large trucks parked halfway on the road, with a stream of horse drawn garis further blocking the road, which is also filled with suicidal pedestrians. From Mojo there is an attractive drive south through the Rift Valley. The terrain gets gradually drier, eventually turning into a classic African savannah, with flat topped acacia trees dotting the wide plains. There are several small towns along the way, but it is mostly open country with the occasional pedestrian or line of livestock. On your left the lakes appear, at first the smaller Lake Koka, then the much larger Lake Ziway. During the wet season the Lakes creep up and around the road in many spots, and the ditches are filled with pools of water. Ziway is quite a large town, big enough to sustain it’s own branch of the Bekelle Molla Hotel. Although the lake here is attractive, the sides are swampy and the lake does serve as a host for bilharzia, which discourages swimming. One of my favourite parts of Ziway is the odd little restaurant with the front half of a car sticking out of the second storey. Unfortunately the restaurant never opened, but the little car is still there. Less than 30 minutes from Ziway is Langano. The first sign is literally a sign - for the Wabe Shebelle Hotel which is two kilometers down a dusty side road. The Wabe Shebelle is nice but faded, with a central restaurant and bar on the lakeside, and a series of bungalows stretching down the beach. Near the turn off into the Wabe Shebelle is the road to a new hotel (at the end of 2000), which promises water sports and other activities. Cottages stretch along the shore of Langano from the Wabe Shebelle on the North to the Bekelle Molla on the south end of the lake. On the main road, the distance from the Wabe Shebelle turnoff to the Bekelle Molla is about 12 km. The Bekelle Molla is unfortunately also quite shabby. Both hotels charge tourist prices, which are high by Ethiopian standards but low in international terms. The far side of Langano is wilder than the Western side. Various types of monkeys and even hippos survive with this additional distance from the crowds of humans. A wonderful new lodge, Bishangari, is almost completed on this end of the lake, promising to provide rustic luxury with a variety of water sport and other diversions.