Abijatta-Shalla National Park is one of the oldest Parks in Ethiopia. It is located 200 kilometers south of Addis Ababa. Abijatta is founded in 1963, in Central Ethiopian Highlands of Oromia Region. The 887 square kilometers park revolves largely around the stunning alkaline lakes Abijatta and Shalla, which act as a migratory home for vibrant and diverse bird life. The two lakes are separated by three kilometers of hilly land. The altitude of the park ranges from 1540 to 2075 meters, the highest peak being mount Fike, located on the isthmus between Abijatta and the mystical southern sister lake, Lake Shalla.The park was primarily created for its aquatic bird life, particularly those that feed and breed on lakes Abijatta and Shalla in Large numbers.

Lake Shalla

Lake Shalla is the deepest in the entire rift valley . (260 meters (853 feet)., and fills the center of a collapsed volcano , It is exceptionally beautiful, with shores that give a scent of mystery with their hot sulfurous springs that bubble up and flow into the lake. Lake Shalla is nearly devoid of fish, and most birds will fly to neighboring Lake Abijatta to feed.

The four islands in the center of Lake Shalla are favoured nesting and breeding grounds for a variety of birds, with the great white pelicans notable among them. White-necked cormorant, African fish eagle, Egyptian geese, and numerous plover and herons are also common here.

Lake Abijatta

Abijatta is shallow at about 14 meters with a mysterious fluctuating water level. Fresh water flows into it trough the small Horakello stream. The steam mouth is a source of relatively fresh water, much frequented by water birds for drinking and bathing. The Lake is surrounded by gentle, grass covered slopes and acacia woodlands. The dramatic black cliffs, jagged peaks and steamy shoreline speckled with bubbling hot springs is a stark – but perfect – compliment to the cotton-candied shores of Abijatta.

Birds of Abijata Shalla Lakes National Park

There are over 400 bird species recorded here, almost half the number recorded for the whole country. Although the islands in Lake Shalla are a real bird’s paradise, the birds fly to Lake Abijatta to feed. Abijatta itself is very alkaline but shallow, so flamingoes can be seen scattered over most of its surface, and especially along the windward edge where their algal food source concentrates. You can approach quite closely, but beware of treacherous deep and mud if the lake is low. Large numbers of flamingos gather here, together with great white pelicans and a wide variety of other water birds.

Besides of the rich Bird life, some mammals can be spotted at the Lake Abijatta-Shalla National Park, especially Grant’s gazelle, Oribi warthog and the Golden Jackal.

Other Attractions of Abijata Shalla National Park

The headquarters houses a small museum, which gives an excellent idea of the wealth of bird life in the park. A further track leads on from Dole to the shores of Lake Shalla where hot steam, mud and water bubble to the earth’s surface. Revered locally for their medicinal properties, the hot springs have a sense of primeval mystery about hem, especially in the cooler early mornings. They are relics of the massive volcanic activity that has formed this amazing country and landscape.

Other Attraction In association with the Abijatta Shalla Lakes National Park is Senkello Swayne’s hartebeest Sanctuary, some 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the town of Shashemene, and close to the Chitu entrance of the park. The sanctuary was established for this endemic subspecies of the hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) which once roamed the plans of Somalia and Ethiopia in thousands, but is now restricted to four small localities in Ethiopia. The sanctuary is small but well worth a visit. Set beneath a small rounded hill, over 2,000 of these rich, chocolate colored hartebeest are packed into this area of wooded grassland, along with bohor reedbuck (Redunca Redunca), Oribi Warthog and many different species of birds.