The road extending from Addis Ababa to the Southern region is really a paradise for people admiring culture and nature. About 75 Kms. from the capital, the road diverges in to two in the town of Modjo; one to the east and the other to the north. The road heading to the South will travelers to the famed Omo Valley after passing different spectacular Rift Valley lakes.The first lake to come cross is Zeway, one of the shallowest lakes along the chain of Lakes with a maximum depth of only 4 meters. The lake is prominent in shading the most delicious fish species and hosting five Islands, some of them being historical for having ancient and unique people and others for having monasteries.
The next twin lakes to be seen are Abiyata-Shalla. Both are grounds to admire different aquatic bird life and Shalla is the famous one being the deepest Rift Valley Lake not only in Ethiopia but in Africa north of the equator with 260 meters below seas level. Exactly opposite to the two twin Lakes is Lake Langano, a normally inhabited lake by weekenders of Addis Ababa. Having an out-standing view, it is the only Bilharzias free lake having brown-shiny color.
Driving 50 Kilometers from Langano is the town of Shashemene, a very hot commercial center and famous for being a home for the 'Ras Teferians', people of the Jamaican root that started to believe and formulate a faith with its focus on the last King of Ethiopia, Emperor Haileselasse.
In the continuing drive the traveler will arrive in the town of Arbaminch an ideal place to start exploring the different tribal groups and attractions such as;
NechSar National Park, which is famous for Zebra and other mammals and bird life.
The Dorze people, known for their cotton woven clothing and bamboo- made beehive shaped houses are easily accessible from Arbaminch.
Also the crocodile market on the last stretches and chains of the Rift Valley lake Chamo which is adjacent to Abaya, the longest rift Valley lake.
Driving further from Arbaminch is the real place to explore the Omo Valley tribes. This part of the country is home to many diverse and fascinating peoples and culture: the Konso, who for centuries have practiced terracing and intensive agriculture in their steep land and are known for the eerie wooden totems they erect over the graves of the dead.
The lower Omo Valley is home to an astonishing mix of small, contrasting ethnic groups- the Bume, the Karo, the Geleb, the Bodi, the Mursi, the Surma, the Erbore and the Hamer, to name only a few.
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Western Ethiopia
The Surma people live in a remote corner of south-western Ethiopia, virtually untouched by the modern world. The Surma live close to the border with Sudan but the international frontier means little to most people - especially those who live away from the area's only road.
The enigmatic peoples of the Surma life in the south of Ethiopia, due to their geographical isolation, they are able to maintain a unique and rich culture, living in a half nomadic existence in an almost terrestrial paradise. This proud people have a great sense for beauty and expression, their creativity shows itself in the intricate designs with which they - especially the men - decorate their own bodies to attract the other sex, for ceremonies and especially for the stick fighting donga, the foundation for complex and competitive social structure where the aim is to establish a champion or the encouragement of a collective hostility before attacking an enemy tribe. Married woman wear impressive big lip plates where the size is related to wealth.
The Surma have a macho culture, with an obsession for stick fighting called donga bringing great prestige to men - it is especially important when seeking a bride - and they are very competitive, at the risk of serious injury and occasional death. The males are often shaved bald, and frequently wear little or no clothes, even during stick fights.
At a young age, to beautify themselves for marriage, most women have their bottom teeth removed and their bottom lips pierced, then stretched, so as to allow insertion of a clay lip plate. Some women have stretched their lips so as to allow plates up to five inches in diameter. Their children are sometimes painted with white clay paint, which may be dotted on the face or body.
Village life is largely communal, sharing the produce of the cattle (milk and blood, as do the Maasai). Though their chief (styled komaro) wears the fur crown of a pagan priest-king, he is merely the most respected elder and can be removed. Few are familiar with Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and their literacy level is very low.
The Surma are very peaceful, serene people who are in love with their own lifestyle. They believe that god has given them everything, and the cattle they own are probably the best in the world.
Every year after the harvest, Surma men and women enjoy a leisurely courtship period, spending days by the river, painting their bodies with beautiful designs to make themselves attractive to each other.
