BALE MOUNTAINS PARK
Posted By Marvelous Ethiopia Tour on October 25, 2016
Bale Mountains National park
Bale Mountains National park is a magnificent high-altitude plateau with numerous dramatic volcanic plugs, seasonal tiny alpine lakes and cascading mountain streams. Located at about 400 km from Addis Ababa, it is stretched over an area of 2,400 sqkms, which has altitude ranges from 1500m – 4377m above sea level. Being the largest Afro Alpine habitat park in Africa, Bale mountain national park offers the following major features of attraction. It gives chances of viewing about 46 mammal and 200 bird species, vegetation of unspoiled wonderland including various tree species and precious endemic mammals, namely Red Fox, Mountain Nyala, and Menelik’s Bushbuck. Its climate is mostly very cold with rainfall and damp cloud with rare sparking blue sky.
The best season of walking, trekking and camping in the park to view the endemic life and enjoy other tourist activities in the astonishing vast alpine areas is the dry season, which is from November to January. Visitors can enjoy the habitat at all seasons with warm and weatherproof clothing.
The three main divisions of the park, the northern area –Dinsho, the central alpine part-Sannate, and the southern forest area-Haranna offer distinct features.
Dinsho area is the perfect site of viewing Mountain Nyala and Menelik’s Bushbuck, etc. Tourist can visit the head quarters and the museum of the park here at Dinsho and get lodge service and relevant information about the park.
Sannat: nick-named as “the Island in the Air”, is a high plateau souring up to 4000 on top of which the second highest peak in Ethiopia, Mount Tullu Dimtu (4377m above sea level), among many, is found. An all weather road from Goba to Dallo Manna passes over this plateau. Some rare birds, and above all, the Red Fox, which is the top tourist attraction mostly specific to Bale MNP is spotted here.
The southern Harrana area is an area of lower altitude covered with dense tropical forest. The road penetrating Sannate and Haranna forest connects Goba with Dallo Manna. Bush pig, Africa hunting dog, giant forest hog, spotted hyena, lion, leopards, colobus monkey,etc. do abound in Haranna area.
Sof Umar Cave
Sof Umar Cave, one of the world’s biggest, Africa’s largest cave, and marvelous underground is located in Goro District o Bale Zone at a distance of 110km from the Zone’s capital Robe and 40 kms from the nearest town Goro.
The cave’s area which is typically characterized by flat topography and a deep gorge cut by river web which forms the cave.
The beauty of the cave comes from the untouched and savage aspects of the huge main passages, the very special shape of the sections of the galleries, the white color of the lime stones basalt that form the walls, the great number of entrances, the noise of the river, morphology of the galleries network and the presence of the many bats etc.
Sof Umar cave is a reputed historical Islamic heritage attributed to the Sufist Sheikh Safiyyullah Umar (abbreviated as “Sof Umar”) from whom the name of the cave is originated. The Sheikh is said to be the nephew as well as the disciple of Sheikh Husein.
He lived and worshiped Allah in the cave and taught Islam to his followers many centuries ago. The cave thus is one of the venerated monuments of religious history that predate the arrival of Islam in Bale. The persent cultural practice offering prayers and sacrifices by the pilgrim twice a year celebrates events of religious ceremony gives opportunity to experience history and culture.
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