Abijata Shalla National Park

Still in the immediate vicinity of Lake Langano and to the west of the highway, lies Abijata Shalla National Park. The Park is renowned as a birdwatcher’s paradise with some 360 or more species to be found. The bulk of the park is covered by the two lakes, Abijata and Shalla and during July through to September each year, the lakes are covered in thousands of flamingos. Although not in abundance, there are several mammals to be found in the park too. These include Hyaena, Jackals, Baboons, Grants Gazelle, warthogs, and ostrich.

There is a fine strip of land that separates the two lakes in the park. Walking along this at higher elevations give the best views. Lake Shalla is the deepest lake in the country and is surrounded by majestic hills which make for stunning sunsets, while Lake Abijata is a very shallow low-lying lake with vast expansive shorelines filled with birds.

There is a beautiful hot spring bubbling from the ground on the shores of Lake Shalla and with the right vehicle, you can visit nearby Chitu lake which is a small crater lake and has by far the largest concentration of flamingos in the area.