Hi Andrew
U know what I was also really exosetd about the election blabala....it was so nice of U to somehow post something different.
Have you ever been to Wondo Genet 250km south on the road to AWASSA? If U haven’t been there it is nice high land with a good Panoramic View and very good WABI SHEBELE Hotel (government owned).

Dear Andrew:

I hope you don't mind but I have been posting your blog postings on our magazine's blog section regularly. Although we launched on July 1st, our readers seem to like reading your blog.

In any event, I write today to tell you my favorit Ethiopian vacation spot - Koka Hydropower Reserve. I am not sure if this spot actually still exist as a vacation destination but when I was in grade school my family used to go there for the day to relax and do some fishing. There used to be a government-run hotel on the banks of the man-made koka lake. Hope you will get a chance to visit the lake.

Also, I highly recomend John Graham's book: Ethiopia off the Beaten Path or something to that effect.

Cheers,
Yohannes

Always great to read your articles. My father has told me a lot about Lake Langano so your post was very interesting.

Hi Andrew

glad to have discovered your site. have enjoyed it a lot.

i was recently in arba minch, the most beautiful place i've seen so far in ethiopia, even though you could say, bla, more lakes. have you been down there? if not, you should go! it would be nice to see a piece on that.

have attached links to a couple of my photos. although i'm a crap photographer (!)

http://image12.webshots.com/13/3/17/19/340831719EOcTcV_ph.jpg

http://image12.webshots.com/13/3/19/74/340831974CVmfcb_ph.jpg

keep it up.

I agree with dors about Arba Minch. 
The actual springs are idyllic and untouristy. 
Also a great place for non-swimmers because they're shallow. 
Fond memories of wading next to a woman washing her laundry. 
Kids doing somersaults in. 
Bottom-feeders nibbling at our feet.

http://openface.ca/~cobe/ethiopia/images/minch-0.5.jpg

Am glad to read that there are some people who don't think of Africa only as being a continent of poverty and sickness. There is so much beauty to be seen, besides the dark sides. We must not forget about the dark, but also we must not forget about the beauty.

Have just started to read your weblog, and...please keep on going!!! :)

Andrew,
Most of us are aware that Ethiopia is not short of natural beauty. The biggest problem in Ethiopia is the poverty, Aids, Malaria and so on. I don’t know if you are working for tourist industry or not but at the present time most of us who are concerned about Ethiopia are hungry for current news. Ethiopia’s future is at stake right now. I’ve also noticed your comment board is over whelmed by the supporters of current govt. who are trying to take the attention away from what is happening in Ethiopia. Please don’t get me wrong, I’ve the utmost respect for people like you, journalists. If it weren’t for kind-hearted journalist, all the human rights violation going on around the world would have stayed hidden. So, I ask you for some of us who are hungry for news please give us more feedbacks. (I apologize about my broken English)

I'd nominate Lalibela as my favourite place in Ethiopia. You really feel as if life has not changed much there in a thousand years.

My website has a description of cycling through Northern Ethiopia - see http://www.owen.org/cycling/ethiopia/

Nice blog, see you at internet
;-)

Hi Andrew,

first let me thank you for your blog. I find it to be a good source of info about Addis and Ethiopia.

Surely Langano should be included in my "favorite place in ET" top-list.
But I think I would rank Awassa as my number 1. Indeed, although it is a town that keeps growing, I really like the atmosphere over there. And near the lake you do not feel as if you were in a town buzzing with activity, it still is very relaxed and calm.

Next time you head south, a place that is also worth a visit is the Lodge that recently opened in the town of Yirgalem. Supposed to be an Eco-friendly kind of lodge, just as the Bishangari. But it is really worth a visit and the surroundings are very nice.

Hi Andrew:

I hear it is very beautiful Sept/Oct.in the Simien Mountains in Gondar. You can go mule packing in the mountains. Someday, I plan to do just that.

While there are many nice places in Ethiopia, there is no question that the best place of all is right by the best lake in the world: BAHR DAR!

Entoto Mountains, particularly Entoto Cafeteria, where the draft beer is always the right temperature, the waitresses, priests, and other clients are friendly and you are but a stone's throw from a beautiful view of Addis on one side and rolling countryside on the other. Can't be beat.

For the native Ethiopian like me, the whole country is full of attraction and surprises.Some of the sites are cited within the comments given ahead of mine.As far as my memory serves me well,even Leonardo Davinci would have connected his brush and canvas if he had been in Arba Minch ,especially staring at the breathtaking spectacle,seating on the verandah of the Bekele Mola Hotels.And we could have inherited two of his masterpieces THE BRIDGE OF GOD and HEAVEN AT THE MORTALS'GRASP next to MONALIZZZZZZZZZZZA.

In trying to find out all I can about the countryside of Ethiopia, found your website and that you have traveled south of Addis Ababa. I sponsor a 10 yr boy through World Vision who lives in Quacha Birra about 245 miles S. of Addis Ababa in the village of Gemesha. Have you been there or close to this location? If so, what can you tell me? I receive letters from the project worker, but they lack substance. Anything you can tell me would be most welcome. God keep you safe and I hope to hear from you.

Hi Andrew,
Are you still in Addis??
I just googled lake langano and your blog showed up... we're hopefully planning our first trip out there... :) So exciting.
Anyways, there's a few of us Canadian gals who haven't met many ferengis... it would be cool to hang out and meet up!
hope you're having fun in Addis still!

Hi Andrew,
Ah! Langano! I used to go there in the mid 1960s when my parents lived in Addis and I still feel myself privileged to have experienced the utter calm and tranquility of the place. The birds at Lake Abayata used to be even more spectacular than at Lanagano. But if I were to nominate the place of most breathtaking beauty in the country it would have to be the edge of the Blue Nile Gorge, looking down thousands of feet to the bottom of the gorge, watching the huge, majestic Lammergeiers with their nearly 2 metre wing span wheeling around in the thermals and - if you were lucky - seeing the amazing Gelada baboons with their lion-like manes.

If y'ain't been there, y'ain't lived.

just returned from Addis yesterday. First time in ethiopia ...found it a facneating place. The people are kind , food increadable... also toured a bit. i long to return already

Hi,
could you recommend a place to stay at the Lake Langano?

Luise

Luise - the best place to stay is Bishangari Lodge (http://bishangari.com/). You can get info on their website - linked to above - and get a bus at the weekends from the Addis Hilton.

What about the crater lake at Wenchi? Utterly beautiful in rain or sun and less than 3 hours drive from Addis.

Hi everyone,

yeah, very special places in Ethiopia.
Like to add one more - Bale Mountains. Did a 4days trekking tour with horses there - wonderful.

http://www.baletrek.com/

Cheers,
Isabel

Tsaay Pastry, Bole Road, Sunday mornings, reading the papers, sipping dark machiatto, munching cheese pastries.

Kaldi's are upstarts!

Langano? Peaceful?
My memories of Lake Langano in the mid-sixties was the cacophony of animals waking me up in my tent at the crack of dawn, followed by hordes of gala girls selling their wares for the rest of the day!
But it was definitely beautiful. Me and my friend discovered a puddle one year by the shore which turned out to be a hot spring. We excavated it with our hands for a whole fortnight,but then had to go home. When we came back the next year, someone had concreted it and turned it into a full pool!
I have another memory of a magical cafe/restaurant up by Intoto called Sans-soucis which was run by a friendly family of Italians. I wonder if it is still there?
Enrico's cafe in Addis wasn't too bad either.

I used to live in Ethiopia, I love langano. keep up with the pics!

Andrew,

I found your blog through a search on Lake Langano. I spend many a weekend their from 1974-1977. My family was affiliated with the US Military/Embassy. That was our weekend get away. I am painting a picture for my Oil Painting class and I wanted to capture the essence of Ethiopia as I remembered it as a child. Do you have any pictures you can send me with Acacia Tree around the lake. Or just pictures of the lake.

Deborah

Andrew,

It is an intersting site I might say. I think Gondar in general has a diverse spots from historical like Fassil, educational and challenging like Ras Dashen, Entertaining,educatonal,stimulating and fulliling like Lake Tan Monastries and Lalibela. Ethiopia in general would have been a paradise if it has the right leadership. Unfortunatly Ethiopia is poor in leaders but rich in nature and culture. Langano is one of my fevrite spots.

Hi, came accross your blogg. I must say that Langano has always been my favorite place in Ethiopia. Growing up there, spending 9 years of my life there, going to Langano is absolutely marvelous. There's nothing better than relaxing at Lake Langano, having a cup of coffee and going for Injerra Wott in the evening. But I agree with you; Langano is my favorite place in Ethiopia!

I spent five years in Ethiopia as a kid from 1975-1980.Langano was always our holiday site.First we camped in two tents, later we had a one room appartment.Doing holidays there was great.There were a lot further german people there so I had enough pals to play with.But we also hanged around with italians,french, etc. people.Fishing was great there.Most you did catch Tilapia or catfish(which mostly was uneatable because of worms)We also had a small inflatable Motorboat and a sailing boat. Generally there was always action at Langano,there were always people on the beach.I wonder how it does look there today. I miss these years.They were full of fun....and me and my pals...we were KINGS these a days :o)

dear Andrew
waw it's a good journey, i also want to see some of the place you visited. by the way did you know about kuriftu risort in debre zeit waw it is mirakles place.if you have an access visit it.

Its nice that someone has bothered to bring to the attention of anyone the beauty of one of the very remarkable places in this world, i lived in addis abeba between 1966 and august 1973 just before the political situation changed and as well as the amazing relatively simple but exciting life we lived in the city , nothing surpasses even to this day the excitement of going twice a year to Langano at times for a month at a time, being the only family who lived in a large tent 40 meters from the shore in a place that had about twelve or so homes . everybody knew each other very well and lived almost as a big family we as kids used to run amuck as one would say,and got up to everything and interestingly everybody mixed and learned from each others and without any accident .Bon fires in the night away from any home right on the beach or between the trees on the beautiful sand ,trekking wherever , horseriding hired horses where i remember paying 1 dollar per day for a galla saddleless horse or donkey ride and walking through the reeds at the swamp 4 or five kilometers from the camp possibly full of snakes and playing hide and seek in the moonlight lit trees even past midnight,the huge sunrise where the sun came up on the East which in our case was the other side of the lake where there was the "acque calde" or natural hot water springs and pools that every so often we would go to by speed boat twenty minutes ride straight across the lake.This place was amazing , the trees were huge and seemed unusually greener and different perhaps due to the phospates from the hot water springs but it was totally different like another world a scene from predator unlike the acacia on our side in nature.
The location was about i think 20 km from Bachelemolla which is was a much larger community than where we were but as i said a very close community where us as kids mixed with older teenagers and the parents mixed between parents even though at times there was some attrition due to circumstances between people whether adult or child,with us kids it was mostly because of jealousy due to girls or boys and the partnerships but nothing was long lasting or really too serious and never do i remember any bad event occuring . Swimming in the lake and the making of rafts or whatever out of wood and 200 litre barrels for floats or skiing with friends usually the teenagers 17 to twenty year olds we looked up to. All in all the ambient was unique ,you could walk along the shore for hours sometimes not meeting anyone or swim wherever in the dark browny water or catch the telapias or catfish at he rivermouth to the lake .One night probably around two or three am a hippo came out of the water where we were and walked past the tent, luckily nothing happened. It really was a born free experience and even though technology as we know it today had barely touched us mixing with nature,the beautiful galla or other tribal people and the incredible surroundings and freedom with only moral boundaries as the fear of the possible watchful eyes of the parents even though we passed most of our times well away from any made us behave adequately especialy in todays standards,we had the most unimaginable times as all of you who have been there can appreciate, the place impacted so much on the fortunate of us that even my email is and has been from day one langano@hotmail.com initially but then i lost the password and now langano_1@hotmail.com

What memories

Hi,
Grew up in Addis from mid sixties to mid seventies. Best places in ET: enrico's, ghion hotel pool, sans souci, bole airport italian restaurant, villa verde, debre zeit, koka lake, kerayou lodge, modjo corner reataurant's shish kebabs, lalibela, entoto hikes, ambassador cinema, portuguese bridge, blue nile gorge, alliance francaise, axum, and of course langano.
cheers

I recently visited Lake Langano while vacationing with my wife's family (whom are Ethiopian) and quite enjoyed my stay. We relaxed, ate skewered goat and skipped stones across the surface of a magnificent lake, steeped in solitude and wonder of past ages.

I do not wonder if I will return to the banks of this isolated place of reposeful meditation, for I visit it every day within my mind's-eye and draw to myself waves of refreshment; renewing my senses with vitality and my bones with strength.

Anthony Allbright

I was quite young when we lived in Addis but I remember the beauty of Ethiopia. It was one of my favorite places that we lived. We were there from 67-69 and I attended the American Community School there. I have never found anyone that I went to school with. If you were there at that time, I would love to hear from you. My dad worked at NAMRU. The thing I remember most of all are the beautiful flowers that surrounded our home. It was just amazing that so many flowers thrived there. It was like living in our own personal garden. My favorite place we visited was Blue Nile Gorge. It was absolutely AWESOME!! Thanks for your site.