Central Ethiopia

Region

The capital and the vast Oromia region around it. Addis Ababa has the National Museum with the skeleton of Lucy and a lively food and music scene, the Rift Valley lakes run south of the city, and the Bale Mountains have the rare Ethiopian wolf. The dry season is October to May.

Central Ethiopia Bale MountainsSof Omar CavesLake LanganoLake AbijattaMelka KuntureHoly Trinity CathedralSt. George's Cathedral, Addis AbabaLake ZiwayMount Tullu DimtuMount BatuMount ZuquallaLake Chew BahirLake ShalaTiya (archaeological site)Mount FentaleKundudoMeskel SquareAhmar MountainsMount ChilaloRed Terror Martyrs' Memorial MuseumAddis MercatoKoka ReservoirYekatit 12 monumentBoset-BerichaBora BericcioGedamsaTullu MojeYabelo Wildlife SanctuaryEast ZwayAddis AbabaJimmaNekemteGobaDembidoloAbijatta-Shalla National ParkNational Museum of EthiopiaBale Mountains National ParkAdamaBishoftuShashamaneAsellaAmboSabataBurayu

Central Ethiopia essentials

Country: Ethiopia
Driest months: Nov-Jan
Pay in: Birr (Br)
Language: Amharic, Oromo, Somali
Emergency: 91

Where to Go in Central Ethiopia

City Addis Ababa Addis AbabaEthiopia's capital and a major city in Africa City Jimma JimmaCity in Oromiya, known for coffee production City Adama AdamaCity famous for its coffee production City Bishoftu BishoftuCity in Ethiopia, known for its lakes History Melka Kunture Melka KunturePaleolithic archaeological site with early human fossils History Tiya (archaeological site) Tiya (archaeological site)Ancient stelae field and UNESCO World Heritage site History Yekatit 12 monument Yekatit 12 monumentMonument commemorating victims of 1937 Addis Ababa massacre Nature Bale Mountains National Park Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopian park with Afro-alpine habitats and endemic species Nature Lake Langano Lake LanganoRift-valley Ethiopian lake popular for swimming and resorts Nature Lake Abijatta Lake AbijattaShallow saline soda lake in the Rift Valley Nature Abijatta-Shalla National Park Abijatta-Shalla National ParkEthiopian park protecting saline lakes, flamingo habitats Nature Lake Ziway Lake ZiwayRift Valley lake in Ethiopia supporting fisheries and hippos
Regions & Cities
Addis Ababa Explore Addis Ababa A plateau city of traffic and coffee ceremonies, Addis brings museums like the National Museum (Lucy), sprawling Mercato bazaars and modern restaurants serving injera and tibs. Jimma Explore Jimma Coffee scent hangs over Jimma’s highland roads; visitors tour plantation estates, sip freshly roasted beans at roadside cafes, inspect the Jimma Museum’s Oromo artifacts and use the city as staging point for forest hikes into the Gera and mountain pasturelands. Nekemte Explore Nekemte At the edge of Ethiopia’s western highlands, Nekemte is a market hub for coffee country: lively weekly bazaars, nearby coffee plantations, rolling hills for walking, and local tej and injera stalls. Goba Explore Goba Highland town serving as gateway to Bale Mountains National Park, coffee farms, Sanetti Plateau and Afro-alpine moorlands. Dembidolo Explore Dembidolo Dembidolo sits amid coffee country and rolling Oromia hills; travelers transiting for market days encounter cattle trading, local coffee farms, traditional Oromo hospitality and routes into forested highlands. Abijatta-Shalla National Park Explore Abijatta-Shalla National Park Rift Valley park with soda lakes Abijatta and Shalla, home to large flamingo flocks and diverse waterbirds. National Museum of Ethiopia Explore National Museum of Ethiopia Addis Ababa’s National Museum holds archaeological finds, ethnographic collections and the fossil ‘Lucy’. Bale Mountains National Park Explore Bale Mountains National Park Bale Mountains National Park offers afro‑alpine plateaus, the Harenna Forest and endemic species like the Ethiopian wolf and mountain nyala.

Central Ethiopia at a Glance

Local Time
2:42 AM
GMT+3
Population
41,171,001

Best Things to Do in Central Ethiopia