A familiarization Trip Sponsored by Oromia Tourism Commission to Promote Oromia

Tour Highlight: This trip includes the following activities: Wine Farm/Enotourism, Boat Trip/Outdoor Adventures, Camping/Nightlife at the shore of Lake Dambal on Galila Island and Lake Dambal Run/Running Adventures. Groups of Artists, social media personalities, and tour guides are part of the trip.

Hora-Dambal is one of the freshwater Rift Valley lakes of Oromia, Ethiopia. It is located about 160 km south of Finfinee/ Addis Ababa, areas territories includes the lake's shoreline are Adami Tullu and Jido Kombolcha, Dugda, and Batu Dugda. The town of Batu lies on the lake's western shore. The lake is fed primarily by two rivers, the Meki from the west and the Katar from the east, and is drained by the Bulbula which empties into Lake Abijatta.

On Lake Dambal. There are five islands which include Debre Tsion, Galila, Bird Island, Debre Abraham and, perhaps most notably Tullu Gudo/Debre Sina on boat, we crossed one of island the Bird island for Bird watching more than 25 specious of Bird life and Gelila island to see different families of Hippos. On the Lake Hippo and birds are the main attractions. The island hosts the church of Maryam Tsion which, according to tradition, once housed the Ark of the Covenant to hide it from invaders.This lake is 31 kilometres long and 20 km wide, with a surface area of 440 square kilometres. It has a maximum depth of 9 meters and is at an elevation of 1,636 meters. According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, Lake Dambal is 25 kilometres long and 20 km wide, with a surface area of 434 square kilometres. It has a maximum depth of 4 meters and is at an elevation of 1,846 meters.

Boat Trip on Lake Dambal

It is an adventurous for more than one reason. First, any boat ride on the lake usually involves making the long journey from the town of Dambal all the way across to the twin cinder cone peaks of Tulu Gudo Island near the opposite shore of one of the largest lakes in Ethiopia, a journey of about 30km round trip in a relatively small boat. It is also common to encounter one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, the hippopotamus, which is said to kill more people than the crocodile. On the way back in the evening, the Rift Valley winds (which sometimes kick up dust storms) arise, making the water a bit choppy and exciting.

Extraordinary happiness and incredible boat trip on Dambal lake to Gelila Island.

?Part of the thrill of boating on Lake Dambal is also the remoteness. One may feel quite alone, as it is rare to see any other outsiders during the whole trip, unlike on Lake T’ana or Hawassa, for example. Dambal is a routine stop for birders, who normally bird watch from the shore, but it also holds an important place in Ethiopian history.

?It was here on the windswept shores of Lake Dambal that priests sought refuge for the Ark of the Covenant, which they had brought about 1,100km south from Axum, when the city was being commandeered by the revolting Ethiopian Jewish Queen Yodit Gudit. The priests built a traditional Ethiopian church on a towering ledge of Dambal’s volcanic cinder cone island of Tulu Gudo to house it, and the ruins of this church, as well as a few other buildings, can still be seen here today.

There is also an active orthodox church on the island with a corresponding museum that houses a one meter-wide book, weighing 30kg that is possibly the oldest book ever found in Ethiopia. The population of the island has declined from a peak of about 5,000 to 1,000, but there is still an active government school for young children there, so visiting this community of the Zay people (pronounced Zai) and seeing their way of life is interesting, too. There are four other islands each with an Ethiopian Orthodox church and one other really small island, known as Bird Island. The island of Gelila is the only other inhabited island. Except for the church on Tulu Gudo, these island churches remain closed during the week except for holidays.

The early 20th-century explorer Herbert Weld Blundell describes finding that "two distinct terraces of former shores rise some 80 feet above the present level, forming a ring round that nearest to the lake on the north, about 4 miles from the shore, marking a former basin." The northern shores were covered by papyrus. Weld Blundell includes in his account "a curious tradition, perhaps suggested by the apparent elevated shore," that the lake "was a kingdom 50 miles across, inhabited by seventy-eight chiefs", which disappeared in a single night.

?The lake is known for its population of birds and hippopotamuses. It supports a fishing industry; according to the Ethiopian Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2454 tonnes of fish are landed each year, which the department estimates is 83% of its sustainable amount. The visit, return to shore, enjoying the bountiful birdlife on this lake and possibly some hippos early in the morning.

Sun rise early in the morning over?Dambal Lake!

Walking alongside a vineyard at Castel Winery in Batu

This enotourism is the new tourism product and a great hope for our industry! A guided tour allows access alongside from a vineyard to the factory. We tasted, consumed, and purchased of different Castel wine products and grape. It was promoted by Oromia Tourism Commission/https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/visitoromia/ for the first time as a new tourism product/new destination site for tourists.

A commentary has given for us by company's tourist guide about how the wine planting, farming, treating and collecting.at the vineyard!

A brief is given by a tourist guide about the Castel Winery which is located in the town of Batu, with an elevation of around 1600 meters above sea level, with sub-humid to sub- arid climate, Sandy Loam type of soil variety, mean annual precipitation of 650 to 700 mm and it’s all year average temperature of 25 degree centigrade is deemed suitable for the grape varieties imported directly from France. Soil type: Sandy Loam variety on volcanic rock, climate: Sub-humid to sub-arid, elevation: 1600m, precipitation: 650 to 700 mm per annum, grapes varieties: Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon,cabernet franc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon gris, Sauvignon blanc, Chenin, Semillion. We are enjoying in our tour at the wine farm.

?Camping at the shore of Lake Dambal on Gelila Island

We enjoyed our nightlife at the shore of Lake Dambel on Gelila Island! A lot of funs. In the breezy air of the Rift Valley evening, under the canopies of the beautiful Galila island, our entourage cozied up around crackling campfires. After the food, drinks, and music, the tents offered a much needed space to rest and wake up early enough to catch the sun rising above Mount Chilalo to the west. As the sun rose higher, Lake Dambal was lit in a beautiful golden color to be enjoyed by the shores of Galila, making for an unforgettable camping experience. https://www.facebook.com/visitoromia

Even if?the darkness with moon makes delightful moments and?sharing great experiences over a lake for enjoying beloved ones!

Run and clean Lake Dambel Buffer Zone!

Stated by Visit Oromia/https://www.facebook.com/visitoromia: We dressed in yellow for hope and the Batu sunshine, participants of Sunday's 10KM race run along the beautiful shores of Lake Dambal. The jubilant and sweaty runners from all over Batu, Finfinnee, and beyond finished the race by the Laftos and Jacarandas of the lakeside town and became deserving champions of the environment! We thank all those that participants in the race and the organizers of this deeply meaningful event. I am doubtful that members of this trip has participated a 10 km race except me and my friend! The event was concluding giving awards acknowledgement for those who won and performed great role for the events. After having lunch, return to Addis Ababa late afternoon and the tour ends!

A 10km running?in Batu for keeping clean the lake buffer zone. Stakeholders and host communities are part of this event!

Conclusion of this Trip

We spent a great times and shared many experiences to promote the Lake Dambal and surroundings within two days/one night at the Great Rift Valley Fam Trip organized by Batu Town Administration and sponsored by Oromia Tourism Commission/https://oromiatourismcommission.et/. The strength of this trip is, we almost touched and performed all planned places and activities accordingly. Communication was great facilitated by OTC staff using different ways. The weakness of this trip is time management, the tour was planning to start early in the morning at about 06:30 AM but we started at about 0 9:10 AM. from Bole, OTC HQ. We took the risk at the end of day one, we were catching boat trip late afternoon at about 06:10 PM and we reached at Gelila Island at the dark situation. The sailor/boat driver couldn't back to his home due to shortage time and spent night with us. My recommendation to Oromia Tourism Commission/https://www.facebook.com/OromiaTourismCommission is if you are planning such a Fam Trip, give enough times and call all the tourism stakeholders/professionals to sell tour packages about the planned destinations for the their customers.

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