Nech Sar National Park

Nech Sar National Park, or Nechisar National Park (Amharic: የነቺሳር ብሔራዊ ፓርክ) is in the western part of Southern Ethiopia.

Understand
Nech Sar got its name from the combination of two Amharic words which means white grass referring to the central grassy plains associated with Burchell's zebra. This park is between lakes namely Abaya and Chamo. The cliff that separated these two lakes is referred to as bridge of God.

The national park covers an area of ​​514 km².

Landscape
There is a large steppe grass plain in the center of the park, with light jungle at the edge.

Flora and fauna
There are 104 species of mammals and 351 species of birds in the park, as well as around 1,000 species of plants.

Mammals native to this park include Swayne’s Hartebeest, Scott’s hairy Bat, Crocidura phaeura, White-footed Rat, Ethiopian grass Rat and Hinde’s Bat. Other animals include Burchell’s Zebra, Greater Kudu, Grant’s gazelle, Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Aubis Baboon, Black-backed Jackal, Side-striped jackal, Bat-eared fox, Warthog, African hunting Dog, Guenther’s Dikdik, Lion and Leopard.

Climate
The temperatures are between and. The highest temperatures are in January to March, the lowest in November. There are rainy seasons twice a year, from March to May and from September to November. But the amount of precipitation is only 900 mm.

Get in
Nechisar is about 2 km from Arba Minch, about 510 km south of Addis Ababa. In the north of Arba Minch you drive past the airport and reach the entrance to the national park.

Fees and permits
Admission for 24 hr: 100 birr per person, fee for own car 100 birr (as of 2016).

Get around
There are about 180 km of slopes in the park. A four-wheel drive vehicle or a very powerful two-wheel drive vehicle (e.g. Toyota Landcruiser) is required to visit the park. There are very steep slopes to overcome.

When it rains, the ground softens very quickly, so the park cannot be visited.

It is not recommended to visit the crocodile market on your own through the jungle, as there are mostly no paths and you are exposed to a high risk.

See
There are many Anubis Baboons to be seen in the park, behaving peacefully and slightly shyly. With a little patience, however, you can get quite close to the animals. Otherwise you see a lot of warthogs. On the plain there are herds of Grant's gazelle, Hartebeest and Burchell's zebra. There are also a few lions in Nechisar National Park, but you rarely see them. Other animal species include the greater kudu, lesser kudu, bushbuck, waterbuck, dik-dik, and spotted hyena. In addition to the mentioned baboons, there are also green morecats andmantled monkeys.

The Chamosee is teeming with crocodiles and herds of hippos, as well as large birds (pelicans, marabou, ospreys, storks, cormorants).

Do
The is a stretch of beach on Lake Chamo that is particularly popular with crocodiles. It is possible to book a trip with a motor boat there (1200 birr in 2018). Captains can be arranged free of charge at the tourist office. Besides crocodiles, there are many hippos and large birds (pelicans, marabou, osprey) to see. The boat trip takes about 2 hours. When the water level is high, hippos may not be visible.

Under no circumstances should you let any random "guide" (not even from the "Bekele Mola Hotel"!) mediate you, unless you are willing to pay around 100 birr more.

The best time is in the afternoon, when the crocodiles take their digestive sleep in the sun on the shore.

You can organise the boat safari with the local guide association or by yourself upon arrival in the park. They will take you over Lake Chamo where you can see crocodiles (at a place called crocodile market) and various birds (2018). On the lake Abayo you reach the shore and a ferry station right behind the crocodile farm and you will walk around with a ranger and you could watch Monkeys, Hornbill, Zebra, Dikdik and other Antelope. 500 birr per person in total (2016) or just a tip for the ferry captain who shows you the way.

Forty Springs is on the road 3 km inside from the entrance and can be reached by foot. The springs are unspectacular.

Buy, eat, and drink
Bring everything you need with you.

Sleep
Hotel accommodation is not available in the national park, but is available in the nearby town of Arba Minch.

Camping
Campsites are designated in the national park, e.g. . The camping fee is 40-60 birr per tent, depending on the tent size (as of 2016).