Awash National Park

Awash is Ethiopia's oldest national park, a semi-arid savanna crossed by the Awash River that terminates downstream in the Afar lakes. The park protects beisa oryx, Soemmering's gazelle, Abyssinian ground hornbill, and the rare Abyssinian roller, along with over 460 bird species in its acacia woodland and riverine forest. Awash Falls, where the river plunges into a basalt gorge, and the thermal pools at Filwoha in the Illala Saha Hills are the most photogenic features of the park.