Mago National Park

Mago National Park covers about 2,160 square kilometres of woodland and savannah along the Mago River, a tributary of the Omo, in the Southern Nations region. The park protects elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and a variety of antelope species, though wildlife is not as dense as in East Africa's famous parks and sightings require patience and a good guide. The park also encompasses part of the traditional territory of the Mursi people, whose villages are within the park boundaries.

Access is from Jinka, the main town in the area, which has a small airport with connections to Addis Ababa. A 4WD is essential — the roads are rough and the park has no tourist infrastructure. Most visitors combine Mago with time in the Mursi villages and the wider lower Omo valley. Entry requires a park permit and a mandatory guide, arranged through the park office in Jinka.

things to do sight
A story
Mago National Park was established in 1979 primarily to protect the land of the Mursi people from encroachment — a well-intentioned policy that has since been complicated by the Mursi themselves, who move seasonally and have found their traditional territories restricted by the park boundaries. The relationship between conservation areas and indigenous land rights in the Omo valley is one of the more contentious issues in Ethiopian conservation.