Lake Tana and Blue Nile

Lake Tana, with its surface area of ​​nearly 3,000 sq km, is the largest in Ethiopia and the source of the famous Blue Nile, which begins its long journey to Khartoum and beyond to the Mediterranean Sea. 37 islands are scattered on the surface of the lake, of which 20 house churches and monasteries that are still in use and of historical and cultural interest. At the lakeshore and on the islands, a variety of birds – both local and endemic as well as visiting migrants – make it an ideal place for birdwatching and photography.

The Blue Nile, a torrent 400m wide, plunges into a huge abyss of 45m and generates a steady mist, which soaks the countryside over a radius of one kilometre. This gentle deluge produces rainbows that sparkle under the dynamic arc of the sun. The mist clouds in the sky that occur during the rainy season, when seen from afar, explain the name “Tiss issat” given to the falls, which means “water that smokes”. The Blue Nile falls are the second largest in Africa and constitute one of the most beautiful landscapes across the entire continent. This small corner of paradise also hosts a multitude of birds.