Gambella National Park is in the Gambela Region of Western Ethiopia. Wildlife populations in Gambella are among the highest in all of Ethiopia. Gambella is only accessible via charter aircraft on an organized safari using tented camps and private aircraft.

Understand

The Gambella (or Gambela) National Park is located about 850 km due west of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. It is one of the largest parks on the country.

History

It was established in 1974 to protect two antelope species which at the time were at the risk of extinction in the region.

Landscape

It is 4,575 km² (1,766 sq mi) in size.

Flora and fauna

Gambella National Park has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Ethiopia. Sixty-nine mammal species are found in the protected area, including African elephant, African buffalo, bushpig, common warthog, Nubian giraffe, hippopotamus, Nile lechwe, tiang, waterbuck, cheetah, leopard, lion, mantled guereza, olive baboon, patas monkey and spotted hyena.

The park also hosts herds of Bohor reedbuck, bushbuck, Lelwel hartebeest, oribi, reedbuck, roan antelope, and white-eared kob. The white-eared kob migration is Africa's second largest mammal migration. In 2015, African Parks and the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority estimated there were between 100 and 120 giraffes.

327 bird species, including seasonal migrants, have been recorded, including the African skimmer, black-faced firefinch, Carmine bee-eater, cisticolas, crowned cranes, Egyptian plover, exclamatory paradise whydah, African green bee-eater, pelicans, approximately 40 species of raptors, red-necked buzzard, red-throated bee-eater, storks, warblers, and vultures.

Plant species along the Akobo and Baro rivers include: Acacia victoriae, Arundo donax and temba (Pennisetum petiolare). The invasive Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) and shenkorageda (Saccharum officinarum) have also been reported.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Gambela Airport (GMB ^IATA). Ethiopian Airlines fly to Gambela. The airport is 57 km northeast of the park. (updated Jan 2023)

Go next

• Gambela - the main city of the region, northeast of the park