Ethiopia Lake Tana and the Blue Nile

Lake Tana ©Solange Hando

About 500 km north of the capital, Tana is Ethiopia's largest lake, almost the size of an inland sea but freshwater all the way and only 14 metres deep on average.

Best place to stay is the lovely resort of Bahir Bar, all tropical flowers and trees, set on a peninsula in the south-east corner of the lake.

Ready to explore? ©Solange Hando

Rivers and streams, at least two dozens of them, flow into the lake but there is only one outlet and that is the source of the Blue Nile in the south east where this boat is heading.

Beyond the lake, the river flows south then west through dramatic gorges then up north to Sudan where it joins the White Nile, providing 80% of the combined water.

Hippos enjoying the Blue Nile ©Solange Hando

Lake Tana is rich in wild life, many species of fish, some endemic, birds -especially white pelicans- and small pods of hippos who enjoy the shallows close to the source but sometimes venture a little further.

Emerald water near the source ©Solange Hando

This local man is collecting papyrus from the shore which he will sell in the local market. Papyrus is burnt as incense to please the gods.

Islands on the lake have Orthodox chapels and monasteries and are highly respected pilgrimage sites for locals.

Beyond the lake a country drive takes you from Tana to the Falls, an amazing chance to see genuine villages and rural life unchanged, it seems, by centuries.

It's a rough road much of the way then a walk across open land before bouncing on a long suspension bridge for a close look of the Falls.

Here they are in the dry season, not at their most spectacular, but good enough for me, dropping 45 metres from the top, with scenic trails meandering up the nearby slopes.

In the wet season, the 160 metre wide river is channelled through a thunderous gorge just 20 metres across.