Reckoned by enthusiasts to be one of Africa’s premier locations for Omo People white water river rafting, its early fury takes it through gorges hundreds of meters deep and over fish, crocodile and hippo.

On the final leg of its journey south to Turkana, the Omo forms the border between Kefa and Gamo Gofa provinces. It’s here that Ethiopia’s largest nature sanctuary, the Omo National Park is located, with belts of forest, hot springs and extensive wilderness.

The park is one of the richest in spectacle and yet one of the least-visited areas in East and Central Africa. Most easily accessed from the town of Jinka, another sanctuary, the Mago National Park, has been establishing on the eastern bank of the river, comprising mainly savanna, with some forestes areas. The highest point is Mount Mago, in the north of the park.

Both parks offer incredible spectacles of big game. Both also have the merit of being far from the beaten track and virtually unexplored, and thus are place in which game can be seen in a truly natural state.