Hawassa Lake Hot Springs

The Hawassa Lake Hot Springs on the shores of Lake Hawassa in the Sidama region of Ethiopia's Central Rift Valley emerge from the geothermal activity of the Ethiopian Rift system in one of the most ecologically spectacular landscapes in East Africa. Lake Hawassa, the northernmost of the great Ethiopian rift lakes, is surrounded by gardens of wild fig trees and hosts extraordinary fish eagle, pelican, marabou stork and hippo populations at its shores. The bicarbonate springs emerge at temperatures suitable for bathing in the volcanic terrain between the lake and the Sidama highlands, used by local communities in a tradition rooted in the rich cultural heritage of the Sidama people — one of Ethiopia's most numerous ethnic groups with a distinctive coffee ceremony tradition. The city of Hawassa itself, capital of the Sidama region, is one of Ethiopia's most pleasant and modern cities, providing excellent facilities for thermal visitors exploring the rift lakes.