Tag Archives: Omo Valley

Omo Valley, Ethiopia

UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Last visited June, 2016

The lower Omo Valley is inscribed as an archaeological site in the UNESCO World Heritage list, but it’s not the archaeological finds that have been bringing travelers here for the last 30 years. The Valley is home to more than a dozen tribes that have miraculously managed to preserve their traditional lifestyles and cultures, and it is the opportunity to experience these diverse and fascinating people that brings travelers to this remote part of Ethiopia. I have been to Omo Valley twice and love the area and its people so much, I am sure I will be back again. To be honest, this is by no means an easy trip, but done right it can be a most rewarding experience.

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Hamer Bull Jumping Ceremony

Visited in February, 2015

Bull Jumping is the culmination of a three-day initiation ceremony, which every Hamer and Bena man goes through and it is a fascinating part of these Omo Valley tribes’ cultures. The tribes allow visitors to witness the bull jumping for a fee and the money you pay helps the jumper’s family with the cost of the ceremony. This allows the families to hold bull jumping earlier in the young man’s life. As a visitor, I found the Hamer ceremony fascinating, and recommend that any visitor to the area witness this.

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