Only a three hour drive from Addis Ababa, the Awash National Park takes its name from the river which forms the park’s southern boundary. Covering an area of 756 square kilometers, the park is comprised mainly of a dry savanna but also other interesting features such as hot springs, volcanic landscapes, and a fantastic waterfall. In the open areas and grass plains you should see zebra, oryx, kudu, Soemmerring’s gazelle and Swayne’s hartebeest. Baboons and colobus and grivet monkeys can be seen near the river. Occasionally, cheetahs, servals, leopards and lions are seen. Incredibly, over four hundred species of birds have been spotted in the park, ranging from the great ostrich to the Abyssinian Roller.