Semein Mountains National Park (west side), Ethiopia

 Upload a photo

The Semein Mountains constitute one of the major mountain massifs in Africa, and the two most notable of the Semein Mountains are Ras Dashen and Janamora. These two gigantic mountains are separated by Meshahe Valley.

Ras Dashen is fairly popular for its' height (the tallest mountain in Ethiopia), and it also covers the second largest highland area (plateau) in the Semein Mountains range. Ras Dashen mountain is not part of the Semein Mountains National Park.


Janamora, with its' massive tableland stretching from its' peak, Buhait in the north to Mekane Brehan in the south, and from Islamge in the east to Gishe abyss in the west, is the largest mountain of all the Semein Mountains.

The Semein Mountains National Park is 232 km2 (90 mi2) in area and lies in altitudes ranging from 1,900 to 4,430 meters (6,200 to 14,530 feet), which includes the north and northwest edges of Mount Janamora's plateau.

The closest major town to the park is Debarq, 101 kilometers (63 miles) from the city of Gonder. The town is where the headquarters of the national park is located. The topography of the park is breathtaking. Its' landscape forms various small plateau areas, from which the edges plunge thousands of meters to the lowlands. Within the dramatic landscape of the park live the Walia ibex, Semein Red Fox and Gelada (better spelled as Chelada) baboon, all endemic to Ethiopia.

The park was adopted by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1978.

 draw only borderUNESCO World Heritage Sitenational park