Tour around Africa: Stage 54 - Baco (HABC) to Robe (HAGB)
MS Flight Simulator VFR Flight Plan
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At the bottom of this page you will find the download link of this Flight Plan (.PLN file)

In this VFR - GPS Flight Plan we take off from the short dirt runway of Baco (HABC), fly to the lakes area, then to the Tullu Dimt mountain and finally land in the dirt runway of the aerodrome of Robe (HAGB)

Find below a short extract and screenshots of the main points of the route. In this journey around Africa I have used the Cessna 172S (Skyhawk)

Take off from the short runway 23 of the aerodrome of Baco (HABC).

Baco Airport (IATA: BCO, ICAO: HABC) is a new airport serving Jinka and Baco, Ethiopia. The airport was built 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Jinka.

Leaving Baco towards the lake Chamo in a constant and steep climb.

Reaching the the lake Chamo, the first of the lakes we'll fly over in this journey.

Lake Chamo (Amharic: ቻሞ ሐይቅ) is a lake in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of southern Ethiopia. Located in the Main Ethiopian Rift, it is at an elevation of 1,110 meters. The Chamo lake is just to the south of Lake Abaya and the city of Arba Minch, east of the Guge Mountains, and west of the Amaro Mountains.

Lake Chamo northern end lies in the Nechisar National Park. According to figures published by the Central Statistical Agency, it is 32 kilometers long and 13 wide, with a surface area of 317 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 14 meters with a catchment of about 18757 square kilometers in size. Other sources locate it on an elevation of 1,235 meters with a length of 26 km a widths of 22 km an area of 551 square kilometers a catchment of 2220 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 10 meters.

The lake is fringed with beds of Typha, as well as wetlands. It is fed by the Kulfo River and several small streams, as well as overflow from Lake Abaya brought to it by the Ualo River.[4] Oscar Neumann, exploring the area in 1901, found a dry channel connecting Lake Chamo to the Sagan River, which led him to conclude the lake contributes to the Sagan in years of heavy rainfall.[5]

Wildlife include fish like the catfish Bagrus docmak and Nile perch, as well as hippopotamus and Nile crocodiles. (*1)

Leaving lake Chamo behind.

Overflying the "Bridge of God" in the Nech-Sar national park

Nechisar National Park (or Nech-Sar National Park) is a national park in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is in the Great Rift Valley within the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands.

The 750-square-kilometre (190,000-acre) park includes the "Bridge of God", an isthmus between Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo, and the Nechisar (English: white grass) plains east of the lakes. It is east of Arba Minch.

Park elevations range between 1,108 and 1,650 metres (3,635 and 5,413 ft) above sea level. Nechisar National Park was established in 1974. Under the management of African Parks Network (APN since 2005, it was reportedly scheduled to hand over management to the Ethiopian government in June 2008. (*1)

Overflying the large lake Abaya.

Lake Abaya (Amharic: አባያ ሐይቅ) is a lake in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Main Ethiopian Rift, east of the Guge Mountains.

The town of Arba Minch lies on its southwestern shore, and the southern shores are part of the Nechisar National Park. Just to the south is Lake Chamo. Savanna, known for its wildlife and birdlife, surrounds the lake, which is also fished by local people. According to the Ethiopian Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 412 tonnes of fish are landed each year, which the department estimates is 69% of its sustainable amount.

Lake Abaya is 60 kilometers long and 20 wide, with a surface area of 1162 square kilometers. There are a number of islands in this lake, the largest being Aruro; others include Gidicho, Welege, Galmaka, and Alkali. The lake is red due to a high load of suspended sediments.

The lake is fed by three medium-sized rivers. First there is the Bilate which rises on the southern slopes of Mount Gurage, then runs mostly southward to drain into Lake Abaya at its northern shore. Second, there is the Gidabo, which rises on the western slopes of the Bale Mountains, then also runs mostly southwards to drain into Lake Abaya at its northeastern tip after having passed the Gidabo flood plains. A third river is the Gelana, which rises at the western escarpment of the Rift Valley northwest of Bule Hora Town. Tributary streams also rise on the eastern and northern slopes of the Amaro Mountains. The Gelana then flows northwards through the Gelana Graben in the middle between both mountain ranges before it enters the Bore swamps and finally drains on the eastern side into the lake. (*1)

Ascending towards mount Tullu Dimtu.

Flying near mount Tullu Dimtu.

Tullu Dimtu (Oromo: Tulluu Diimtuu) is the fourth highest peak in Ethiopia after Ras Dashen (4550m), Ancua (4462m), and Kidus Yared (4453m).

Tullu Dimtu is on the Sanetti Plateau in the Bale Mountains of Oromia Region in southeast Ethiopia, within Bale Mountains National Park. It forms part of the divide between the drainage basins of the Weyib and Shebelle Rivers.

A rough gravel road, the third highest in Africa, leads to the top of Tullu Dimtu. (*1)

Beginning the descend we overfly the Bale mountains national park.

The Bale Mountains (also known as the Urgoma Mountains) are mountain ranges in the Oromia Region of southeast Ethiopia, south of the Awash River, part of the Ethiopian Highlands. They include Tullu Demtu, the second-highest mountain in Ethiopia (4377 meters), and Mount Batu (4307 meters). The Weyib River, a tributary of the Jubba River, rises in these mountains east of Goba. The Bale Mountains National Park covers 2,200 square kilometers of these mountains. The park's main attractions are the wild alpine scenery and the relative ease with which visitors can see unique birds and mammals. (*1)

Approach to the dirt runway 15 of the Robe aerodrome.

Robe Airport (IATA: GOB, ICAO: HAGB) is an airport in the town of Bale Robe, Ethiopia. It also serves the nearby town of Goba.

Robe, also called as Bale Robe, is a town in south-central Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Located in the Bale Zone, this town has a latitude and longitude of 7°7′N 40°0′E with an elevation of 2,492 metres (8,176 ft) above sea level.

It is located about 430 kilometres by road from the capital Addis Ababa.

Robe shares Robe Airport (ICAO code HAGB, IATA GOB) with neighboring Goba. Ethiopian Airlines has a scheduled flight four times a week connecting it to the capital Addis Ababa and to the southern city Arba Minch.

The main market day is Thursday, with a smaller market working on Tuesdays and Sundays at another place in the town. Notable tourist attractions include the Sof Omar Caves, which lie to the east. (*1)

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(*1) Credits: The descriptive texts are mainly an excerpt of those provided by Wikipedia. Visit Wikipedia to read the full descriptions.