Tour around Africa: Stage 53 - Harar Meda (HAHM) to Baco (HABC)
MS Flight Simulator VFR Flight Plan
Previous stage - Next stage

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 airport of Harar Meda (HAHM), fly to the lakes area, then to the Omo and _Mago National Parks and finally land in the grass runway of the aerodrome of Baco (HABC)

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 runway 16 of the airport of Hara Meda (HAHM).

The airport of Harar Meda (HAHM) is not far away at the south east of Addis Ababa. It is the main base for the Ethiopian Air Force and taking off from there is one of the advantages of using a flight simulator :-)  (*1)

Passing near mount Zuqualla.

Mount Zuqualla (also spelled Zuquala, Zikwala or Chuqqaala) is an extinct volcano in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Situated in Ada'a Chukala woreda of the (East) Shewa Zone, it rises from the plain 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Bishoftu. With a height of 2,989 metres (9,806 ft), it is known for its crater lake, lake Dembel, an elliptical crater lake with a maximum diameter of about one kilometer, but the trail around the crater is about 6 kilometers long. (*1)

Flying near the lake Gelila, the first of many lakes we'll fly over in this journey.

Reaching lake Ziway.

Hora-Dambal also known as Lake Zway or Dambal (Oromo: Hora Dambal, Amharic: ዟይ ሐይቅ) is one of the freshwater Rift Valley lakes of Ethiopia. It is located about 100 miles south of Addis Ababa, on the border between the Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region; the woredas holding the lake's shoreline are Adami Tullu Jido Kombolcha, Dugda, and Batu town. The town of Batu lies on the lake's western shore. The lake is fed primarily by two rivers, the Meki from the west and the Katar from the east, and is drained by the Bulbula which empties into Lake Abijatta. The lake's catchment has an area of 7025 square kilometers.

According to the Statistical Abstract of Ethiopia for 1967/68, Lake Ziway is 25 kilometers long and 20 km wide, with a surface area of 434 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 4 meters and is at an elevation of 1,846 meters. It contains five islands, including Debre Sina, Galila, Funduro, Tsedecha and Tulu Gudo, which is home to a monastery said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant around the ninth century. (*1)

Leaving lake Ziway behind.

Lakes Abiata, Langano and Shalla.

Lake Shala (also spelled Shalla) is an alkaline lake located in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, in the Abijatta-Shalla National Park.

The lake is 28 kilometers long and 12 wide, with a surface area of 329 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 266 meters and is at an elevation of 1,558 meters. As such, it is the deepest of Ethiopia's Rift Valley lakes.

Known for the sulphur springs on the lake bed, its islands are inhabited by great white pelicans, one being known as Pelican Island.

Lake Shala is surrounded by hot springs filled with boiling water, and the earth surrounding the lake is filled with cracks due to erosion and earthquakes. Due to steam rising from the boiling water in the springs, the atmosphere around the lake is relatively foggy. At the southern end of the lake, there are various species of flamingoes and birds that frequent the lake.

Approaching the highest point of the route, nearly 8,000 feet high.

Right after passing by the highest point of the route.

Beginning the descend.

Flying over the Omo National Park.

Omo National Park is a national park in Ethiopia founded in 1980. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region on the west bank of the Omo River, the park covers approximately 4,068 square kilometers, about 870 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa; across the Omo is the Mago National Park and the Tama Wildlife Reserve. Although an airstrip was recently built near the park headquarters on the Mui River, this park is not easily reachable; the Lonely Planet guide Ethiopia and Eritrea describes Omo National Park as "Ethiopia's most remote park."

Omo National Park is located on the west bank of the Omo River in the lower Omo valley. The park is 140 km long, stretching from the Neruze River in the south to the Sharum plain in the north, and up to 60 km wide where the Park Headquarters are situated. Major land features include the Omo River on the east, the Maji Mountains, the Sharum and Sai plains to the north and west, and the Illibai plains and Dirga Hills to the south.[2] There are three hot springs, and the park is crossed by some rivers, all of which drain into the Omo. The Mui River crosses the middle of the park before joining the Omo river. Much of the park is at 800m but the southern part by the Neruze river drops to 450 m. The highest peak of Maji Mountains which is located within the park is 1,541 m above sea level. (*1)

Omo National Park By Bernard Gagnon- CC BY-SA 3.0

Flying over the Mago National Park and turning towards Baco, our destination.

Mago National Park is a national park in Ethiopia located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region about 782kilometers south of Addis Ababa and north of a large 90° bend in the Omo River, the 2162 square kilometers of this park are divided by the Mago River, a tributary of the Omo, into two parts. To the west is the Tama Wildlife Reserve, with the Tama river defining the boundary between the two. To the south is the Murle Controlled Hunting Area, distinguished by Lake Dipa which stretches along the left side of the lower Omo. The park office is 115 kilometers north of Omorate and 26kilometers southwest of Jinka. All roads to and from the park are unpaved.

The Mago National Park was established in 1979, making it the newest of Ethiopia's several National Parks. Its highest point is Mount Mago (2528meters). The major environments in and around the Park are the rivers and riverine forest, the wetlands along the lower Mago and around Lake Dipa, the various grasslands on the more level areas, and scrub on the sides of the hills. Open grassland comprises about 9% of the park's area. The largest trees are found in the riverine forest beside the Omo, Mago and Neri.

In this park, the main biomes or landforms are Savanna, Acacia trees, Shrubland, and also Woodland. (*1)

Mago National Park By Oxonhutch - CC BY 2.5

Approach to the grass strip of the aerodrome of Baco, actually very close to the town of Jinka.

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.

Bako is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the West Shewa Zone of the Oromia, on the all-weather highway between Addis Ababa(Finfinne) and Naqamte, this town has a longitude and latitude of 9°08′N 37°03′E with an elevation of 1743 meters above sea level. Bako is the administrative center of Bako Tibe Aanaa.

During the Italian occupation, Bako is mentioned as having a medical clinic and a school. In 1948, Swedish missionaries opened a medical clinic in the town, which evolved into a mission station by 1953. By 1967, the town had phone service, as well as a primary and junior secondary schools; there was also a school for the blind, which had been moved from Addis Ababa to Bako 1961. The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research opened a center in Bako in 1968, which is the national center for improving the yield of maize.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Bako has an estimated total population of 18,641 of whom 9,370 are men and 9,271 women. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 10,422 of whom 5,082 were men and 5,340 women. It is the largest of three towns in Bako Tibe.

Jinka is a market town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the hills north of the Tama Plains, this town is the capital of the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region. Currently Jinka is the center of Jinka town administration. Jinka has a latitude and longitude of 5°47′N 36°34′ECoordinates: 5°47′N 36°34′E and an elevation of 1490 meters above sea level. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the country. It is also an important center for at least sixteen indigenous ethnic groups as well as others from the rest of the country.

Jinka is home to the German-funded South-Omo Museum and Research Center and an airstrip. Postal service is provided by a main branch; electricity and telephone service are also available. Its market day is Saturday. The Mago National Park, 40 kilometers south by unpaved road, is a nearby attraction.

The local clinic was reported in 1996 to be in the process of upgrading to hospital status, which would become the first in the Zone. According to the SNNPR's Bureau of Finance and Economic Development, as of 2003 Jinka's amenities include digital telephone access, postal service, electricity provided by a diesel generator, a bank and a hospital. Jinka increased its electrical service from 16 to 24 hours a day in May 2009 when the town obtained additional generators. (*1)

Market in Jinka By Bernard Gagnon - CC BY-SA 3.0

Previous stage - Next stage

You can download for free this Flight Plan but only for your own private use. It is strictly forbidden to share it or publish it in other sites, forums, newsgroups or in any other way .   You are encouraged to share and publish links to this page only, but not direct links to the file itself.

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