A Great Lodge In The Southern Region

About Kanta Lodge, Konso

This attractive eco-lodge stands on a peak overlooking the terraced slopes of Konso and the lake below.

The 56 en-suite rooms are made up of 29 traditional tukuls and 27 standard rooms. The tukuls are constructed using traditional materials, and are round with thatched roofs. Adorned with local cloth curtains, stone-based beds, and natural furnishings, the rooms are naturally cool. Each room can have 2, 3 or 4 beds as required. The two restaurants – one at the top in a round thatched building and the other with a shady outside seating area – serve Ethiopian dishes and some international dishes such as beef goulash, steamed fish and chicken fried rice. The garden is filled with bougainvillea, and there’s an amphitheatre for traditional dancing displays.

The lodge operates using eco-principals. It uses solar power and biogas, and has 11 underground tankers for collecting rainwater. It also keeps its own cattle, sheep and chickens that provide milk and eggs, and has a large garden with fruit and vegetables.

Activities include visiting the Konso people, known for the extraordinary terracing and cultivation of the rocky slopes around. This tribe lives in complex walled villages, wears colourful woven clothes, and has a life system that includes mummification, swearing stones and coming of age feats.