Konso

Konso is a small town in Southern Ethiopia. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011.

Street view

Understand

The town was named after the local tribes-people, the Konso. The tiny town was built around a roundabout and is locally important as the central market in the region.

See

• The city contains a number of cultural relics of the inhabitants, including a number of waga sculptures.
• Just outside the city, there are many archaeological sites where human remains and fossils from the prehistoric era have been found.
• Up the main road from the roundabout is the official tourist information with well trained guides. They will give you an individual tour of the surrounding villages, the tribes' chief compounds, the big canyon called sometimes "New York" and the hot springs. Go with an official guide and not with one of the random touts at the hotels.

Buy

A market is held on Mondays and Thursdays, just next to the centre of town on Jinka Road.

Sleep

• Green Hotel (200m from the roundabout to Arba Minch) Best value in town, clean rooms. 200 Birr Single (Sep 2016).

Note that the water supply in Konso is not stable and you may need to shower with a bucket.