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Langano is a lake in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, exactly 200 kilometers by road south of the capital, Addis Ababa, on the border between the Misraq Shewa and Arsi Zones. The first European to record its existence, Oscar Neumann, records that it was also known as "Lake Kore". It is located to the east of Lake Abijatta in the Main Ethiopian Rift at an elevation of 1,585 meters.
According to figures published by the Central Statistical Agency, Lake Langano is 18 kilometers long and 16 km wide, with a surface area of 230 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 46 meters. The lake has a catchment 1600 square kilometers in size, and is drained by the Hora Kallo river which empties into the adjacent Lake Abijatta.
As it is free of Bilharzia (schistosomiasis), unlike all other freshwater lakes in Ethiopia, Lake Langano is popular with tourists and city-dwellers. The lake is brown in color. There are a number of resorts around the lake and water sports are popular. There is a variety of wildlife around the lake, which include hippos (rare), monkeys, baboons, warthogs, and a huge variety of birds. The area around the lake is largely deforested, however, and a large number of herders live around the area.
Two earthquakes had their epicenter near this lake, the first in 1906 (a magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale), and the second in 1985 (magnitude 6.2).After the earthquake of 1906 there formed a 25 - 30 m tall geyser on Edo Laki Island on the northern part of lake. Geyser disappeared circa 1966 - 1970, leaving a hot spring.
Bordering the eastern shore of Lake Langano is East Langano Nature Reserve, a beautiful lakeside forest and home to a variety of birds and mammals. The area is a delight to explore on foot or on horseback.
The forests are mainly podocarpus and wild fig trees, full of Colobus Monkeys and over 300 species of birds, 7 of which are endemic to Ethiopia. There are also numerous wild mammals recorded, although in low populations - due to seasonal traditional hunting of the forest by local communities.
On the western shores of Lake Langano, the Wabi Shabele and Bekele Mola hotels can be found. There the lakeside beaches are marginally better than the eastern, but you will find that due to deforestation most of the acacia forest has now gone, largely due to the illegal production and sale of charcoal.
According to figures published by the Central Statistical Agency, Lake Langano is 18 kilometers long and 16 km wide, with a surface area of 230 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 46 meters. The lake has a catchment 1600 square kilometers in size, and is drained by the Hora Kallo river which empties into the adjacent Lake Abijatta.
As it is free of Bilharzia (schistosomiasis), unlike all other freshwater lakes in Ethiopia, Lake Langano is popular with tourists and city-dwellers. The lake is brown in color. There are a number of resorts around the lake and water sports are popular. There is a variety of wildlife around the lake, which include hippos (rare), monkeys, baboons, warthogs, and a huge variety of birds. The area around the lake is largely deforested, however, and a large number of herders live around the area.
Two earthquakes had their epicenter near this lake, the first in 1906 (a magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale), and the second in 1985 (magnitude 6.2).After the earthquake of 1906 there formed a 25 - 30 m tall geyser on Edo Laki Island on the northern part of lake. Geyser disappeared circa 1966 - 1970, leaving a hot spring.
Bordering the eastern shore of Lake Langano is East Langano Nature Reserve, a beautiful lakeside forest and home to a variety of birds and mammals. The area is a delight to explore on foot or on horseback.
The forests are mainly podocarpus and wild fig trees, full of Colobus Monkeys and over 300 species of birds, 7 of which are endemic to Ethiopia. There are also numerous wild mammals recorded, although in low populations - due to seasonal traditional hunting of the forest by local communities.
On the western shores of Lake Langano, the Wabi Shabele and Bekele Mola hotels can be found. There the lakeside beaches are marginally better than the eastern, but you will find that due to deforestation most of the acacia forest has now gone, largely due to the illegal production and sale of charcoal.
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