The Lower Omo Valley is one of the most fascinating regions in Ethiopia, and even the African continent, thanks to the cultural diversity of over a dozen tribes that coexist with varying degrees of peace.
The valley is mostly a dry savanna expanse fed by the Omo River –one of their most important resources. Along the river and throughout the valley region, hundreds of small tribal villages pepper the landscape, each of them with their unique customs and even their own language.
These tribes have lived here for centuries, and since the discovery of human remains dating back nearly 2.5 million years, the Lower Valley region has been declared a Unesco World Heritage site.
South Omo Region, Ethiopia
The South Omo Region (Lower Omo Valley) and a sample route with a few tribes.
As remote and foreign as it seems, it is possible to visit the Lower Omo Valley and several of its tribes. Due to their location, this tends to be either an expensive, slow, or challenging trip – both logistically and physically.
But, if you’re well informed, it is possible to make this trip on a decent budget and without having to rely entirely on an expensive tour company. After visiting them myself, I can share everything I learned there:

Which Omo Valley Tribes to Visit

There are dozens of tribes you can choose from but here are some of the most recognizable tribes (with alternate spellings in parenthesis). Also, the bold names are considered to be among the most popular or most accessible ones:
  • Arbore
  • Ari (Aari)
  • Banna (Bana, Bena)
  • Bashada
  • Basketto – outside Omo Valley
  • Borana – outside Omo Valley
  • Dassanetch (Daasanach)
  • Dime
  • Dorze – outside Omo Valley
  • Hamar (Hamer) – famous for their ochre hair
  • Karo (Kara) – famous for their body paintings
  • Konso – outside Omo Valley
  • Kwegu (Muguji)
  • Nyangatom (Bume)
  • Mursi – famous for their lip plates
  • Meen (Bodi)
  • Surma (Suri)
  • Tsamako
  • Tsemai (Tsemay, Tsamai)
  • Turkana
Below is a photo I took of a map that shows where each tribe is located (tribe names in capital letters and nearest town in small caps). This map could help your planning logistics.
Omg Valley Tribes
Tribes in the Omo Valley (CAPITALIZED) and the towns around them (bulleted and lower caps).
Before going, I recommend researching more about each tribe online or by picking up the Bradt Ethiopia Guide as it is one of the best guides about Ethiopia and the Omo Valley.
Read about each tribe and see which ones interest you the most. All of them are different. Some are small, like the Karo and Mursi, which have a population of about 1,000 and 7,500, respectively. Others are quite big with over 250,000 people, like the Konso.
Mursi Tribe
The Mursi Tribe
Each tribe has a different dress and tradition. Some even follow a religion, including Islam and Christianism while others are animist. Some tribes are settled agro-pastoralists, while others are nomadic or semi-nomadic cattle herders.
It’s just a very diverse world in this valley!

How Much Time Should You Dedicate to the Region

It depends on how many tribes do you want to see and which ones as their accessibility varies. Considering you’re on a budget and going overland (public bus or private transport), it takes one day (eight hours+) to go from Addis Ababa to Arba Minch, where you can see the Dorze tribe.
It then takes two hours to reach Konso, where you can see the Konso tribe, and then about five hours to reach Jinka, where you are finally in the Lower Omo Valley.
So, it takes more than a day to reach Jinka by bus. Alternatively, you can cut that by flying to Arba Minch or Jinka.