The natural beauty of Ethiopia is a surprise for first-time visitors. Ethiopia is a land of rugged mountains (some 25 are over 4000 meters high) and extreme lowlands up to 116 m b s l, broad savannah, lakes and rivers. The unique rift valley is a remarkable region of different volcanic landscape with unique formations of Danakil depression and other places including great escarpments and stunning vistas, lakes with their vast collection of birdlife, Tribes with their original cultures. There are nine national parks and four sanctuaries where about 280 species of wildlife and more than 850 species of birds can be seen and 16 are endemic
