Wenchi crater lake, also spelled as Wancii or Wonchi, is a volcano located west of

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

, in

Oromia Region Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. At above sea level, it is the highest volcano in Ethiopia, from

Mount Dendi Mount Dendi is a volcano located near the city of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders ...

's second highest volcano. Wonchi is located at equal distance between the towns of

Ambo Ambo may refer to: Places * Ambo, Kiribati * Ambō (also spelled Anbō), Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan * Ambo Province, Huanuco Region, Peru ** Ambo District ** Ambo, Peru, capital of Ambo District * Ambo, Ethiopia, a capital of West Shewa Zon ...

and Woliso. It erupted in the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic Era.

Features

The volcano has a wide

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...

, and a single

crater lake Crater Lake ( Klamath: ) is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the Western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is a tourist attraction for its deep blue color and water clarity. T ...

, Wonchi lake, about below the rim of the volcano. Study of Wonchi's caldera is incomplete; initial findings show it could be as much as deep, and the lake itself could be as deep as . Wonchi Lake of Ethiopia

Besides Wonchi lake, the caldera also contains hot springs, waterfalls, valleys, and other scenery. There are two islands in the lake. On one of the islands there is an ancient church called Cherkos monastery. The monastery is thought to have been built in the 13th century by St. Tekle Haymanot and rebuilt in the 15th century by Emperor

Zara Yaqob Zara Yaqob (; 1399 – 26 August 1468) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty who ruled under the regnal name Qostantinos I (; "Constantine"). He is known for the Geʽez literature that flourished during his reign, th ...

. It houses a huge church bell known as the "Gondar bell" in honor of the alleged Gondar-reigning Emperor Fasilidas.One can reach the islands and the monastery by ferry. Due to its unique topography, Wanchi has a wide variety of animal and plant species. For these reasons, Wanchi has become a popular tourist destination in Ethiopia. This has been the case even though there was no dry weather road. Since the construction of Ambo-Waliso gravel road, tourism has emerged as one of the rapidly growing economic sectors in the district, Wanchi lake becoming a favored weekend destination for residents of nearby cities including Addis Ababa. The tourist can hire horses to take down the mountain to the lake. It takes about one hour from the volcano rim to reach the lake side. The Office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has worked on developing the destination and increasing tourist flow to the area with its most recent development project, "Dine for Ethiopia." A new eco-resort i
being built in Wonchi by Ethiopian Airlines
Displaced farmers were given small homes around the lakeside in a special development. There is currently no sustainable development plan for the lake and its Christian population. Locals offer horse rides down to the lake, and rowers give boat rides to and around the island inhabited by a monk who has lived there for more than 10 years.

References

External links

* Mountains of Ethiopia Volcanoes of Ethiopia {{Ethiopia-geo-stub