Established in 1966 situated in the dry acacia savanna of the Rift Valley and has an area of 756km². A magnificent 150-deep gorge, carved by the Awash River, and there is a substantial waterfall where the river spills into the gorge. Awash River is the major Ethiopian river disappears in the Danakil Depression and never reaches the Red sea. More than 80 mammal species and 450 bird species have been recorded.