Kafta Sheraro National Park
Kafta-Sheraro National Park
Kafta-Sheraro National Park is a protected area in northern Ethiopia, in the Amhara region. It lies between Qafta, Humera, and Tahtay Adiabo and borders Eritrea to the north, near Eritrea’s Gash-Setit area. The Tekeze River runs through the park and is fed by several rivers from nearby highlands. Elevation is around 550 meters above sea level.
The park was established in 2007 and is managed by the Ethiopia Wildlife Conservation Authority. It was once very large—about 500,000 hectares—but has been reduced to about 2,800 hectares.
Habitats include Acacia-Commiphora and Combretum-Terminalia woodlands, dry evergreen montane forests, and river banks (riparian areas).
Biodiversity includes 167 mammal species, 95 bird species, and 9 reptile species. The park protects about 500 African elephants that migrate between Ethiopia and Eritrea’s Gash-Setit area, making this one of the northernmost elephant populations in East Africa.
Kafta-Sheraro is an important wintering site for Demoiselle cranes. In 2009, surveys recorded more than 21,500 cranes (about 9% of the world population), showing the area’s global significance for this species.
Other wildlife found here includes lions, leopards, caracals, aardvarks, greater kudus, roan antelope, red-fronted gazelles, hyenas, crocodiles, cheetahs, and red-necked ostriches.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:43 (CET).