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Arba Minch and it's surrounding is where the nature shows all it's glory, where you will find two of the countrys greatest rift valley lakes situated close to each other and shaping the neck of land between the two lakes, known locally by the name of the "Bridge of Heaven" or "God's Bridge.", which just about describes the breathtaking scenery of the untouched nature.

The climate of the area is as good as it can be. Two of the Great Rift Valley Lakes, the Abbaya, the longest and largest of the Rift Valley lakes, covering an area of 1,160 square kilometers (719 square miles), and the Chamo are suitable for sport fishing, especially the Nile perch often weighing more than a hundred kilograms (220 pounds) and the tigerfish.

Visitors will enjoy this location particularly for the large number of crocodiles inhabiting both lakes, especially Lake Chamo, which literally overflows with these reptiles. In the southern part of the town is the Azzo Gabaya (meaning crocodile market) where one can see crocodiles displayed and commercially sold.

The forests surrounding Arba Minch are home to a variety of wildlife, including monkeys, baboons, bush pigs, as well as some of the endemic birds. There is also the Nechisar National Park, a full day drive from Arba Minch and which is home to Swayne's hartebeest, the black-backed jackal and the African hunting dog, as well as the greater kudu, with its spectacular spiral horns and white-striped flanks, the miniscule Guentehr's dik-dik, Burchell's zebra, mingling with Grant's gazelle.

The nearby River Kulfo is home to the kingfisher, as well as the fish eagle, ever present with its haunting cry. Other birds found in the area of the Nechisar include the red-billed and grey hornbill and the Abyssinian hornbill.

It would be of great interest to the visitor to make a detour from the Nechisar Park and drive along the twenty-six kilometer (16-mile) track up into the hills to the west of Arba Minch to the old village of Chencha, once the capital city of Gamo Gofa. The picturesque houses, accompanied by the magnificent backdrop of the lakes in the Rift far below, give glimpses of ancient Ethiopia.

The inhabitants of this village are known as the Dorze, whose success in the field of weaving has been phenomenal, so much so that the name Dorze has become synonymous with the best in woven cotton cloth.