The Omo valley is dominated mainly by many ethnic groups who speak Omotic language as classified by linguistics. The region and the people of this are one of the least affected by the modern world. The lifestyle of the people has hardly changed for centuries. People still live in simple makeshift huts, dress animal skins and drink from calabashes. The area is a veritable paradise for photographers and naturalists. The people of the Omo Valley and their culture have been sourle of fascination for travelers. The Hammar who are well known for their sense of elegance is the major ethnic group in the region.

The Surma and Mursi women, who wear lip plates by piercing their lower lip have been compelling tourists to travel to their land to see what seems impossible. In addition, the Omo valley is rich in human prehistory, archaeologists have unearthed the remains of the earliest human being on earth. Also, the area is known for the existence of a large number of wildlife of a great variety.

The most renowned of the Omotic-speakers are the Mursi, famed for their practice of inserting large clay plates in the lower lips of the women. Other important groups of the South Omo include the Hammer, Benna, Ari, and Karo, whose cultures and quirks or adornment- body scarring, body painting and the like are points of interest.
The largest and least characteristics of these group are the Konso, skilled agriculturalists who occupy the southern extension of the highlands, and who are noted for their unusual practice of sculpting eerie wooden statues to mark their grave.