Itinerary
Duration: 12 days/11 Nights
Accommodation: Lodges, Resort and Hotels
Day 1: Arrival in Addis and City tour
The tour starts with a pick up from airport/hotel, and then drive up to the Entoto Mountains, the best location to observe the panoramic view of the capital. It is also a historical place where Menelik II resided and built his palace. It is notable as the location of a number of celebrated churches, including Saint Raguel and Saint Mary (Maryam Church). After a relaxed Lunch, you will have Birding At Ghion and find wide enchanting gardens filled with indigenous flora and stunning collection of birds including the endemic Wattled Ibis.
THINGS TO DO
- Ethnological Museum of Ethiopia
- Bird watching
Overnight stay at Ghion Hotel or similar, Addis Ababa
Day 2: Addis Ababa-Awash National Park
Early drives to Awash for about an hour and then enjoy the splendid beauty of Awash river waterfall and Birding in Awash National Park. Many species of birds are found here: African Orange-bellied Parrots, Bustards, Weavers, Hoopoe, Yellow-throated Serine, Red-fronted Barbet, Pygmy Batis, Lesser-striped Swallow, and the House Martin. Mostly spotted animals in the park include Beisa Oryx, Soemmerring's gazelle, wild pig, Baboons, Bush Bucks and Velvet Monkey. The Furry waterbuck and the tiny Dik-Dik are among slightly visible animals. Over 400 species of birds are recorded, which ranges from the great ostrich, frequently and easily observed, to the less common Secretary Bird and Abyssinian Ground Hornbill.
THINGS TO DO
- Awash river waterfall
- Wild Life (Beisa Oryx, Soemmerring's gazelle, Dik-Dik, wild pig)
- Bird Watching
Overnight stay at Awash Falls Lodge or similar, Awash
Day 3: Awash National Park
Awash is one of Ethiopia’s premier national parks, which has a rich diversity of birds as well as mammals such as Golden Jackal, hyena cave for spotted hyena, Beisa Oryx, and Soemmerring's Gazelle. We’ll look for African Swallow-tailed Kite, a host of Bustards including Arabian, Buff-crested, Hartlaub’s, Black-bellied, and White-bellied, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, and tons more. During our time here we also hope to find Somali Ostrich, African Collared Dove, Singing Bush Lark, Gillett’s Lark, Chestnut-backed and Chestnut-headed Sparrow-Larks, Boran and Ashy Cisticolas, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Pale and African Grey Flycatchers, Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, four of Africa’s most lovely Sunbirds, namely Eastern Violet-backed, Nile Valley, Beautiful,and Shining, Southern Grey Shrike, Somali Fiscal, Woodchat Shrike, Northern Masked Weaver, Cut-throat Finch, and many others. At this time of year we might also enjoy migrant Common Whitethroat and White-throated Robin. As always, raptor-watching will be spectacular – we can easily find 40-50 species on our three-week tour, and many of these are in Awash National Park.
THINGS TO DO
- Golden Jackal
- Spotted hyena
- Beisa Oryx
- Soemmerring's Gazelle, and more
Overnight stay at Awash Falls Lodge, Awash National Park
Day 4: Ale Deghe Plains
Today take morning and afternoon safaris on the Ale Deghe Wildlife Reserve and Plains where larger herds of oryx and Soemmerring's gazelles can be seen. This is a large open grassland with scattered areas of acacia scrub holds other exciting species such as the exceptionally long-necked gerenuk antelope and endangered Grevy’s zebra. You may also encounter the newly described African golden wolf (previously thought to be a golden jackal), warthogs and bat-eared foxes and if very lucky even a pride of lions, cheetah or caracal. In the evening perhaps take a night walk for waterbuck, owls and nightjars around the lodge.
THINGS TO DO
● Caracal
● Black-headed Lapwing
● Waterbuck
● Owls, and more
Overnight stay at Doho Lodge, Awash National Park
Day 5: Doho Lodge-Bale Mountains National Park
After breakfast, we start to drive to Dinsho, which is the gateway to the fabled Bale Mountains, which reach an altitude of around 4 500 meters (more than 14 000 feet). Here we spend the next two days birding varied habitats for such sought-after species as Abyssinian Owl, Cape (Mackinder’s) Eagle-Owl (the most massive of three subspecies), African Wood Owl, Wattled Ibis, Chestnut-naped Francolin, Moorland Francolin, Wattled Crane, Red-billed Chough, White-backed Black Tit, Abyssinian Catbird, African Emerald Cuckoo, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, and, with luck, Golden Eagle, as well as a long list of other birds. Interesting mammals here are mountain nyala, klipspringer, Menelik’s bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, and others. The days in this area are also a botanical treat, with vegetation ranging from Hagenia-dominated forest to giant Erica woods to high-altitude moorlands, sometimes with fabulous giant lobelias. In the adjacent Harenna Forest, it might be possible to spot some star birds like Brown Parisoma, Ayers’s Hawk-Eagle, African Emerald Cuckoo, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Rüppell’s Robin-Chat, White-browed Robin-Chat, Abyssinian Crimsonwing, and Slender-billed Starling, or even a flock of migrating European Bee-eaters.
THINGS TO DO
- Mountain Nyala
- Menelik Bushbuck, and more
Overnight stay at Wabe Shebelle Hotel.
Day 6: Drive to the Sanetti Plateau
As we leave Goba we soon reach nice stands of Juniper-Hagenia forest that are home to the endemic Abyssinian Woodpecker, White-backed Black Tit, Abyssinian Catbird, and Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, plus Abyssinian Ground Thrush. Driving further, stands of Hypericum trees host the endemic griseiventris subspecies of Brown Parisoma. Moorland and Chestnut-naped Francolins and Cinnamon Bracken Warbler frequent dense shrubbery, and Ethiopian Cisticola prefer the more open areas. Then we will be driving on Africa’s highest road, passing close to the summit of Ethiopia’s second highest mountain. Here on the Sanetti Plateau, an island of tundra in the tropics, the habitat is classified as “Afro-alpine moorland”, characterized by a fascinating range of unique plants, including giant lobelias, which tower like monolithic giants over the rich tussock grasslands, and extensive cushions of yellow everlasting flowers. The grasslands are estimated to support incredible biomass of 8,800 pounds of rodents per hectare. Amazing! This obviously attracts a rich array of raptors, and we should see Steppe and Golden Eagles, Augur Buzzard, and the elegant Pallid Harrier circling over this verdant floral sea. They share this abundant food source with the plateau’s most celebrated resident, the Ethiopian wolf, crowned with the unenviable title of “the world’s rarest canid.” Watching these vibrantly coloured animals, most closely related to the European Timber Wolf, exhibiting their hunting prowess while bouncing on giant mole rats (another endemic to the Sanetti Plateau) is surely among Africa’s greatest wildlife experiences. The plateau also holds the only Afrotropical breeding populations of Ruddy Shelduck, Golden Eagle, and Red-billed Chough. We will also search for Black Stork, Wattled Ibis, Rouget’s Rail (particularly common and confiding here), the endemic Blue-winged Goose, Spot-breasted Lapwing, Wattled Crane, Thekla Lark, migratory flocks of Red-throated Pipit, Abyssinian Longclaw, Red-breasted Wheatear,the dumpy Moorland Chat, and flocks of the endemic Black-headed Siskins.
THINGS TO DO
- Birdlife
Overnight stay at Wabe Shebelle Hotel.
Day 7 & 8: Harenna Forest
To the south of the Park lies a 1200m (3700 ft) escarpment, below which is one of the largest and most extensive forests remaining in Ethiopia, the Harenna Forest. The slope of the southern escarpment falls rapidly from the tree line at 3200m to around 2000m within a distance of only 8 km, producing a rapid and spectacular change in landscape, habitat, and species composition. The Bale Mountain Lodge is located beside a clear mountain stream, within a natural forest clearing beneath the escarpment, and enjoys breathtaking views of the mountains and the surrounding forest. Here rare Bale Monkeys inhabit the trees and the birdlife is spectacular. Wild coffee is harvested to the south of the lodge and delicious Bale honey is obtained by the local people from hives placed high within the canopy. Here is also found 3% of Africa’s remaining bamboo forest. Harenna is truly a magical place in which to relax or to explore.
THINGS TO DO
- Bale Monkeys
- Bale Honey
- Ethiopian wolf
Overnight stay at Wabe Shebelle Hotel.
Day 9: Drive to Awassa, the capital of the Southern Region
After breakfast drive to Lake Awassa. In the afternoon, there may be an opportunity of seeing a few species along the lakeshore: Giant kingfisher, Painted snipe, Lesser moorhen, Allen's Gallinule, Banded Snake Eagle, Iranian, Little weaver, Grey kestrel, Spotted creeper, Grey headed kingfisher, African and common snipes.
BIRDS TO BE SEEN
- Giant kingfisher
- Painted snipe
- Lesser moorhen and more
Overnight stay at Haile Resort or similar, Awassa
Day 10: Drive to Langano-Exploring Abijatta Shalla National Parks
The park was created for the many aquatic bird species that use the lakes, particularly great white pelicans and greater and lesser flamingo. Shalla’s islands are used as breeding sites by many birds, and is home to the continent's most important breeding colony of great white pelicans. Because of the lake's lack of fish, the birds fly to Lake Abijatta — which has no islands — to feed. Other birds include white-necked cormorant, African fish eagle, Egyptian geese, various plover species, and herons. Although renowned for its bird life, Abijatta is now outclassed by Lake Awassa farther to the south.
Local mammals are not numerous but include Grant's gazelle — the northern limit for this species — greater kudu, oribi, warthog, and golden jackal.
BIRDS TO BE SEEN
- White-necked cormorant
- African fish eagle
- Egyptian geese
Overnight stay at Hara Eco-Lodge or similar, Langano (Woodland Lodge types)
Day 11: Full Day Langano
Making your base in Langano, visit Abijatta and Shalla Lakes. The Black Heron, Lesser Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, Pink backed and White Pelicans, Crowned Crane, Black-headed Gull, Great-black headed Gull, Verreaux's Eagle Owl, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, common and African Snipe, Red breasted Wryneck, Masked Weavers, Beautiful Sunbird and some others would be seen. There’ll be also a birding in the fabulous Munessa forest where we expect a great number of birds. Among many species: Broad-billed Roller, Narina Trogon, Red-shouldered and Emerald Cuckoos, Blue-spotted and Tambourine Doves, different woodpeckers, Sharpe’s Starling, Double-toothed Barbet, African Hawk-eagle and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird. It is home to a few mammals including the Bushbuck, Vervet and Black Colobus Monkeys, Olive Baboon and Golden-backed Jackal.
BIRDS TO BE SEEN
- African Pygmy Goose
- Broad-billed Roller
- Narina Trogon
- Red-shouldered and more
Overnight stay at Hara Eco-Lodge or similar, Langano (Woodland Lodge types)
Day 12: Drive back to Addis Ababa, Overnight Addis Ababa.
On the way, you will have a birding tour in Koka, Debre Zeit and Area. Later afternoon, proceed driving to Addis Ababa. Enjoy a Farewell dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant featuring dancers and musicians representing some of the country's many ethnic groups.