Chebera-Churchura National Park

Tracking elephants on foot

It may be little-known and even less commonly visited, but remote Chebera-Churchura National Park forms a worthwhile goal for adventurous travellers who don’t mind roughing it and doing their game viewing on foot. I was pleasantly surprised by the wildlife around the riverside campsite, which included black-and-white colobus and grivet monkey as well as some wonderful birds, notably silvery-cheeked hornbill, half-collared kingfisher, double-toothed barbet, snowy-headed robin-chat and Abyssinian ground thrush. The main goal of a guided walk into the nearby Maka Forest is the possibility of seeing some of the park’s 500-odd elephants. While the elephants are quite skittish, we had a couple of fleeting encounters and the vibe was somewhat reminiscent of gorilla or chimp trekking, weaving through the jungle listening out for the trumpeting of an angry pachyderm. Other wildlife we saw en route included buffalo and bush pig. We also did a longer hike to the lily-covered Bulo Crater Lake, which is home to around 100 hippos. There are few guarantees here in terms of wildlife viewing, but it is a genuine adventure!