12-Day Best of Ethiopia Birding Tour Around

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Addis Ababa

Upon arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International airport, you will be met by our representative who will drive you to Nexus Addis hotel. You will check-in and have some time to rest. After your rest, you will enjoy a city tour which includes a popular birding spot in the city. Later in the evening, you will return to the hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

Swiss Inn Nexus Hotel

• Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Dinner (Breakfast & lunch not included)
• Drinks not included

Addis Ababa

After breakfast, you will embark on an excursion to the Debre Libanos monastery, through the Sululta plain and the Jima River Gorgel. Sululta plain is a wide shallow valley, ringed by mountains, with many rivers draining into it and forming extensive wetlands for much of the year. As you drive through the plains, you can expect to see Black-winged and Spot-breasted Plover, Wattled Ibis, Blue-winged Goose, Rouget's Rail, Abyssinian Long claw, Abyssinian Catbird, Common Crane and Wheat Ear and the exceptionally rare White-winged Flufftail. You will make a small detour from the main road to experience the Aleltu Falls, where you can expect to see White-billed Starling, Ruppel's Chat, Bearded Vulture, Verreaux's Eagle, Lanner and Peregrine Falcon. Later in the evening, you will return to your hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Debre Libanos (Highlight)

Accommodation:

Swiss Inn Nexus Hotel

• Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Awash National Park

After breakfast, you will check-out and drive through the Ethiopian Rift Valley, turning east at Mojo towards the Awash National Park. You will be able to watch for birds along the way, and will stop for lunch in Nazareth. For the rest of this day, you will have the chance to see over 460 species of bird that have been recorded in this area including: the Abyssinian Roller and Ground Hornbill, the White-tailed Swallow, Buff Crested Bustard, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Pygmy Falcon, Honey Guide, Woodland Kingfisher, Kori, Arabian Bustard, Black-shouldered Kite, White and Crowned Rosy Patch Shrike, Carmine Bee Eater, Orange-billed Parrot, Lilac Breasted Roller, Lappet faced and Ruppell's Vulture. You will also see a variety of animals, including kudu, warthog, dik dik, bushbuck, gazelle, baboon, and crocodile. In the evening you will check-in at the Awash Falls Lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Awash National Park

Best Time To Visit Oct to Feb (Little rain and less hot)

High Season Sep to Apr (The park is never busy)

Best Weather October to February

Wildlife in Awash NP

Olive baboon Abundant

Beisa oryx Common

Soemmerring's
gazelle Common

Hamadryas baboon Common

Salt's dik-dik Common

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Lesser kudu Occasional

Desert warthog Occasional

Defassa waterbuck Occasional

Nile crocodile Occasional

Spotted hyena Occasional

Guereza monkey Rare

Ethiopian wolf None

Gelada monkey None

Walia ibex None

Accommodation:

Awash Falls Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located just outside Awash NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Awash National Park

After breakfast, your entire day will be dedicated to bird watching in the different habitats of the park. You will visit the plains, cliffs, wetlands and riverine forest. You will return to the camp for lunch and then enjoy a camel trek to get closer to the birds and wildlife. Later in the evening you will return to the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Awash National Park

Accommodation:

Awash Falls Lodge

• Mid-range lodge located just outside Awash NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Lake Langano

After breakfast, you will check-out and retrace your steps towards Mojo, enjoying the chance at bird watching along the way. You will make a stop to see the hippo in the pools near Nazret. After this stop, you will drive to Zeway to view huge numbers of waterbirds gathering near the lakeshore. You will see African Pygmy Geese, Yellow-billed and Marabou Storks, Collared Pratincoles, Lesser and Greater Jacanas, African Jacanas, White Pelicans, Fish Eagles, Crowned and Common Cranes in impressive numbers. In the evening, you will drive to Lake Langano to check-in at the Sabana Resort for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Lake Langano

Accommodation:

Sabana Beach Resort

• Mid-range resort located at Lake Langano

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Lake Langano

After breakfast, you will visit Lake Langano where your day will be dedicated to visiting the Shalla and Abiyata National Parks. Here you will have the chance to see a variety of birds including flamingo. This park is one of the best places to view aquatic birds. Later in the evening, you will return to the resort for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Lake Langano

Accommodation:

Sabana Beach Resort

• Mid-range resort located at Lake Langano

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Awasa

After breakfast, you will check-out and drive from Lake Langano to the forested hills of Wondo Genet. Here you will see the Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, White-cheeked Turaco, and Yellow-fronted Parrot. You will check-in at the Haile Resort Hawassa and then have time to explore the juniper forests behind the hotel. During this time, you will have the chance to see the Black-headed Forest Oriole, the Golden-backed Woodpecker, Redwing Starling, Grosbeak Weaver, Mountain Wagtail and Black-roughing Swallow. You will also be able to see Colobus monkey, Anubis baboon and bushbuck. Later in the evening, you will return to the resort for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Awasa (City)

Accommodation:

Haile Resort Hawassa

• Mid-range resort located in Awasa (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Awasa

After breakfast, you will proceed to Lake Awassa, a beautiful freshwater lake quite unlike the alkaline lakes to the north of the Rift Valley. On this tour you will enjoy the magnificent spectacle of water and woodland birds. You will have the chance to view a variety of egrets, Grey-headed, Woodland and Giant Kingfishers, White-browed Robin-chat, Purple Swamphen, Lesser Moorhen, White-Backed Duck, Hottentot Teal, Greenshank, Sedge and Lesser Swamp-warblers, Temminck’s Stint, Klaas’ Cuckoo, Red-breasted Wryneck, Spectacled and Grosbeak Weavers, Banded Snake Eagle, Banded Barbet and Spotted Creeper. The Painted Snipe, Blue-headed Coucal, Violet-backed Starling, Red-headed Weaver, Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike, Blue-naped and Speckled Mousebirds and many other species. Awassa is also home to hippopotamus, Colobus and Vervet monkeys, Common duiker, Olive baboon and White-tailed mongoose. Later in the evening, you will return to the resort for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Awasa (City)

Accommodation:

Haile Resort Hawassa

• Mid-range resort located in Awasa (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Bale Mountain National Park

After breakfast, you will check-out and begin your journey to Bale Mountain National Park. You will make a few roadside stops to view highland bird species like the Red-capped Lark, Augur Steppe and Long-legged Buzzards, White-headed Vulture, Gambaga Flycatcher, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill and Long claw, Stonechat, Tawny and Steppe Eagles, African Black Duck, Black- headed Siskin, the beautiful Spot-breasted Plover, African Snipe, Chestnut-naped Francolin, Slender-billed and Red-winged Starlings. As you enter the park boundary, you may see a few mammals including the Mountain Nyala and Menelik Bushbuck that are restricted to the southeastern mountain chain of Ethiopia. You will reach Dinsho, the park Headquarters, in the late afternoon where you will pay all the necessary fees and then continue on to Goba where we will check-in at the Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Best Time To Visit Nov to Feb (Little rain)

High Season Oct to Jan (Park is never busy)

Best Weather November to February

Wildlife in Bale Mountains NP

Ethiopian wolf Common

Mountain nyala Common

Warthog Common

Menelik's
bushbuck Occasional

Guereza monkey Occasional

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Olive baboon Occasional

Bohor reedbuck Occasional

Starck's hare Occasional

Giant mole-rat Occasional

Bale monkey Rare

Giant forest hog Rare

Golden jackal Rare

Gelada monkey None

Walia ibex None

Accommodation:

Wabe Shebelle Hotel Addis Ababa

• Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Bale Mountain National Park

After breakfast, your day will be dedicated to bird watching in the stunning Afro-Alpine setting of the Sanetti Plateau. You will see the Giant Lobelia and Red-Hot Poker. This location is also the best place in Ethiopia to see the Simien Wolf. The huge rodent population, including the endemic Giant Mole Rat, supports a variety of raptors. The rare Wattled Crane is also often seen, while there are a good number of the Spot-breasted Plover. Tullu Dimtu is the second highest mountain in Ethiopia where you can drive all the way to the to take in the breathtaking views. Later in the evening, you will return to the hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Wabe Shebelle Hotel Addis Ababa

• Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Bale Mountain National Park

After breakfast, your day will be dedicated to bird watching in the Harena Forest in the southern boundary of the park. The Forest supports a woodland aviary that includes the African Cuckoo Hawk, Yellow-fronted Parrot and Brown-backed Honeyguide. Wildlife includes Klipspringer, Serval, Bushpig, Giant Forest Hog, Grey Duiker, Colobus Monkey, Lion and Leopard. The cats are less likely to see during an afternoon drive. In the evening, you will return to the hotel for dinner and your overnight stay.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Wabe Shebelle Hotel Addis Ababa

• Mid-range hotel located in Addis Ababa (City)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

Addis Ababa

After breakfast, you will check-out and drive from Goba to Addis Ababa. You will travel through Bekoji, which is the birth place to the Ethiopian long-distance runner. You will arrive in Addis in the late afternoon and attend the farewell dinner in the best Ethiopian traditional restaurant with live music. After dinner you will be dropped off at the airport for the evening departure. This is where your safari will end.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinks not included

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.