Itinerary:

Day 1: This introductory day explores the highland grasslands and montane forests around Addis Abeba and to the Gefersa Reservoir. Our searching for endemics kicks off straight away as we hunt for the enigmatic Thickbilled Raven as well as Ethiopian Siskin, Blue-winged Goose, Abyssinian Woodpecker, Wattled Ibis and Abyssinian Longclaw. During the northern winter, the Gefersa reservoir is home to a wide variety of Palearctic waterfowl. 

Days 2 and 3: We head for the dry bushland of Awash National park, in the East African Rift valley and home to the legendary Afar people stopping at a few impressive Rift Valley Lakes along the way. Once at Awash we will search for Red-winged, Gillet’s and Singing Bush Lark, Rufous Chatterer, Yellow-breasted Barbet, as well as six species of Bustard including the sought after Arabian. Rosy-patched Bush Shrikes and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters add spectacular dashes of colour to the landscape. Birds of prey abound here as they do elsewhere in Ethiopia and we should see Egyptian, Ruppels’s, Lappet-faced, Hooded and African White-baked Vultures. If road conditions permit we will ascend the Mt. Fantale volcano where we will search for the range-restricted Sombre Rock Chat and Yellow-throated Serin. The Sombre Rock Chat also occurs in the lava flows below the volcano.  Mammalian highlights include Hamadrayas Baboon, Grevy’s Zebra and Lesser Kudu. 

Day 4: We move onto the shady shores of Lake Langano where we will search for Steel-blue Whydah, Banded Barbet and Abyssinian Ground Hornbill. We visit the scenically impressive Abiatta Shala National park an excellent savanna birding site before moving onto Lake Awassa.

Day 5: Lake Awassa is home to an impressive array of waterbirds and woodland species. Double-toothed Barbet, Spotted Creeper, Black-headed Batis and Brown-throated Wattle-eye occur in the lakeside vegetation. The impressive Silvery-cheeked Hornbill is commonly seen and the Banded Snake Eagle is a possibility. African Pygmy Goose is usually the star attraction of the Lake together with tame Malachite Kingfishers and African and the rarer Lesser Jacana. From Lake Awassa we moved onto the famed Wondo Genet area.

Day 6: Wondo Genet is home to the endemic Yellow-fronted Parrot and the White-cheeked Turaco. Black-winged Loverbird, Long-tailed Wagtail, Half-collared Kingfisher, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, Narina Trogon and Sharpe’s Starling may also be seen. Black and White Colobus Monkeys paint the trees of the hotel grounds in Wondo Genet.

Day 7 to 9: From Wondo Genet, we climb up to the roof of Africa, the Bale Mountains National Park. A star attraction here and en route is the impressive and confiding Rouget’s Rail. The Abyssinian Long-eared Owl occurs, but is often difficult to locate. Other endemics and specials include Botha’s Wheatear, Golden Eagle, Chestnut-naped and Moorland Francolin, Moorland Chat, Ruddy Shelduck, Red-billed Chough, Abyssinian Catbird, Wattled Crane, White-backed Black Tit and Spot-breasted Lapwing. The landscape of the Sanetti Plateau which reaches over 4000 metres in altitude is dotted with Giant Lobelias, but the icon of the plateau is no doubt the Ethiopian Wolf.  Other mammalian highlights include Menelik’s Bushbuck and the beautiful Mountain Nyala. A day trip to the legendary Sof Omar caves to search for the little-known Salvadori’s Serin is a memorable part of any Ethiopian tour. Other species which occur in this dry thornveld include Bristle-crowned Starling, Brown-tailed Chat, Shelley’s Starling and Verraux’s Eagle Owl.

Day 10: Today we undertake a spectacular trip over the Sanetti Plateau into the Harenna Forest. Here we may find Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Abyssinian Crimsonwing and African Hill Babbler. We travel further into more arid country towards the town of Negele. In this more arid country Golden-breasted Starling occurs and along the Genale river we start searching for the exquisite and range-restricted Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco.

Day 11: We have a full day in the Negele area where we will search for a host of specials and endemics. The expansive Liben Plains are home to Sidamo and Somali Short-toed Larks as well as White-crowned Starlings. The forests to the north-east of Negele is another site for Ruspoli’s Turaco if missed earlier as well as other forest species.

Day 12: The road from Negele to Yabello is scenic, bird-rich and adventurous. Bird species that may be seen en route include Black-throated Barbet, Hunter’s Sunbird Green-backed Eremomela, Somali Bunting, White-bellied Bustard, Bare-faced Go Away Bird, Magpie Starling, Red-fronted Warbler, Grey-headed and Black-capped Sociable Weaver and Pale Prinia. As we enter the tall termite mound near Yabello we should start picking up on the 2 Yabello endemics, Stressman’s Bush Crow and White-tailed Swallow.

Day 13: A full day in the Yabello area to search for any species still missing from our lists.

Day 14: We start the long return journey north to Addis Ababa, reaching Lake Langano in time for some relaxing afternoon birding.

Day 15: After a last morning’s rift valley birding, to soak up those last Buff-bellied Warbler’s, we return to Addis Ababa, stopping for some birding at the Debra Zeyit Lakes en route. This is a great site for Palearctic migrants including Common Crane, Garganey, Northern Pintail among resident waterfowl species. We return to Addis in time for the afternoon or evening return flights home.

Extensions

Extension Option 1:
An additional 3 days are added to the main tour for the birding adventure of a lifetime down to Bogol Manyo close to the Somali border. Here and en route, we search for African White-winged Dove, Somali Tit, Yellow-vented Eremomela, Somali Courser,  Juba Weaver, Somali Short-billed Sylvietta, Degodi Lark and the spectacular Red-naped Bush Shrike. Provided there is sufficient interest in this extension it fits in between Negele and Yabello.

Extension Option 2:
An additional 5 days before or after the main tour are required to explore the birding hotspots north of Addis Abeba. This incorporates visits to the famous Debra Libanos monastery where Gelada Baboons are seen on cliff edges overlooking the tributaries of deep canyons that flow into the Blue Nile far below. Birding specials here include Bearded Vulture, White-billed Starling, Abyssinian Black Wheatear, Rueppel’s Black Chat, White-winged Cliff Chat and Hemprich’s Hornbill. We travel through the spectacular Jemmu River Valley where we will search for the highly range-restricted Harwood’s Francolin, the very difficult to find Yellow-rumped Serin, Red-winged Pytilia African Silverbill, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Black-billed Barbet, Vinaceous Dove and Nubian Shrike. From here we travel to the awe-inspiring Ankober escarpment where we will search for the very elusive Ankober Serin. Erckel’s Francolin is commonly seen on the escarpment edge and the Somali Starling may be located with luck. We descend the spectacular escarpment to search for the obscure Yellow-throated Serin in the dry country below among other savanna species. We ascend the escarpment again to spend a last night in Debra Birhan before returning to Addis Abeba.

Further Information
Bring along: A sleeping bag is recommended
Note: Ethiopia is a fairly difficult country to travel in and the accommodation is quite basic in many places.