Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Addis Ababa

The flight to Addis Ababa; the capital of Ethiopia, should arrive mid-evening. We transfer to the centre of the city for a one night stay.


Overnight at Ghion Hotel

Day 2: Crater Lakes - Awash National Park

Today we join the Dijbouti road and visit the seasonal crater lakes around Debre Zeyit. Chelekleka is an important area for Greater and Lesser Flamingos, passage ducks and shorebirds and significant numbers of Common Cranes. Hora Lake is nearby where we may find Black-winged Lovebird, White-breasted White-eye, Grey-headed Batis and African Yellow Warbler. Transfer to Awash National Park and visit the acacia scrub and riverside campgrounds. The former has White-headed Buffalo Weaver and Nile Valley Sunbird. Along the river we can expect Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Nubian and Bearded Woodpeckers and Sulphur-breasted Bushshrikes. As dusk starts to fall we should find Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, Arabian, Kori, Black-bellied and Buff-crested Bustards and roosting aquila eagles at migration times.

Two night stay at Awash Station.

Overnight at Genet Hotel

Day 3: Kudu Loop - Sababer Plains

Today we join the Kudu Loop track running through acacia trees and pass isolated villages. Typical birds of the area include Red-bellied Parrot, Gillet’s Lark, Ashy Cisticola and Somali Fiscal. The Fantalle Mountains dominate the landscape a semi-dormant volcano resulting in a habitat of lava-flows and deep fissures. Interesting birds in this unique habitat include Sombre Chat, Blackstart, Yellow-throated Serin and Bristle-crowned Starling. Later in the day we travel through the Sababer Plains where we find Black-headed Lapwing, Superb Starling, Cyprus Pied, Pied and Isabelline Wheatears and Striped Kingfisher. At dusk we may find the localised Star-spotted Nightjar.

Overnight at Genet Hotel

Day 4: Lake Beseka - Jemma Valley

We have an early start driving back towards Addis Ababa and stopping at Lake Beseka for water birds and migrant waders. Beyond the city we climb high onto the Suluta Plain an important habitat for Blue-winged Goose, Wattled Ibis and Spot-breasted Lapwing. The monastery of Debre Libanos is adjacent to mature woodland holding Banded Barbet, African Lemon Dove and White-cheeked Turaco. Nearby a gorge attracts White-winged and Mocking Cliffchats, Ruppell’s Chat and in scrubby areas Erckel’s Francolin.

Later we travel to the Jemma Valley where we spend the night camping.

Day 5: Jemma Valley

We will have a dawn start to locate Harwood’s Francolin a rare Ethiopian endemic. The cliffs and boulder-strewn slopes of the Jemma Valley may have flocks of White-billed Starlings, Stone Partridge and the extremely rare Salvadori’s Serin. In gorges with small bushes we hope to locate Foxy Cisticola, Speckle-fronted Weaver and Black-throated Firefinches. We will transfer to Debre Birhan travelling across another sector of grassland attracting Egyptian Vulture, Tawny and Steppe Eagles, Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers, Thick-billed and Fan-tailed Ravens and flocks of wintering Red-throated Pipits before camping for another night.

Day 6: Ankober Road - Sodore

We will have anpther early start to explore the road to Ankober. On the lower fields we can expect Streaky Serin and Ortolan Buntings. The road climbs steeply through woodland, fields and traditional villages. Overhead we may locate Lammergeier and Mountain Buzzard plus flocks of Alpine and Scarce Swifts. Our main interest is finding the recently described Ankober Serin feeding in fields. After a late breakfast we head to Sodore an area famed for its spa.

Overnight at Akalu Hotel

Day 7: River Awash

The River Awash flows by our hotel and is bordered by mature trees and gardens. Open areas may have Clapperton’s Francolin and Ethiopian Sawwings. By the river migrants include Lesser Whitethroat, Thrush Nightingale and resident Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, White-browed Coucal and Slender-billed Starlings. Late morning sees us on the road to Ziway and its adjacent crater lake. A visit to the fish quay should provide us with close views of White Pelican, Fulvous and White-faced Whistling Ducks and Grey-headed Gulls. In the more sheltered areas of reeds African Pygmy Goose, Lesser Moorhen and White-backed Duck. Flooded fields lure waders and African Snipe.

Overnight at Pina Hotel

Day 8: Bale Mountains National Park

Bale Mountains National Park is our destination and the town of Goba. En route we pass through farmland used for cereal production and sheep grazing. Birds of prey can be numerous including Eastern Imperial Eagle, Lanner Falcon and Lesser Kestrel. Grass verges attract White-collared Pigeons, Ethiopian Longclaw, Red-breasted Wheatear and Alpine Chats whist scrub lures Moorland and Chestnut-naped Francolins and Cinnamon Bracken Warblers. In the forest of Dinsho we expect to find White-backed Black Tit and Abyssinian Ground Thrush.

Goba is soon reached where we have a two-night stay.

Wabishebele Hotel

Day 9: Bale Mountains National Park

Beyond Goba is an extensive stand of juniper forest home to Abyssinian Catbird, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, African, Abyssinian and Bare-faced Thrushes, Abyssinian Woodpecker and the endemic sub-species of Brown Woodland Warbler. Colourful Ruppell’s Robin-chats frequent the roadside. On entering the park itself pools attract remnant populations of Ruddy Shelduck and Wattled Cranes and endemic Rouget’s Rails. Our main objective is to find and study Ethiopian Wolves hunting for mole rats. Less than 600 of these impressive animals survive. Return to Goba revisiting the forest for Slender-billed Starling, Tacazze and Malachite Sunbirds. The fields around Goba support Black-winge Lapwing, Erlanger’s Short-toed Lark and Groundscraper Thrushes.

Overnight at Wabishebele Hotel

Day 10: Bale National Park - Genale River

Today we pass through Bale National Park towards the remote town of Negele via the Genale River. The woodland adjacent to the river holds the spectacular Ruspoli’s Turaco, White-winged Collared Dove, Juba Weaver and Brown-rumped Bunting.

Overnight at Green Hotel

Day 11: Liben Plains

Another early start is needed today to visit the Liben Plains that hold several interesting birds of dry-open country. The plains support Heuglin’s Bustard, endemic Sidamo Larks, Rufous Short-toed Lark, Tiny Cisticola and Golden Pipit. Flowering shrubs attract Hunter’s Sunbird. Transfer to Yabello for two nights in Yabello.

Overnight at Yabello Motel

Day 12: Yabello

Yabello is an important junction town in the middle of a red sandstone landscape dotted with termite mounds and acacia trees. Around the hotel Red-winged and White-crowned Starlings nest in old buildings. Several spectacular birds occur south of Yabello notably the charismaticStresemann’s Bush Crow and parties of colourful Vulterine Guineafowl. Acacias attract Pygmy Falcon, Grey Wren Warbler, Shelley’s, Magpie and Golden-breasted Starlings, Red and Yellow Barbet and Black-billed Woodhoopoe. After lunch we visit a traditional area for White-tailed Swallows, Crested Francolin and Yellow-necked Spurfowl and African Black-headed Orioles. Bird of prey can be numerous around Yabello including Lappet-faced and White-headed Vultures, Wahlberg’s Eagle and migrant Lesser-spotted Eagles.

Overnight at Yabello Motel.

Day 13: Yabello - Wondo Genet

This will be a travelling day to Wondo Genet with birding en route. On arrival we will make a search of the grounds for Dark-headed Oriole, White-breasted White-eye and Silvery-cheeked Hornbills.

Overnight at Wabi shebele Resort Hotel

Day 14: Wondo Genet Forest - Lake Langano

We will take a pre-breakfast walk into the forest for Yellow-fronted Parrot, Half-collared Kingfisher, Crowned and Hemprich’s Hornbills and Abyssinian Hill Babblers. Along the tracks we may encounter Mountain Wagtail, Yellow-bellied Waxbill and Eastern Olive Sunbird. Further up the track we have a chance of locating Narina Trogons. After lunch we make the short journey to Lake Langano for our final night in Ethiopia.:

Overnight at Bekele Molla Hotel

Day 15: Lake Langano - Addis Ababa

The grounds of the hotel are excellent for birds including many migrants from Europe and Asia. A steep escarpment attracts Little Rock Thrush. Scrub lures Boran Cisticola, Ruppell’s and Lesser Masked Weavers and Red-billed Firefinches. In the afternoon we head back to Addis Ababa and the Ghion Hotel which has extensive gardens attracting Blue-breasted Bee-eater.

Transfer to the new airport for our flight home to Europe where arrival is the following morninevening you will be given transfer to the airport for your home departure.