Ethiopia: A Wildlife Photography Tour

Summary

Join wildlife photographer, Nikon Creator and Adobe Lightroom tutor, George Benjamin, on this 14-day holiday to photograph Ethiopian Wolf, a suite of other rare mammals and a varied birdlife, including many endemic species.

Ethiopia is very special – unique amongst African countries in its blend of truly spectacular scenery, its extraordinarily rich culture and history, and its wealth of African wildlife, harbouring a variety of endemic birds and mammals. 

We begin our holiday in the south-east of the country, where a stay in the region of Bonga, the origin of wild Arabica coffee, gives us access to Kafa Biosphere Reserve – part of the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, one of the 35 most biodiverse regions of the world. The reserve and its surrounding habitats provide opportunities to photograph such photogenic species as Black-and-white Colobus Monkey, the rare Boutourlini's Blue Monkey, Black Crowned and Wattled Cranes, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, White-cheeked Turaco and a plethora more. Here we can also visit vibrant colonies of Ethiopian and Little Bee-eaters.

After positioning ourselves in Jimma for an evening, we take a morning flight, via Addis Ababa, to Arba Minch where we have two nights in a beautiful hotel where sunbirds, weavers, Thick-billed and Fan-tailed Ravens, and many more species can be found in the hotel’s stunning grounds overlooking Nechisar National Park, which we will explore during our stay. A day here is also dedicated to a boat trip on Lake Chamo where Hippopotamus, Nile Crocodile, Nile Monitor, African Fish Eagle, kingfishers and Northern Carmine Bee-eater are just some of the photographic opportunities amongst stunning backdrops. We next drive to Lake Hawassa, which provides an opportunity to photograph Marabou Stork and terns at the famous fish market, Spotted Hyena, plus an interesting birdlife including African Pygmy Goose, Black Crake, kingfishers, Rüppell's Robin-chat, and a thriving population of Hamerkop. Here again we use a well-appointed hotel, where there is the opportunity to photograph species in the hotel’s grounds.

Next we travel east, through the Rift Valley to the beautiful Bale Mountains. En route we have a carefully planned stop at Gaysay Grassland, home to Mountain Nyala, Bohor Reedbuck, Warthog, Spot-breasted Lapwing, Rouget’s Rail, Moorland Chat, Blue-winged Goose and a healthy population of raptors. There is even the chance to see Serval here.

We next enjoy a 3-night stay at Goba, positioning ourselves for our excursions into the outstanding Harenna Forest. This forest is home to Giant Forest Hogs, plus ‘black-maned’ Lions and Leopards, both rarely seen (though our February 2025 Ethiopia – Wildlife & Culture group had two Leopard sightings, one having successfully hunted an endemic Bale Monkey), but it is the grassy uplands and towering rocky outcrops of the Sanetti Plateau where we hope to photograph the strikingly elegant Ethiopian Wolf and its favourite prey, the Giant Mole Rat. Whilst photographing the wolf is arguably the main attraction of our stay here, during our time here we can hope to photograph a variety of mammals including Bale Monkey, Spotted Hyena, Menelik’s Bushbuck and Giant Forest Hog, along with a rich flora and a special range of birds which includes 14 endemics!

This tour is designed to offer anyone with a keen interest in photography the opportunity to develop their photographic and post-production skills under the expert guidance of a wildlife photographer and Adobe expert.