Ethiopia's Endemic Birds

Tour Code: ETH03

A 14-day tour in search of Ethiopia's endemic birds, visiting Awash National Park, the Bale Mountains, the Rift Valley Lakes, Wondo Genet, Debre Libanos Gorge and the Solulta Plains.

14 days from
£5,495 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£4,595
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

Ethiopia is a fascinating, beautiful and welcoming country. The climate is warm and comfortable all year round and the country supports a large number of endemic birds and mammals. The birdlife here is exceptional, with over 920 species recorded in the country, and a high proportion of both East African and Ethiopian endemics. In Addis Ababa, we will encounter endemics including Wattled Ibis, Black-winged Lovebird, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher and White-collared Pigeon. Over the following week, we will explore the semi-arid grassland and acacia scrub of Awash National Park, the high Sanetti Plateau and lush Harenna escarpment in the Bale Mountains, the forest hills of Wondo Guenet and both Lake Awassa and Lake Langano with their nearby forests. As well as birding highlights such as Abyssinian Longclaw, Abyssinian Catbird, White-backed Tit, Blue-winged Goose, Black-headed Siskin, White-cheeked Turaco, Rouget's Rail and Thick-billed Raven, we will also enjoy some of Ethiopia’s mammal highlights, including Gelada Baboons around Debre Libanos and Mountain Nyala and the beautiful Ethiopian Wolf in the Bale Mountains.

  • Large bird list, including many of Ethiopia's endemics
  • Endemic mammals: Ethiopian Wolf, Mountain Nyala & Gelada 
  • Superlative and dramatic landscapes
  • Geladas in the Debre Libanos Gorge
  • Endemic birds and mammals in the Bale Mountains
  • Visit the Rift Valley Lakes & Wondo Guenet Forest
  • Fascinating Ethiopian culture
  • Expertly guided by a local Ethiopian ornithologist

Grading

Grade A. This is a straightforward birding tour, with an emphasis on seeing the endemic species that makes no great physical demands. However, in order to cover as wide a range of habitats as possible in a short time, this tour does include regular long drives, together with early starts and some late arrivals at hotels.

Ethiopia is a fascinating, beautiful and welcoming country. The climate is warm and comfortable all year round and the country supports a large number of endemic birds and mammals. The bird life here is exceptional, with over 920 species recorded in the country, and a high proportion of both East African and Ethiopian endemics. Ethiopia’s scenery is stunning, with masses of lakes surrounded by mountainous peaks and dusty valleys dotted with acacia trees, and the people of this country are friendly and welcoming hosts, with proud traditions. As the only African country to have escaped European colonialism, Ethiopia retains a rich culture and boasts a fascinating history, providing an interesting backdrop to this birdwatching and natural history tour.

During this tour we maximise the birding sites covered in a relatively short time, so be prepared for some long drives … but a lot of wildlife too! During the 8 days we spend in-country we explore the semi-arid grassland and acacia scrub of Awash National Park, the high Sanetti Plateau and lush Harenna escarpment in the Bale Mountains, the forest hills of Wondo Genet and both Lake Awassa and Lake Langano with their nearby forests. As well as birding highlights such as Abyssinian Longclaw, Abyssinian Catbird, White-backed Tit, Blue-winged Goose, Black-headed Siskin, White-cheeked Turaco and Thick-billed Raven, we will also enjoy some of Ethiopia’s mammal highlights, including Gelada Baboons around Debre Libanos and the beautiful Ethiopian Wolf in the Bale Mountains.

We begin with an overnight flight to Addis Ababa, and after enjoying breakfast at a city hotel we spend the day slowly transferring to Awash National Park, stopping for lunch and for a little birding at Lake Basaka en route. During the drive we should spot many new birds along the roadside, perhaps including our first Augur Buzzards, Long-crested Eagles and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters. We spend the next day exploring by vehicle and on foot. The park is home to a spectacular array birds and we will be searching for its bustards, shrikes, hornbills, weavers, woodpeckers, vultures, doves, pigeons, guineafowl, glossy starlings, parrots, bee-eaters, barbets, mousebirds and finches … to name but a few!

The following day we start our journey south to Lake Langano in the Rift Valley. The drive today is lengthy but we will break it up with stops at Lakes Koka and Zwai along the way. The lakes are home to a great variety of waders, spoonbills and egrets, and Lake Zwai may well introduce us to the charming Tree Hyrax too. The acacia woodland behind Lake Langano itself is particularly productive, and here we’ll be hoping to find Cardinal Woodpeckers, White-bellied Go-away Birds, Red-billed and White-headed Buffalo Weavers and White-Crowned Shrikes.

Our next destination is the Bale Mountains, a real highlight of the tour! Today’s drive will take us through some breath-taking scenery and should also deliver some fine birding as we stop at a traditional roost site for Cape Eagle Owl before heading into the juniper woodlands of Bale Mountains National Park in search of Abyssinian Owl, African Wood Owl and Montane Nightjar. A virtually uninhabited wilderness, the Bale Mountains are dotted with heathland, cloud forests and bogs which provide a home to an array of Ethiopian endemics, many of which we’ll be hoping to spot, including Blue-winged Goose, Rouget’s Rail, Black-headed Siskin and Abyssinian Longclaw. We may also stumble upon the bizarre Giant Mole-rat and we have an excellent chance of seeing the rare Ethiopian Wolf. We’ll spend a full day exploring the park, both from our vehicle and with short walks, focusing our efforts on the Sanetti Plateau and Harenna Forest Escarpment.

We retrace our steps back to Shashemene and onto the forested hills of Wondo Genet. Here we will enjoy lunch and spend the afternoon birding, with several desirable species to be found including Crowned Eagle, Olive Pigeons, Half Collared Kingfisher and Spotted Creeper. We end the day with an overnight stop on the shores of Lake Awasa, and an early start the next day gives us the opportunity to look for the many herons, jacanas, geese and ducks that make their home here. The surrounding woodland is equally productive and we will look for Woodland Kingfisher, Red-breasted Wryneck, Puffback and Swamp Warbler along with many others hidden amongst the trees. The bird life is so rich here that we need not travel far to see a host of different species. Later today we make the journey back to Addis Ababa.

Day 9 marks the last full day of the trip and we will head to Debre Libanos Gorge, looking for the endemic Ruppell’s Chat, before stopping for lunch on the lip of the gorge where we may well be entertained by soaring Lammergeier, Ruppell's Griffon, Lanner Falcon, Fan-tailed Raven, Black Kite, and the endemic White-billed Starling. As we head back towards Addis, the lower reaches of the gorge may also treat us to Gelada Baboon and White-winged Cliff Chat.

We depart Addis Ababa in the early hours of Day 10, arriving back into London Heathrow the same morning.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Addis Ababa
Day 2/4
Awash National Park
Day 5/6
Lake Langano
Day 7/9
Goba; Bale Mountains
Day 10/11
Lake Awassa and Wondo Genet
Day 12
Addis Ababa
Day 13
Debre Libanos Gorge & The Soluta Plains
Day 14
Fly London
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    All accommodation and meals are included in the price of this holiday. Please just note that the accommodation in Ethiopia does not compare with the well-appointed lodges and camps of other East African destinations, and most of the places we stay tend to be fairly basic. Rooms are usually very simple with en-suite bathrooms, but in some areas even the best available accommodation can often have problems with a lack of maintenance, so you should be prepared for a few problems like leaky plumbing, lack of hot water, lights not working, slow service in the restaurant, etc.

  • Food:

    All food is included in the price; there is usually a mix of western food or traditional Ethiopian food available.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Thu 6th Nov – Wed 19th Nov SPACES £5,495
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Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£4,595
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£450 
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Bargain Birdwatching Holidays


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All Bargain birdwatching Tours

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Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists


The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.


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All Birdwatching Tours

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