Ethiopia
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The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return scheduled flights London-Addis Ababa, all accommodation, meals, ground transport, entrance fees, tips for baggage handling and meal service, airport taxes, bird and mammals checklist, map and services of the leaders.
The price excludes travel insurance, visa costs (ca. £14 in summer 2011), optional tips to local drivers drinks & other personal expenses. This tour will be run in conjunction with Limosa Holidays. Principal Leader: Callan Cohen |
Join Callan Cohen for a remarkable journey across the 'Roof of Africa', from Ethiopia's Rift Valley lakes to the Bale Mountains, and south to Yabello. Rich in endemics, from Rouget's Rail and Stresemann's Bush Crow to Mountain Nyala and the enigmatic Simien Wolf. |
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Ethiopia, ancient Abyssinia, the axis of Africa... here the earliest known ancestors of man wandered in distant millennia. Still surviving in its remote mountains are creatures seemingly forgotten by time - animals like the long-legged Simien Wolf, being neither fox, jackal nor wolf but something of each.
Set against a backdrop of the most stunning scenery in all Africa, the unique avifauna includes many surprises, too. From the familiar Chough, here in its sole lonely outpost in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, to the puzzling Stresemann's Bush Crow, a sociable, Starling-like corvid that's also one of nearly 30 species of bird found only in Ethiopia - most of which we should see on this exciting tour! It's a trip that begins in fine style, as we seek our first endemic birds - Wattled Ibis, Blue-winged Goose and the monstrous Thick-billed Raven - when we have barely left the capital, Addis Ababa. It's from Addis that we visit the ancient monastery of Debre Libanos. Perched on the brink of a spectacular gorge overlooking a tributary of the Blue Nile, here we'll watch for Banded Barbet, Ruuml;ppell's Chat and an array of other endemics, while the plains hold flocks of White-collared Pigeons. The giant male Gelada Baboons almost resemble lions, baring their long canines in regular scuffles while their long, golden manes blow in the alpine breeze. Heading south, we travel down the Great African Rift Valley to explore the bird-rich lakes of Langano and Awassa, before arriving at the remote southern town of Yabello - home to two of Ethiopia's most sought-after endemics: White-tailed Swallow and Stresemann's Bush Crow. We start back north and climb high into the Bale Mountains, watching for Rouget's Rail and searching the lush Hypericum forests for the mysterious Abyssinian Catbird. Emerging on to the weird, tundra-like landscape of the Sennati Plateau - 4000m above sea-level - we enter the other-worldly domain of Spot-breasted Plover and the rare Simien Wolf. We finish at luxurious Bishangari Lodge, beautifully situated amongst the woodlands at Lake Langano, seeking Green Twinspot and the endemic Yellow-fronted Parrot. We've chosen to spend more time in the highlands on this wonderful tour, to focus on Ethiopia's special birds and mammals (and so are not visiting lowland Awash National Park, which offers many general East African species). Travel with us to the 'Roof of Africa' and experience a truly remarkable country that is still one of the world's great treasure-houses of wildlife, scenery and history. This will be Callan's fourth visit to Ethiopia. Itinerary Day 1 We take a flight from London Heathrow to Addis Ababa (arriving in Addis on the morning of Day 2). Day 2 After arrival in Addis Ababa, it won't be long before we start to sample the delights of Ethiopia's highland bird life. Wattled Ibis, Banded Barbet, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher and Brown-rumped Seedeater are just some of the endemics that may be seen around town. We leave Addis, Africa's highest capital city, passing through the Solulta Plains, which bear a surprising similarity to the Russian steppes - an impression enhanced by wintering Pallid Harriers, and Pied and Isabelline Wheatears. But the flocks of endemic White-collared Pigeons and Black-headed Siskins leave us in little doubt as to where we really are! Erlanger's Lark, Red-breasted Wheatear and Groundscraper Thrush (a distinctive subspecies here) are among many others to enjoy. Perched atop a spectacular gorge overlooking a tributary of the Blue Nile is the ancient monastery of Debre Libanos, which we'll visit this afternoon. The wooded rim of the gorge is home to more alluring Ethiopian endemics, including White-cheeked Turaco, Black-winged Lovebird, Ruuml;ppell's Chat, White-backed Tit and White-billed Starling. We should also encounter a large variety of more widespread birds from Dusky Turtle Dove, Speckled Mousebird and Hemprich's Hornbill to Little Rock Thrush and the striking Tacazze Sunbird. Later, as we gaze out over the chasm, the sky will reveal brutish Thick-billed and Fan-tailed Ravens, and a fine array of raptors, from Verreaux's and Tawny Eagles to the impressive Lammergeier. With luck, we may see a troop of the endemic Gelada Baboons - sometimes even from the rooms of our hotel! Overnight new hotel situated on the edge of the escarpment at Debre Libanos Day 3 We'll make an early start this morning and descend into the breathtaking Jemmu River Valley, where we'll search for two shy endemic francolins, Harwood's and Erckel's, that display from the top of boulders along the roadsides. Birds abound here, and many endemics such as White-billed Starling and Black-winged Lovebird are common. If we're lucky, we might even come across the rare Red-billed Pytilia and White-rumped Seedeater in the acacia scrub at the bottom of the valley. Fox Kestrel also occurs, and the stunning White-throated Robin winters here and should be active in the scrub. After our picnic lunch, we'll scan the dramatic cliffs for the little-known Ankober Serin, one of Ethiopia's least known species, although we will need a bit of luck to find them. We'll then head back into Addis to our comfortable hotel for the evening. Overnight Ghion Hotel, Addis Ababa Day 4 Returning to the Rift Valley we head south today, to lovely Lake Langano. We'll break our journey at Lake Ziway, where Grey-headed Gulls and White-winged Black Terns feed along the shore, while in bays clogged by Water-hyacinth, Hippos lurk, watching passively as blue-legged African Jacanas and tiny Black Crakes tip-toe past their nostrils. We should arrive at our next accommodation, by the shores of huge Lake Awassa, in the late afternoon. Overnight Wabi Shebelle Hotel, Awassa Day 5 We will spend the day birding around Lake Awassa and the tree lined shore at Lake Langano. Between the two lakes we should see a wide variety of other waterbirds including pelicans, cormorants, herons, egrets, ducks, African Spoonbill, the peculiar Hamerkop and the strikingly marked African Fish-eagle. The woodlands here are home to an equally rich diversity of species, with Bruce's Green-Pigeon, Northern White-faced Scops Owl, Greyish Eagle Owl, African Grey Hornbill, Nubian and Cardinal Woodpeckers, Buff-bellied Warbler, Red-faced Crombec, Black-headed Batis, Rufous Chatterer, White-winged Black-Tit and Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird among many to watch for. The huge Abyssinian Ground Hornbill also occurs here, and we will hope to find one fluttering its long and alluring eyelashes in our general direction! Overnight Wabi Shebelle Hotel, Awassa Day 6 From Awassa, we head out across rolling hills towards Yabello, in the south. As we draw near, the lush greenery and countless villages give way to stretches of dry Acacia woodland dotted with chimney-like termite mounds that are the hallmark of this region of Ethiopia. Two notable Ethiopian endemics occur only here: the enigmatic Stresemann's Bush-Crow (which moves around in small parties and can be encountered anywhere), and the poorly known White-tailed Swallow (which is thought to nest within the termite chimneys). We should arrive in time for a first look for them before checking into our hotel at Yabello, where we stay for two nights. Overnight Yavello Motel, Yabello Day 7 We will devote all of this day to birding the Acacia scrub and small fields around Yabello. The birdlife here resembles that of northern Kenya; raptors abound, with species like Bateleur, Eastern Chanting Goshawk and African Pygmy Falcon, while passerines to watch for include Banded Parisoma, Chestnut and Rufous Sparrows, and White-crowned and Shelley's Starlings. Our first exquisite Golden-breasted Starlings will doubtless cause a real stir, and we should also find the colourful D'Arnaud's and Red-and-yellow Barbets, species that are generally difficult to see elsewhere along our route. Overnight Yavello Motel, Yabello Day 8 We will enjoy some further birding around Yabello this morning. However, today is mainly a travel day as we make our way back up the Rift Valley to our next destination: Wondo Genet, where we will spend the night at a rather strange hotel complex that was once Emperor Haile Selassie's weekend retreat. Overnight Wondo Genet Day 9 Nowadays, most visitors come here to enjoy the nearby hot springs, but after a quick trip to see Mountain Wagtail there, we'll spend most of our time birding the hotel grounds and wooded slopes behind, although these days it can be quite a climb to reach the remaining forest patches. Two more endemics - Yellow-fronted Parrot and White-winged Cliffchat - await us here (although the parrot has become extremely rare in recent years). We'll have another chance for the tricky Abyssinian Woodpecker and skulking Abyssinian Ground Thrush, and other possibilities at Wondo Genet include Tambourine Dove, Double-toothed Barbet, Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike and African Hill Babbler. Later, we will begin our gradual ascent towards the Bale Mountains. Many birds will now be familiar to us but, as we wind up over the pass later today, we may perhaps see flocks of endemic Blue-winged Geese. We should also encounter the endemic Rouget's Rail, a large rusty-coloured rail with a bold white backside which it seems to flaunt defiantly at passing vehicles! We expect to arrive at the very pleasant Goba Hotel in the late afternoon, where we spend the next two nights. Overnight Wabi Shebelle Hotel, Goba Day 10 Today we will explore the magnificent Bale Mountains National Park, ascending to the lofty Sanetti plateau by way of the highest road in Africa! The road winds first through wonderful Hypericum forest, its huge ancient trees dripping with lichens and bryophytes. This is the favoured haunt of the strange endemic Abyssinian Catbird, but we'll also be looking here for Mountain Buzzard, Moorland and Chestnut-naped Francolins, Abyssinian Long-eared Owl and Abyssinian Woodpecker, White-backed Tit, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Moorland Chat and Broad-ringed (or Montane) White-eye. Higher still, we reach a zone of shrubby junipers where the endemic Bale form of Brown Parisoma occurs. The Sanetti plateau's weird, tundra-like landscape is created by its flora of low cushion plants. Interspersed with spikes of giant groundsels and giant lobelias, it's an Òother-worldlyÓ place dotted with swampy pools that are home to endemic Spot-breasted Lapwings. Some truly remarkable endemic mammals live up here too, including the handsome Mountain Nyala and rust-red Ethiopian or Simien Wolf. We will spend some time searching for and observing Simien Wolf, now the rarest carnivore in the world and on the brink of extinction, with a dwindling population of only a few hundred animals left. This is a good place to find them and if we are lucky we might even spot one hunting the Giant Root Rats on these open, high-altitude tundras. As we drive on up toward the highest point (4377m), we may reflect on the formation and evolution of this wondrous lost island in the clouds. Dropping back down to the grassy plains, we'll search for the endemic Abyssinian Longclaw, as well as trying for Somali Crow, which can sometimes be seen scavenging within the town. Overnight Wabi Shebelle Hotel, Goba Days 11 - 12 Having enjoyed a further morning exploring the national park, we turn our backs on the beautiful Bale Mountains and head back down to the Rift Valley. Our destination is Lake Langano, where we have another chance to find any birds we may have missed there earlier on the trip. But we stay at a different hotel this time, where the birds and habitat are very different to those we encountered on our initial visit. The luxurious Bishangari Lodge, beautifully situated amongst forest and woodlands, is a wonderful place to round off the trip. Scaly Francolin, Narina Trogon and the delicate Lemon Dove occur around the lodge as we search for specials such as the endemic Yellow-fronted Parrot and the lovely Green Twinspot that frequents the fig forest tangles around the lodge. We will spend two nights at this superb spot - the perfect place to end our Ethiopia tour! Two nights Bishangari Lodge, Lake Langano Day 13 Birding as we go, we drive back along the Rift Valley today, arriving at Addis Ababa in the afternoon. We'll have the use of day rooms for freshening up at a city hotel before our farewell dinner in Addis and late evening transfer to the airport. Day 14 Our flight home departs Addis in the early hours of the morning, with arrival back at London Heathrow later the same morning, where our Ethiopia tour concludes. More About Our Ethiopia Tour Travel: Ethiopia is a vast country in which we will cover only the central and southern regions. Our carefully planned itinerary maximizes the overall number of birds possible, with a good chance of seeing most of Ethiopia's endemic birds. We'll have some unavoidably long drives in a large and comfortable bus or 4WD vehicles if necessary, with frequent stops for birding. We'll also have some early departures in order to reach birding areas at a time of day when the key specialities will be most active and visible, planning to return to our hotel in time for a rest later in the day where appropriate. Accommodation: in Ethiopia has improved immensely over the last few years and we'll even round off the tour at the luxurious Bishangari Lodge. Most of the accommodation is rather nice and clean, with good birding in the gardens and surrounds; but even though there are private bathrooms, there are no special frills - electricity supply and water pressure can be erratic, so we can't guarantee hot water every night! We stay for many nights in the well-known chain of Wabi-Shebelle hotels, which are good and more reminiscent of other moderate lodges typical of East Africa. The southern region, rich in some of Ethiopia's most sought-after birds, is remote. Here, in the Yabello area, we stay at a new hotel (small but clean) for two nights of the tour; unfortunately, it is situated near the road and can be rather noisy, so we recommend you bring earplugs! If you are looking for luxury hotels and lodges this is probably not the tour for you. However, if you don't mind moderate to somewhat basic rooms in the more remote parts (all with private bathrooms), in some fascinating endemic rich areas, Ethiopia is a wonderful tour. Please note that our itinerary purposely avoids some of the very basic accommodation for which Ethiopia has become rather infamous! Walking: There are no long or strenuous walks planned, but this tour will involve birding at high altitude (to more than 4150m/14,000ft elevation) on the Bale Plateau, which might cause discomfort for some. All other walks will be short (mostly within half a mile of the bus, but occasionally up to 2 miles) over easy to moderate terrain. In all, we spend two nights near the Bale Mountains, where our hotel is at Goba (2800m). On one day here, a drive of about two hours will take us first up to an elevation of around 3500m, birding as we go; from here, we will then drive on up to bird the summit area, at around 4150m. Our time at the summit will be limited to less than half a day in total and we also plan to bird the Bale forests from an elevation of 2700m up to about 3500m. The walk behind the resort at Wondo Genet can also be a bit steep but we will take it slowly. Meals: All included in the price. Food is mostly western in content, including soups, chicken, meat, fish, rice and pasta (spaghetti being a common first course). While there are not a great number of choices for vegetarians, generally pasta, rice, soups and omelettes are available. Some lunches will be picnics. Walking: Short walks over easy to moderate terrain. The going is mainly easy, but moderate due to altitude in the Bale Mountains, where we will be birding up to a maximum elevation of 4500m/13500ft above sea level. Stout walking shoes or lightweight boots advised. Weather: Ethiopia has a tropical climate, moderated by altitude and with distinct wet and dry seasons. In February, the climate is generally warm-hot, with the possibility of some rainfall. Average temperatures in Addis Ababa typically in the range 8-24C (where rain mostly occurs between April and September). It can be cool in the mornings and evenings, even cold in the Bale Mountains, especially first thing. Ground Transport: By small coach (Toyota Coaster or similar), to allow access to all key areas. Four-wheel drive vehicles where necessary. See also More About Our Ethiopia Tour, above. Photos: Good-excellent photographic opportunities for birds and some mammals. Highly scenic! Principal Leader: Callan Cohen Numbers: Max. 12 clients |
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