Ethiopia: Birding (and Wildlife-Watching)
in the Horn of Africa
Trip Description
Brief Itinerary
This is a comprehensive birding and wildlife tour of Ethiopia with the opportunity to see many bird and mammal species endemic to the Horn of Africa. Nearly five hundred bird species are possible, with up to thirty being regional endemics. As we travel around Ethiopia, we can expect to see tens of thousands of flamingos, we will have great chances to see several species of bustards, plus a number of stunning species from the barbet and turaco families.
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Ethiopia offers excellent wildlife watching. Besides the many birds we will see, everyone will be delighted at the opportunity to see Ethiopian Wolves, Hippopotamus, two species of baboons and several other primates, and a nice mix of ungulates endemic to the Horn of Africa, as well as other East African wildlife.
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The cultural aspects of the tour roll out as we travel from urban centers to villages to more rural areas of Ethiopia. Ethiopian birders will visit a good assortment of habitats over nineteen days of birding, including the Sululta Plains, the Afar Plains, mountain valleys including the Jemma Valley, plus open country and mountain forests. The trip includes a chance to explore two of the key national parks for birding and wildlife watching: Awash National Park and Bale Mountain National Park. Birding will also be enhanced by birding the lakes, grasslands and forests around Lake Langano and Abiata Shalla National Park. We will visit other key birding sites including Negelle for the Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco, the Yabello area, the Debre Birhan area, the Aledeghi Wildlife Reserve and many more. This is a comprehensive birding and wildlife tour for Ethiopia.
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Trip participants will be thrilled with this opportunity to explore the nature and the rich cultural traditions of Ethiopia while enjoying an excellent birding and wildlife trip.
Day 1: Arrival day into Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Day 2: AM Birding Sululta Plains, and PM Birding and Wildlife Watching Debre Libanos Monastery
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Day 3: Most of Day Birding Jemma Valley with Birding Transfer to Debre Birhan Area
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Day 4: AM Birding Gemessa Gedel and PM Birding Melka Ghebdu
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Day 5: AM Birding in Different Spots in the Afar Plains and PM Birding and Wildlife Watching in Aledeghi Wildlife Reserve
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Day 6 and 7: Birding and Wildlife Watching at Awash National Park for Two Full Days
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Day 8: AM Birding Awash National Park; Mid-day Transfer to Bishoftu and Birding the Rest of the Day in Nearby Areas
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Day 9: Full day Birding Lakes and Nearby: Lake Langano and Abiata Shalla National Park
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Day 10: AM Birding Lake Langano and PM Transfer to Goba, Going through Bale Mountains
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Day 11: Bale Mountains Birding and Wildlife Watching Full Day
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Day 12: AM Final Birding in Bale Mountains and Goba Area; Birding Transfer to Negelle for Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco and More
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Days 13 and 14: Two Full Days Birding Negelle Open Grasslands
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Day 15: Birding Negelle in the Morning; and Transfer to Yabello
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Day 16: Birding and Wildlife-Watching Yabello Area
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Day 17: AM Final Birding in Yabello; Transfer to Lake Awassa
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Day 18: AM Birding Lake Awassa; and PM Transfer to Addis Ababa
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Day 19: Flights Home
More details about this Trip: