The endangered Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco is found only in southern Ethiopia. Photo: Sunbird
Millions of years ago, eastern Africa was subjected to immense and violent volcanic activity. As unimaginable forces pushed the earth’s crust upward in a gigantic dome, great fissures opened in the center, causing large areas to sink back while the outer edges continued to rise. The resulting slash in the surface of the planet became the Rift Valley, which dominates this corner of Africa and runs right across Ethiopia.
The highland plateaus that formed on either side of the Rift represent the continent’s largest area of Afro-alpine habitat and contain some of the most spectacular scenery in Africa. Isolated for thousands of years, these regions have also seen the evolution of many distinctive life forms. Mammals such as the Giant Mole Rat and the secretive Simien Wolf haunt a starkly beautiful landscape full of unusual plants. More than 800 birds have been seen in the region, some of them found nowhere else in the world. We hope to encounter many of these endemics as we travel along the Rift Valley floor and across highland areas rightly christened “the Roof of Africa.”
Ethiopia, where Africa meets Arabia, sits at a cultural and historical crossroads. The combination of history, stunning scenery, and above all fascinating and easily accessible wildlife makes Ethiopia a captivating destination. Steve Rooke returns in 2010 for his twelfth Ethiopian tour.
You can see a map of our tour route on line.
Day 1: The tour begins with an overnight flight from London to Addis Ababa.
Day 2: After arriving in Addis, we’ll start our tour by driving across the city and over the Entoto Hills, escorted as we go by the hordes of Yellow-billed Kites in the skies above. As we leave behind the extensive eucalyptus plantations cloaking the hills, the wonderful mosaic of small fields, grassland, and villages that is the Soluta Plain opens out before us. This is where we’ll encounter our first endemic birds, with White-collared Pigeon and Wattled Ibis quite common in places. There will be Thick-billed Ravens in some of the villages we drive through, and we should also see a few Blue-winged Geese on roadside pools, while Erlanger’s Larks and perhaps Black-headed Siskins will be on the roadside. Non-endemic species will include Groundscraper Thrushes, Thekla Larks, and Red-breasted Wheatears, and the plains are home to wintering visitors from farther north including Isabelline and Northern Wheatears, Ortolan Buntings, and Red-throated Pipits. There should be Augur Buzzards sitting on roadside poles, and perhaps a Pallid Harrier will sweep low over the fields.
We should reach our lodge at Debre Libanos, right on the edge of an immense gorge, in time for lunch. We’ll spend the afternoon on foot exploring this dramatic landscape. The gorge is patrolled by flocks of Rüppell’s Vultures; other raptors that may join them include Tawny and Verreaux’s Eagles or Lanner Falcon, and if we’re lucky we may be treated to an eye-level flyby Lammergeier. There will be more endemics to look for, too: this rocky habitat is home to White-billed Starlings, Abyssinian Black Wheatears, Rüppell’s Black Chat, and White-winged Cliff Chat. We’ll also see our first endemic mammal here, the bizarre Gelada Baboon, and we should get close to some of the impressively maned males. Night at Debre Libanos.
Day 3: We’ll leave early to retrace our steps towards Addis, then turn off to visit another part of the Jemma Gorge, even more impressive than Debre Libanos. Our road will take us down into the gorge and across the Jemma River. We’ll stop along the way to see Erkel’s Francolin, which can be quite common here, and to look for the scarce Harwood’s Francolin, an endemic species with a very restricted Ethiopian range. We may encounter a Walhberg’s Eagle or a Fox Kestrel on our descent to the valley floor, where we’ll look for Half-collared Kingfisher, Vinaceous Dove, Foxy Cisticola, Black-winged Red Bishop, and the endemic White-throated Seedeater. Later in the day we’ll climb back out of the gorge to return to Addis and on to the town of Nazaret, where we’ll spend the night.
Day 4: Today we’ll begin our descent towards the Awash Plains. The temperature here rises quickly as the day goes on, so we’ll start before dawn to reach our first birding stop while it’s still relatively cool. Evidence of relatively recent volcanic activity will become very obvious as we approach the extinct Fantale Crater. We’ll stop at the edge of a vast lava flow to look for Chestnut-eared and Chestnut-headed Sparrow-Larks, Blackstart, the endemic Sombre Chat, Bristle-crowned Starlings, Shining Sunbird, and Striolated Bunting. We’ll continue northeast across the plains of Awash National Park to reach our lodge, on the same spot where Wilfred Thesiger camped on his journey tracing the course of the Awash River. With huts based on the same design as those built by the local Afar tribe, Bilen Lodge offers a taste of the “real” Africa.
In the afternoon we’ll search the immediate vicinity of our lodge for such regional specialties as Senegal Thick-knee, Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, Yellow-breasted Barbet, Ethiopian Swallow, Black Scrub Robin, Northern Crombec, and Nile Valley Sunbird. We shouldn’t have far to go to find at least one Arabian Bustard, a rare bird that appears to be quite common here. We’ll search the nearby open scrub for wintering birds from the north, perhaps including Black-eared Wheatear, Rufous Scrub Robin, Siberian Stonechat, and Eastern Olivaceous, Upcher’s, Barred, and Ménétries’s Warblers. A few African Collared Doves can be found among the much more numerous African Mourning Doves, whose gentle purring calls provide the constant soundtrack to our time at Bilen. Gaudy Abyssinian Rollers and Black-throated Barbets will be found among the taller acacias. The lodge overlooks a large marsh covered in dense reeds, where Saddle-billed Storks are regular and Collared Pratincoles and flocks of Northern Carmine Bee-eaters sometimes hawk for insects. A few Lions are very occasionally seen coming to drink, but we’re more likely to encounter an African Wild Cat. Among the more common mammals we should see are the tiny Salt’s Dikdik and perhaps a long-necked Gerenuk or a Lesser Kudu. As dusk falls, the car-alarm calls of Slender-tailed Nightjars will fill the cool night air. Night at Bilen Lodge.
Day 5: After an early morning around the lodge, we’ll leave for Awash National Park, stopping on the way to search for Heuglin’s Courser in the dense scrub and to scan a vast plain for Somali Ostrich and a variety of raptors, including perhaps a Saker. This region has produced some surprises in the past, including Pale Rock Sparrow and Bimaculated Lark. Once in the park, we’ll drive slowly across the grassland and open savanna. This is good shrike country, and we’re bound to see several large Somali Fiscals, as well as Southern Gray, Woodchat, and Isabelline Shrikes. We’ll also be on the lookout for bustards. We may see a Kori Bustard striding through the grassland, perhaps with a Northern Carmine Bee-eater hitching a ride on its back. Other species present are Buff-crested, White-bellied, and Hartlaub’s Bustards. In some years Harlequin Quail are very common, flushing from the side of the track as we drive by. As the day draws to a close we’ll reach our lodge, right on the edge of the impressive Awash River Falls. After dark we’ll try to find some night birds, with African Scops Owl and Pearl-spotted Owlet possible. Night at Awash Falls Lodge.
Day 6: Within a few hours of sunrise, temperatures soar and Awash Park turns into a shimmering haze of savanna. This means that the bird life is most active just after dawn, and we’ll make sure we are out before first light to catch all the activity. In the open grasslands we’ll look for Secretary Bird, Red-winged and Singing Bush Larks, and Desert and Ashy Cisticolas; if we’re lucky, we’ll see an elegant African Swallow-tailed Kite drifting over the trees. Flocks of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse can be found anywhere, and in the denser areas of scrub we’ll look for Gillet’s Lark, Red-fronted Warbler, Green-winged Pytilia, and Gray Wren Warbler, while raptors will vary from the tiny Pygmy Falcon to the massive Lappet-faced Vulture. If there has been rain, we should also see Eastern Paradise and Straw-tailed Whydahs, the males in striking breeding plumage. This is also a good place for mammals, and there will be groups of Beisa Oryx and the endemic Soemmering’s Gazelle out on the plains.
Leaving Awash behind, we’ll travel back towards Addis before turning south down the Rift Valley towards Lake Langano. We’ll notice White-backed and Hooded Vultures overhead, and, before long, vivid Superb Starlings and White-headed Buffalo Weavers on the roadside. We’ll make a few stops, including one at Lake Zwiay, where we’ll find a good selection of waterbirds. A roadway built out into the lake as a landing place for fishing boats also gives us unique access to the rich waterside vegetation. Birds are very confiding here, and among them will be Great White Pelican, hordes of Hammerkops, Yellow-billed Stork, ranks of Marabou Storks, African Spoonbill, African Jacana, African Darter, Hottentot Teal, White-faced and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, and African Pygmy-goose. Wintering Whiskered and White-winged Terns join the flocks of Gray-headed Gulls, and in the flooded grasslands there will be wintering Yellow Wagtails, including the distinctive black-headed race. Over the years this site has turned up some surprises, and we’ll search carefully for anything unusual such as Black Heron, Lesser Jacana, or Lesser Moorhen.
Arriving at our lakeside hotel in the afternoon, we’ll spend the rest of the day birding the hotel grounds, which feature a mix of tall acacias, dense scrub, and boulder-strewn slopes. We’ll be looking for species including Von der Decken’s, Northern Red-billed, and Hemprich’s Hornbills, Red-fronted Barbet, Bearded Woodpecker, Little Rock Thrush, Rattling Cisticola, Beautiful Sunbird, Buff-bellied Warbler, Red-billed Firefinch, Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, and Rüppell’s Weaver. As dusk approaches, we’ll look for the Freckled Nightjars that live on the rocky escarpment. Night at Lake Langano.
Day 7: We’ll spend another morning exploring the bird-rich grounds of our hotel. Mocking Cliff Chats move down from the cliffs to feed, and this is also a great place to see Red-throated Wryneck and the beautifully colored African Pygmy Kingfisher. The distinctive calls of Ethiopian and Slate-colored Boubous and Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrikes add to the dawn chorus, and vivid Blue-breasted Bee-eaters will be zipping around the cliff face. We may even find a roosting Verreaux’s Eagle Owl.
After we leave Lake Langano we’ll travel a short distance to another Rift Valley lake, Abiata. In spite of water extraction, the lakeshore can still hold good numbers of waterbirds, including huge numbers of both Greater and Lesser Flamingos, a variety of shorebirds including Kittlitz’s Plover and Pacific Golden Plover, and Common, Black-crowned, and occasionally Wattled Cranes. The lawn-like edge of the lake is ideal for Temminck’s Coursers, while the adjacent acacia woodland is home to Black-billed Woodhoopoe, Black Scimitarbill, and White-winged Black Tit.
We’ll continue south down the Rift Valley to the wooded slopes of Wondo Genet, a popular site famous for its natural hot springs surrounded by forest. We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon pottering around the lush grounds of our hotel, where Tacazze and Variable Sunbirds feed among the flowering shrubs. The roof of the restaurant is a perfect place to relax with a cold beer and scan the imposing escarpment for soaring raptors, which can include Crowned and Steppe Eagles and Ayre’s Hawk Eagle. Peering into the massive fig trees can produce Bruce’s Green Pigeon or the endemic Banded Barbet. Night at Wondo Genet.
Day 8: We’ll have all day to explore the woods around Wondo Genet, starting with a pre-breakfast walk down to the hot springs, where hulking Silvery-cheeked Hornbills, White-cheeked Turacos, Double-toothed Barbets, and Abyssinian Orioles feed in the figs and noisy Guereza Colobus cavort around the scented Jacaranda trees. We’ll look for flocks of Slender-billed and Sharpe’s Starlings as they leave their roosts to move down into the valley to feed, and we’ll listen for the distinctive calls of endemic Yellow-fronted Parrots as they flash past overhead.
The degraded forest that cloaks the escarpment still shelters a good assortment of birds. The cryptically marked Spotted Creeper is frequently encountered here, their high-pitched calls often betraying their presence. An isolated population of Scaly Francolin is found here, and although their calls are frequently heard, they are less often seen. On our walk through some of the forest we’ll also be looking for the endemic Abyssinian Woodpecker and for Gray-headed Woodpecker and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird. Mixed feeding flocks could hold Red-shouldered and Gray Cuckooshrikes, Eastern Honeybird, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, and the striking Red-headed Weaver. Tambourine Doves might shoot past at high speed, and a rich warbling song may reveal the location of an African Hill Babbler. The wide trails through the woodland buzz with striking butterflies, some of them amazingly colorful and huge. The day may end once again on the restaurant rooftop, scanning for raptors and watching the sun set across the great African Rift. Night at Wondo Genet.
Day 9: We’ll spend the better part of the day driving through some spectacular scenery into the Bale Mountains. We’ll stop among the extensive wheat fields to look for Red-chested and Gray-rumped Swallows and for groups of migrant Lesser Kestrels or European Bee-eaters. As we gain altitude, the level agricultural plains give way to more rugged highlands. Once more we’ll start to see flocks of White-collared Pigeons and Wattled Ibis along the roads, and Dusky Turtle Doves become common. We’ll make a stop at a traditional roost site for Cape Eagle Owl, then take a walk through the rich juniper woodland surrounding the headquarters of Bale Mountain National Park. We’ll be looking especially for the little-known Abyssinian Long-eared Owl and perhaps some roosting Montane Nightjars. We’ll alsoo encounter the impressive endemic Mountain Nyala and Menelik’s Bushbuck. Night in Goba.
Day 10: We’ll have a whole day up on the Sanetti Plateau, a wonderful Afro-alpine habitat of pools and small lakes, low flowering bushes, beds of tiny alpine flowers, and spikes of Giant Lobelia. By the end of the day we’ll have seen dozens of Rouget’s Rails, remarkably tame up here. We’re also bound to see Chestnut-naped and Moorland Francolins. We’ll encounter more Blue-winged Geese on the pools, Spot-breasted Plovers, flocks of Black-headed Siskins and Red-throated Pipits, Alpine Chats, African Snipe, and, with luck, a pair of the stately Wattled Cranes that breed here. Augur Buzzards perch atop the giant lobelia spikes, and a sighting of a Ruddy Shelduck, Golden Eagle, or a flock of Red-billed Chough reminds us of this region’s clear Palearctic affinities.
Despite all the avian attractions, the star of today’s show may be the elegant Simien Wolf. This endangered canine clings to its fragile existence only here and in the Simien Mountains to the north. Its main prey is the plentiful and comical Giant Root Rat, and it’s quite common to see wolves actually hunting these goofy rodents.
Leaving the high moorland behind, we’ll drop down into some good forest and wander slowly downhill, searching for Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Abyssinian Catbird, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, the skulking Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, White-backed Black Tit, Brown-rumped Seedeater, Mountain Thrush, and Yellow-bellied Waxbill, among many others. We may also find the local Bale race of Brown Parisoma, considered a full species by some. Night in Goba.
Day 11: Today we’ll retrace our steps across the plateau, following the highest all-weather road in Africa. The views up here on the roof of Africa can be awe-inspiring, especially as we leave the highlands and descend into rich forest. We’ll have a chance to look for any forest birds we might have missed the day before, and we’ll also be seeking new species such as the tiny Abyssinian Crimsonwing and the beautiful Narina’s Trogon. After driving through some superb landscapes of endless acacia woodland, we’ll expect to reach our destination, the town of Negelle, in the late afternoon. Night in Negelle.
Day 12: In the early 1890s, a certain Prince Ruspoli collected a stunningly beautiful turaco somewhere in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, he died before he could reveal the exact location, and it was not until the 1940s that the world finally learned where Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco could be seen. We’ll devote part of our day to the search for this rare and striking bird, which is confined to remnant habitats around Negelle. Nearby we can find another endemic, though nowhere near as colorful as the turaco: Sidamo Lark is found only on the open grassy plains close to Negelle. Other birds out on the plains and nearby include Black-winged Plover, Somali Short-toed Lark, Plain-backed Pipit, White-crowned Starling, Pectoral-patch Cisticola, and Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow. Night in Negelle.
Day 13: We’ll leave Negelle to loop through the south of Ethiopia to the town of Yabello. Along the way we’ll be stopping in the very bird-rich habitats of dense acacia and Commiphora scrub, broken by small fields and open savanna punctuated by towering brick-red termite chimneys. We’re virtually guaranteed at least one encounter with the gangs of Vulturine Guineafowl that roam the scrub. This is good bush shrike country, and in addition to Rosy-patched, Gray-headed, and Sulphur-breasted, we have a very good chance of finding Red-naped Bush Shrike, a rare species found only in parts of East Africa.
Other range-restricted species that we hope to see include Pringle’s Puffback, Scaly Chatterer, Pygmy Batis, and the striking White-crowned Starling. Along the way we’ll be on the lookout for Crested Francolin, Somali Courser, Orange-bellied Parrot, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, gorgeous Golden-breasted Starlings, Golden Pipit, Shelley’s Starling, Tiny Cisticola, Pale Prinia, Foxy Lark, D’Arnaud’s and Red-and-yellow Barbets, Somali Crombec, Black-capped Social Weaver, and Marico and Variable Sunbirds. A riverside stop may give us two more rare East African species, White-winged Dove and Juba Weaver, plus Magpie Starling and Black-bellied Sunbird.
Among all the many other birds to be found here, the Yabello region is perhaps best known for two endemic birds found only in this tiny part of southern Ethiopia—the bizarre Stresemann’s Bush-Crow and the elegant White-tailed Swallow, both of which we should see before the day is out. After dark, we’ll venture out to look for Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjars, and we may also find some cute Somali Galagos clambering energetically through the acacias. Night in Yabello.
Day 14: We’ll have a morning to explore the countryside around Yabello, a region notably rich in birds. Among the species we hope to find in the acacia scrub and around the fields tended by the local Borena people are White-bellied Bustard, Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk, Gabar Goshawk, Bateleur, Bare-eyed Thrush, Spotted Morning Thrush, Shelley’s Starling, Banded Parisoma, Boran Cisticola, Purple Grenadier, Straw-tailed Whydah, Black-cheeked Waxbill, and Somali Golden-breasted Bunting. After lunch we’ll begin the long drive north to Awassa, where we’ll spend the night. Our drive takes us up into the lush coffee-growing region, where we’ll watch for species such as White-necked Stork, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, and Great Sparrowhawk. Night in Awassa.
Day 15: The grounds of our lakeside hotel have a distinctly tropical feel, and we’ll spend the morning searching for waterbirds such as Black Crake, dashing Malachite Kingfishers, the drab Lesser Swamp Warbler, and Thick-billed Weaver. Small pools along the shore are good places to find wintering shorebirds such as Marsh Sandpiper and Temminck’s Stint, while elsewhere in this pleasant setting we should find Blue-headed Coucal, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Double-toothed Barbet, White-rumped Babbler, Gray-headed Batis, and Common Wattle-eye. We’ll visit a lakeside fish market teeming with pelicans and herons, fringed by giant fig trees that will be buzzing with birds, including the vivid Violet-backed Starling. After lunch we’ll head north once more to return to Lake Langano for the night.
Day 16: There will be plenty of new birds to look for on our return visit to Langano. Before breakfast we’ll wander around the acacia scrub and tall trees surrounding the hotel. The endemic Black-winged Lovebird can be common here, as can Blue-naped Mousebird. Gangs of Rufous Chatterers scurry through the vegetation, and the calls of Striped Kingfisher echo from the rock faces. Northern migrants could include Common and Thrush Nightingales, Masked Shrike, and Black-eared Wheatear, while the raptors seen here in previous years include the dashing Bat Hawk. After breakfast we’ll drive north along the lake shore to another lodge, where we can see Slender-tailed Nightjars at a daytime roost and, with luck, find a pair of Clapperton’s Francolins in the grounds. There may be time for another stop at Lake Zwiay as we head back to Addis, where we hope to arrive in the later afternoon. We’ll have rooms at a hotel so that we can repack before our traditional last night’s meal at one of the capital city’s finest restaurants. Afterwards we’ll transfer to the airport in time for our flight back to London.
Day 17: The tour ends in London.
Updated: 09 December 2009
Prices
- 2010 price about $4,990
- Single Occupancy Supplement $220
Notes
This tour is limited to 14 participants with one leader and one local guide. Both will accompany the tour irrespective of group size.
We recommend starting the tour in London. Participants who prefer to meet the group in Addis Ababa should contact the WINGS office.
Those wishing to stay in Ethiopia and visit some of the cultural and historical sites in the north of the country, such as the rock-hewn churches at Lalibella, should contact the WINGS office.
This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird.