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 2012 for his sixteenth Ethiopian tour.
Day 1: Participants should arrive in Addis Ababa no later than today. Night in Addis Ababa.
Day 2: We’ll begin with the drive across the city and over the Entoto Hills, escorted as we go by the hordes of Yellow-billed Kites that fill the skies above Addis. As we clear the extensive eucalyptus plantations that cloak the hills, the wonderful mosaic of small fields, grassland, and villages of 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, with Erlanger’s Larks and perhaps Black-headed Siskins on the roadsides. Non-endemic species will include Groundscraper Thrush, Thekla Lark, Red-breasted Wheatear, and African Quailfinch. The plains are also home to wintering visitors from the north, including Isabelline and Northern Wheatears, Ortolan Bunting, and Red-throated Pipit. There should be Augur Buzzards on roadside poles, and perhaps a Pallid Harrier will sweep low over the fields.
We should reach our lodge, perched on the edge of an immense gorge at Debre Libanosm 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, and other raptors may join them, including Tawny and Verreaux’s Eagles and Lanner Falcon; if we’re lucky we may be treated to the eye-level flyby of a mighty Lammergeier. There will be more endemics to look for in this rocky habitat, home to White-billed Starling, Abyssinian Black Wheatear, Rüppells Black Chat, and White-winged Cliff Chat. We’ll also see our first endemic mammal here: the gorge is frequented by a troupe of the bizarre Gelada Baboon, complete with impressively maned males. Night at Debre Libanos.
Can’t think of a thing to improve the trip, given what is available in remote and rural areas. Steve Rooke is as good as it gets in the realms of bird finding and merry-making, and Merid is phenomenal as facilitator and bird finder. We were extremely successful garnering rare and wonderful creatures! Highlights included sightings of cheetahs, Ethiopian Wolves and the iconic Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco! A rough trip, at times an uncomfortable trip, but also a most rewarding adventure to one of birding’s mythic venues.
Peter Derven, October 2011
Day 3: We’ll leave early and retrace our steps towards Addis before turning off to another part of the Jemma Gorge. Even more impressive than Debre Libanos, this road will take us down into the gorge and across the Jemma River, a tributary of the Blue Nile. We’ll stop on the way to see Erckel’s Francolin, which can be quite common, and to look for the endemic and scarce Harwood’s Francolin, a species restricted to the valleys of the Blue Nile tributaries. We may encounter a Walhberg’s Eagle or a Fox Kestrel as we descend, and once on the valley floor we’ll look for Half-collared Kingfisher, Vinaceous Dove, Foxy Cisticola, Black-winged Red Bishop, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Speckled-fronted Weaver, and the endemic White-throated Seedeater among many other species. Later in the day we’ll climb back out of the gorge and return to Addis, where we’ll spend the night.
Day 4: Today we begin our descent into 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 will appear 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 gives us unique access to the rich waterside vegetation. Birds are very confiding here, and species seen should include 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 taxon. Over the years, this site has turned up some surprises, and we’ll search carefully for anything unusual, such as Black Heron, Allen’s Gallinule, Lesser Jacana, or Lesser Moorhen.
We’ll reach our lakeside hotel in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day birding the hotel grounds, a mix of tall acacias, dense scrub, and boulder-strewn slopes. We’ll explore these habitats for a variety of birds 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. Freckled Nightjars live on the rocky escarpment, and we’ll stay out to look for them as dusk approaches. Night at Lake Langano.
Day 5: We’ll spend the morning again exploring the bird-rich grounds of the hotel. Mocking Cliff Chats move down from the cliffs to start their day feeding around the hotel, 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-coloured Boubous and Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrikes will join 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.
Leaving Lake Langano, we’ll travel the short distance to another Rift Valley lake, Abiata. Although this lake is suffering from water extraction, the lakeshore can still hold good numbers of waterbirds including huge numbers of Greater and Lesser Flamingos, a variety of shorebirds including Kittlitz’s and Pacific Golden Plovers, and Common, Black-crowned, and occasionally Wattled Cranes. The lawn-like lake edge is ideal habitat for Temminck’s Coursers, while the adjacent acacia woodland is home to Black-billed Woodhoopoe, Black Scimitarbill, and White-winged Black Tit. Later in the day we’ll continue south down the Rift Valley to the shores of Lake Awassa for the night.
Day 6: The grounds of our lakeshore hotel have a distinctly tropical feel, and we’ll spend the early morning searching vegetation 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 papyrus beds can hold migrants such as European Marsh, Great Reed and even Basra Reed Warblers. Esewhere in this pleasant setting we should find Blue-headed Coucal, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Double-toothed Barbet, White-rumped Babbler, Spotted Creeper, Gray-headed Batis, and Browm-throated Wattle-eye.
Later we’ll leave Awassa and the Rift Valley to begin the long climb up into the Bale Mountains, a drive that will take us through some spectacular scenery. We start by traversing extensive wheat fields, where we’ll stop to look for Red-chested and Gray-rumped Swallows and groups of migrant Lesser Kestrels or European Bee-eaters. The level agricultural country gives way to more rugged highlands as we gain altitude. Once more we’ll start to see flocks of White-collared Pigeons and Wattled Ibis along the roadside, and Dusky Turtle Doves become common. We’ll make a stop to see a Cape Eagle Owl at a traditional roost site, followed by a walk through the rich juniper woodland surrounding the headquarters of Bale Mountain National Park. Here we’ll be looking in particular for the little-known Abyssinian Owl and perhaps some roosting Montane Nightjars, and we’ll encounter the impressive endemic Mountain Nyala and Meneliks Bushbuck. Night in Goba.
Day 7: We have a whole day to spend up on the Sanetti Plateau, a wonderful Afro-alpine habitat of pools and small lakes, dense flowering bushes, beds of tiny alpine flowers, and spikes of giant lobelia. Rouget’s Rails are remarkably tame up here, and we’ll have seen dozens by the end of the day; we’re also bound to see Chestnut-naped and Moorland Francolins. Elsewhere we’ll encounter more Blue-winged Geese on the pools along with Spot-breasted Plover, flocks of Black-headed Siskins and Red-throated Pipits, Alpine Chat, African Snipe, and, with luck, a pair of the stately Wattled Cranes that breed here. Augur Buzzards perch on the giant lobelia spikes, and a sighting of a Ruddy Shelduck, Golden Eagle, or a flock of Red-billed Choughs will us of this region’s Palearctic affinities. Despite all the avian attractions, the star of today’s show may be the elegant Ethiopian Wolf, an endangered canine clinging to fragile existence only here and in the Simien Mountains to the north. Its main prey is the comical Giant Root Rat, which is plentiful on the plateau; it is quite common to see wolves hunting these goofy rodents.
Leaving the high moorland behind, we’ll drop down into good forest and wander slowly downhill searching for Abyssinian Woodpecker, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Mountain Thrush, Abyssinian Catbird, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, the skulking Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Brown Woodland Warbler, White-backed Black Tit, Brown-rumped Seedeater, 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 8: 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 to descend into rich forest. Here we’ll have another chance to look for any forest birds missed the day before, and we’ll be looking for new species such as the tiny Abyssinian Crimsonwing and the beautiful Narina’s Trogon. Our destination is the town of Negelle, which we expect to reach there in the late afternoon after driving through the superb landscape of endless acacia woodland and dramatic valleys. Night in Negelle.
Day 9: 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 came to know where Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco could be seen. This striking bird remains rare and much sought after, confined to a relatively small area around Negelle, and we’ll devote part of the day to look for it. Another endemic—one nowhere near as colorful as the turaco—can be found nearby: Sidamo, or Liben, Lark is yet another bird restricted to a tiny area in Ethiopia, found only on the open grassy plains close to Negelle. With perhaps no more than 100 individuals left, this is one of Africa’s rarest birds. Other birds out on the plains and in the immediate region include Black-winged Plover, Somali Short-toed Lark, Plain-backed Pipit, White-crowned Starling, Pectoral-patch Cisticola, and Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow. A nearby lake can hold a variety of waterbirds, among them perhaps a flock of Abdim’s Storks. Night in Negelle.
Day 10: Leaving Negelle, we’ll embark on a journey that will take us in a wide loop through the south of Ethiopia and to the town of Yabello. We’ll be stopping along the way 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. Gangs of Vulturine Guineafowl roam through the scrub, and we can count on at least one encounter. This is good bush-shrike country, too, and in addition to Rosy-patched, Gray-headed, and Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrikes, we have a very good chance of finding Red-naped Bush Shrike, a rare species found only in parts of East Africa.
We also hope to find a number of ther species with ranges restricted within East Africa, including 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, Steel-blue Whydah, and Marico and Variable Sunbirds. A riverside stop may give us two more rare East African species in the form of White-winged Dove and Juba Weaver, along with Magpie Starling and Black-bellied Sunbird.
Alongn with these and the many other birds 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. Our very comfortable lodge is surrounded by good habitat and we’ll venture out after dark to look for African Scops Owl, Donaldson Smith’s Nightjar, and we may also find some cute Somali Galagos clambering energetically through the acacias. Night in Yabello.
Day 11: We have the morning to explore the countryside around Yabello, where we hope to find 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 Bunting. After lunch we’ll begin the long drive north to Wondo Genet, where we’ll spend the night. Our drive takes us up into the lush coffee-growing region, and we’ll be looking out for species such as White-necked Stork, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, and Great Sparrowhawk along the way. Night in Wondo Genet.
Day 12: The wooded slopes surrounding this famous hot spring resort have been badly degraded over the years, but still hold some good birds. After breakfast our walk will take us along the edge of the Rift Valley escarpment where we hope to find hulking Silvery-cheeked Hornbills, White-cheeked Turacos, Double-toothed Barbets, and Abyssinian Orioles feeding in the fig trees, and noisy Guereza Colobus cavorting around the scented Jacaranda trees. We’ll look for flocks of Slender-billed as they leave their roosts to move into the valley to feed, and with luck we may find a Sharpe’s Starlings. The cryptically marked Spotted Creeper is frequently encountered here, its high-pitched calls often betraying its presence. We’ll also be looking for the endemic Abyssinian Woodpecker and for Gray-headed Woodpecker and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird; a mixed feeding flock could hold Red-shouldered and Gray Cuckooshrikes, Eastern Honeybird, and the striking Red-headed Weaver. Tambourine Doves can shoot past at high speed, and a rich warbling song may give away the location of African Hill Babbler, while there is always the chance of a massive Crowned Eagle cruising overhead. Another striking feature of this woodland will be the butterflies, the wide trails abuzz with some amazingly colorful and huge specimens. After lunch we’ll drive back to Lake Langano, this time visiting the eastern shore. Once darkness has fallen, we’ll try to see the resident pair of African Wood Owls. Night at the wonderfully appointed Lodge of Bishan Gari.
Day 13: Bishan Gari Lodge, on the shores of Lake Langano, is surrounded by lush fig forest and acacia woodland. Shortly after dawn flocks of Yellow-fronted Parrots fly from their roost to perch in the acacias right in front of our lodge, giving us outstanding views of this colorful endemic. Wandering the trails through the towering figs, we’ll search the undergrowth for skulking species such as Scaly Francolin, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Red-capped Robin Chat, and the secretive Green Twinspot, while in the towering fig trees we may find Western Banded Snake-Eagle, Narina’s Trogon, or Scaly-throated Honeyguide. After lunch we’ll drive back to the main Addis road, keeping an eye open for Clapperton’s Francolin or a roosting Heuglin’s Courser, and then travel north and east to the town of Nazaret for one night.
Day 14: The temperature in this region rises quickly as the day progresses, so we’ll start before dawn to reach our first birding stop while it’s still relatively cool. Evidence of recent volcanic activity will be very obvious as we approach the extinct Fantale Crater, and 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 Starling, Shining Sunbird, and Striolated Bunting. Continuing northeast, we’ll cross the plains of Awash National Park to reach our lodge. Located on the same spot where Wilfred Thesiger camped on his journey to follow the route of the Awash River, and with huts based on the design of those built by the local Afar tribe, Bilen Lodge offers a taste of real Africa.
In the afternoon we’ll search the immediate vicinity of our lodge for regional specialities such as Senegal Thick-knee, Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, Yellow-breasted Barbet, Ethiopian Swallow, Black Scrub Robin, Northern Crombec, and Nile Valley Sunbird, and we shouldn’t have far to go to find at least one Arabian Bustard, a normally rare bird that appears to be quite common here. Nearby we’ll search the open scrub for wintering migrants from the north, including perhaps 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, the gentle purring calls of which will provide the soundtrack to our time at Bilen. Gaudy Abyssinian Rollers and Black-throated Barbets will be found among the taller acacias, and 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. Mammals we should see include 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 15: After an early morning around the lodge, we’ll leave for Awash National Park, stopping on the way to scan a vast plain where we should see Somali Ostrich and a variety of raptors, including perhaps a Saker. In the past this region has produced some surprises, including Pale Rock Sparrow and Bimaculated Lark. Reaching 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, and 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 here are Buff-crested, White-bellied, and Hartlaub’s Bustards. In some years Harlequin Quail are numerous here, 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 impressive Awash River Falls. Night at Awash Falls Lodge.
Day 16: Within a few hours of sunrise, Awash Park turns into a shimmering haze of savanna as temperatures soar. This means that the bird life is most active just after dawn, and we’ll make sure to be 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, and, if we’re lucky, we may 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 range 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 begin our drive back to Addis, arriving there in the late afternoon when the tour concludes.
Updated: 13 December 2011
Prices
- 2012 Tour Price : $4,650*
- Single Occupancy Supplement : $350
Notes
This tour is limited to 12 participants with one leader and one local guide. Both will accompany the tour irrespective of group size.
Single rooms are limited in some areas.
Participants who prefer to join the group flying out from London should contact the WINGS office.
Those wishing to visit cultural and historical sites in the north of the country, such as the rock-hewn churches at Lalibella, should contact the WINGS office.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a modest discount. Details here.
* This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird. Please review the explanation of our Sunbird pricing here.