General Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Ethiopia. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they take this tour. Although we do our best to make sure that what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
TRAVEL TO ETHIOPIA: This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird, and starts and ends in London. The cost of the group flights between London and Addis Ababa is included in the tour cost. You can choose, however, to make your own travel arrangements to Addis Ababa. You would receive a corresponding discount in the tour cost should you decide to do this. Please read the Important Travel Information for Participants on Sunbird Tours.
ENTERING ETHIOPIA: United States citizens will need a valid passport and a tourist visa. These can be obtained from the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C., or the Ethiopian Consulate in New York. Visas can also be obtained through a visa service, such as CIBT. As a general rule, your passport should be valid for six months after you plan to leave Ethiopia.
MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view maps of Ethiopia in the University of Texas series here. To adjust the map size, click on the lower right corner. You can review the U.S. Department of State background notes on Ethiopia here.
HEALTH: Mosquitoes are not numerous and should be found only around the Rift Valley lakes and at Awash. The malaria risk is low at the time of our visit, but the Centers for Disease Control strongly recommend a malaria preventive drug . Please be aware that chloroquine-resistant malaria is present in Ethiopia, as this will determine which anti-malaria drug you should take (mefloquine, Malarone, or doxycyline are three that your doctor might prescribe). The CDCs also suggest up-to-date inoculations against tetanus, typhoid, and polio. It is also worth checking that you are adequately protected against hepatitis A. As some of these inoculations cannot be given concurrently, you should contact your doctor right away to obtain advice about when to start your treatment.
According to the website of the Ethiopian Embassy (May 2008), certification of a yellow fever vaccination is recommended. The CDCs also recommend Yellow Fever vaccination for travel in Ethiopia.
You can review the latest CDC latest advisories here.
We reach elevations of 13,000 ft. While our pace at this elevation is very slow, anyone with a history of cardio-vascular problems or altitude sickness should consult their physician
CLIMATE: Temperatures will vary, and it is difficult to predict what the weather will be like. Down in the Rift Valley and at Awash National Park it should be fairly hot and dry, with temperatures up to 35°C (95°F) or higher. The highland areas can be pleasantly warm during the day but very cool at night, possibly reaching 0°C (32°F). Rain is possible in the highland region around the Bale Mountains. As we will be at altitudes of around 13,000 feet in this area, the weather can change very quickly and good waterproof and windproof clothing is advisable.
PACE OF TOUR AND DAILY ROUTINE: The tour is not a particularly strenuous one but does require a reasonable degree of physical fitness. Walks are usually no more than two hours long and often shorter than that. The longest walk, which takes about four hours with birding stops, is through some forest at Wondo Genet. The path here is good but there is some uphill walking involved. In most places we drive to the birding sites and walk only a short distance from the vehicle. We also do a lot of birding in the grounds of the various hotels and lodges. At Bahar Dar we may walk to the Blue Nile Falls, which involves some short, steep climbs on rocky ground, but the path to the Falls is mainly a good one. In the Bale Mountains we reach altitudes of 13,000-14,000 feet, but we do not do any extensive walking at this altitude.
On some days we have early pre-breakfast walks (usually starting at around 6:15 am), while on others (usually when we have a long drive ahead of us) we have an early breakfast at around 6:00 am. There will be one or two days when we begin earlier, at around 5:30 am. Birding usually continues up to dark, and there will be a few days when we either stay out after dark or go out again after dinner to look for owls and nightjars. Lunches are mainly taken in hotels, although on some days we do take packed lunches.
Please note that there are some long drives on this tour. Perhaps the most arduous is the journey to and from the Bale Mountains, which is mostly on a dirt road of varying quality. It is the poor quality of the road that makes this journey so long, and there is no sign of that improving. There will, however, be a few stops for birdwatching. The journey down to Yabello is also long, about six hours, but the road is generally very good.
The road from Addis south has been resurfaced, and the “new” road currently reaches Awassa, making this journey much easier.
Finally, please note that nothing ever happens quickly in Ethiopia. Service in the hotel restaurants can be slow and patience is required.
ACCOMMODATION: In Addis and Bahar Dar we stay in modern good quality hotels. At Lake Langano we stay in an old hotel which has recently been renovated. The hotels at Awassa and Wondo Genet are clean and comfortable, and the former is also under renovation. Both have swimming pools, but they are not particularly clean. However, there are the famous hot springs at Wondo Genet, which can be used during our stay. The hotel at Goba is old but reasonably clean and functions well most of the time. The most basic accommodation will be at Yabello. There is actually a new hotel here that is a vast improvement on the ones we have used in the past, and we have booked that. However, the facilities are still simple and, if we have a large number of singles, some rooms may not have their own bathroom facilities.
Finally, at Awash, we have given up on the famous old caravans, and now stay at a new lodge that has good-quality accommodation with good bathrooms. We’ll spend one night camping in Awash Park. The camp will be waiting for us when we arrive, and the tents, although not ones you can stand up in, are quite large. Foam mattresses, sheets, and bedding are provided, as are washing facilities and toilet facilities with a shower and toilet tent to every 4 participants. Camping in Awash will give us access to the park at first light, an important advantage as birds are most active before the intense heat of mid-morning.
DRESS: Dress will be informal throughout the tour.
TRANSPORT: Transportation is in a small bus. We will take two internal flights to Bahar Dar and back.
SMOKING: Smoking is not allowed in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group. If any site where the group is gathered has a stricter policy than the WINGS policy, that stricter policy will prevail.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours, and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Ethiopia will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. If you have any questions, please contact us.
MAP: View Ethiopia Tour Map
NOTE: Viewing this map requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Most recent computers have this software in place. If yours doesn’t and you wish to acquire it, go to Adobe’s site to download.
Updated: May 2008