Embark on a 7-day bird watching adventure through Ethiopia’s stunning Great Rift Valley and the Bale Mountains, a paradise for nature lovers and birding enthusiasts. Traveling by surface, this tour takes you from the aquatic habitats of Lake Ziway, Langano, and Abijata–Shalla National Park to the lush forests of Wendo Genet. Along the way, you’ll encounter an incredible diversity of bird species, including the African Pygmy Goose, Great White Pelican, and Lesser Jacana, as well as forest dwellers like the Yellow-fronted Parrot and White-cheeked Turaco. The journey also offers the chance to experience Ethiopia’s beautiful landscapes, natural hot springs, and the vibrant local culture.
Continuing south, the tour explores the Bale Mountains National Park, home to some of Ethiopia’s most iconic and endemic wildlife. At Dinsho and the Sanetti Plateau, you’ll spot remarkable species such as the Abyssinian Longclaw, Spot-breasted Plover, Wattled Crane, and Verreaux’s Eagle, alongside mammals like the Mountain Nyala and Menelik’s Bushbuck. Each destination reveals a new ecosystem rich in color, song, and movement, making this journey an unforgettable experience for bird watchers and nature enthusiasts alike. The tour concludes with a scenic return to Addis Ababa, leaving you with lasting memories of Ethiopia’s breathtaking biodiversity and landscapes.
Dive the long Rift Valley to Zeway for aquatic birds. Then, Lake Zeway provides lesser Jacana, African pygmy Goose, Black Heron, Great white pelicans. In addition to this, the woodland provides birds like Masked Shrike, Carmine Bee eaters, Wattled and superb stralings, Black headed bats, African thrush, beautiful and Marques sunbirds, Nubian and bearded wood peckers, African Harrier hawk, and black billed wood Hoopoe etc. then drive to Wondo Genet.
You will spend a full day birding while making a stroll around the lush forest of Wondo Genet and the surrounding green hills with their natural thermal natural springs. Target birds include endemic birds of yellow fronted parrot, while checked Turaco, Red shouldered and Emerald Cuckoo, lesser striped Swallow and Lesser Honey Guides, Mountain Wagtail, blue spotted Wood Dove, Abyssinian Hill Babbler, Grey Cuckoo Shrikes etc.
Drive to Hawassa town en-route birding in acacia woodland of Langano resort and Abijata-Shalla National Park where you can spot dark chanting Goshawks, Rattling Cistcola, Little Rock Thrush, Greater and Lesser honey Guide, Shallow’s Wheather, Fawn colored lark, spotted eagle owl, Marico sunbird, bearded Woodpecker, Slate collared Bobou, White bellied Go away bird etc.
After you visit Hawassa fish market; you drive across the south-eastern Aris-Bale Massifs to Dinsho (the head quarter of bale mountains National Park) to visit mammals such as the magnificent mountain Nyala, Menelik’s bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck and Warthogs.
On this day, you will visit endemic birds and wild animals. You encounter African Black Duck, Black Headed Siskin, the beautiful spot breasted plover, African snipe, Abyssinian Long Claw, Chest nut napped Francolin, Slender billed and red winged Starling etc. as we entered the park, we shall see the chestnut napped Francolin, Rouget’s rail, Abyssinian Long Claw, stone chat and Baglafetch weavers along the road side and mountain buzzard in the air. Overnight: Dinsho guest house
Drive to senetti plateau and visit highland birds including white backed Black Tit, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Yellow crowned Canary, Rouget’s rail, lanner Falcon, Wattled crane, Cinnamon Bracken warbler, Ruddy shelduck, Verreaux’s Eagle, Yellow bellied and common Waxbills, tropical boubou, Rufous breasted sparrow hawk, Abyssinian slaty Flycatcher, Black winged Love bird, Brown parisoma, Slender billed Starling etc.
Drive from Goba back to Addis Ababa on the same route south-eastern Arisi-Bale Massifs. Depart home. End of service.
