Ethiopia Nov 17 (1 Viewer)

dandsblair said:

Having just got back from this years November trip (see Colombia tread) we are making plans for next years trips.
We are looking to do about 17 days usual birding route including looking for Wolves and Baboons in Ethiopia next November.
I don't have any contacts so looking for recomendations for a guide / driver as heard driving is difficult or alternatively maybe a private tailormade or small tour recommendation for just the two of us.

Any ideas suggestion welcome.

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Tom Lawson said:

I assume you are aware that Ethiopia is currently having major political problems and that several well-known bird tour companies have cancelled visits there for the moment.Very sad as its a superb country with lovely friendly people and great birding.Several years ago my Wife and I did a personalised trip round the birding sites with a superb local birder/driver called Abiy Dagne.We acquired him through Ethiopian Quadrants,a travel company based in Addis Ababa run by an Irishman called Tony Hickey,who does the ground arrangements for a number of UK companies.Abiy has now set up on his own,and if you are still interested I can probably find his email address in my files.No way would you want to drive yourself around the country,and I'm not sure if you can even hire a car there at present.For background reading there are two excellent comprehensive site guides.
Tom Lawson.

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Robin Edwards said:

Could be worth looking up Merid Gabremicheal - he's a very good birder and nice guy. He's on Facebook.

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Tom Lawson said:

.Very sad as its a superb country with lovely friendly people and great birding.

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T.O. said:

And you should go pretty fast, because the birding won't be as good in the future as now as Ethiopia's interest in conservation is close to zero... So add to that a booming population and the future doesn't look to bright....

The security situation has been stable for the past 2 months, though the state of emergency is still in force and September was pretty horrible... It is impossible how it will be in one year from now, but I will have to go back next year myself, so I also hope it will remain stable.

Self-driving is possible, though no fun in Addis and on the road from Adama to Awash & Djibouti (trucks...) and with hardly any English spoken a driver comes in very handy as a translator as well... So having a driver would be much more relaxed.

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