Off to Ethiopia Mar 6th to 26th! (1 Viewer)

[happylimpet]

If anyone has some good, cheap, birding recommendations (ie good cheap tours for 2-3 days) that would be great. Or places to go on public transport with good bird potential.

What would be even better is if someone else is gong then too, and would like to split the cost of a trip for a few days.....

Cheers

Nick

PS I have the 'where to watch birds ethiopia' - very handy.

PPS also any trip reports which arent the 'we spent a fortune hiring a driver and guide for 3 weeks' type. more the'we got a bus to... and walked and...." type. cheers!

 

[Tree Sparrow]

Sorry, I was one of those that spent a fortune ;-). However, if you haven't already got it I would recommend that you get the Bradt Guide for Ethiopia. It really is excellent. Loads of information about getting around by public transport and much, much more.

Fiona

 

[happylimpet]

Sorry, I was one of those that spent a fortune ;-). However, if you haven't already got it I would recommend that you get the Bradt Guide for Ethiopia. It really is excellent. Loads of information about getting around by public transport and much, much more.

Fiona

I dont blame you! Im sure its well worth it. I have the lonely planet..hope thats up to it.

If you were to do an 'organised' trip to a location for a day or two, thats inaccessible by other means, where would you go?

 

[Tree Sparrow]

I dont blame you! Im sure its well worth it. I have the lonely planet..hope thats up to it.

If you were to do an 'organised' trip to a location for a day or two, thats inaccessible by other means, where would you go?

I was more into the mammals than birds so I couldn't really say which would be the best place for you take an organised trip where you couldn't get there by other means. Might be worth reading the trip reports of the travel companies that do the full on Ethiopia tours. You'd get a very good idea of what they saw and where. There are so many different habitats.... it's a country of contrasts! You'll love it .

 

[temmie]

As you could imagine, renting a car + driver in Addis is really not difficult. People will ask you in the airport, and it's just a matter of showing your willingness to rent something, and somebody will call a friend of a friend and before you know it, you have transport. Just make sure you take your time to bargain and to discuss details.

 

[happylimpet]

As you could imagine, renting a car + driver in Addis is really not difficult. People will ask you in the airport, and it's just a matter of showing your willingness to rent something, and somebody will call a friend of a friend and before you know it, you have transport. Just make sure you take your time to bargain and to discuss details.

That's interesting; and is this for a more competitive rate than the £160-180/day that conventional car hires cost?

 

[temmie]

I will check, give me a moment ;-)

 

[temmie]

I will check, give me a moment ;-)

this should be possible for around 100-150, depending on the car. (simple 2WD for around 100, bigger car for around 130-150)

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Hi Nick (and anyone), if you find any links to reports of anyone travelling and birding around Ethiopia mostly without car and driver I'd be very interested. We considering as somewhere to go for a month in Jan (as a couple with a 3 year old), and will consider it if there are a few sites that can be reached and birded without car/driver, with maybe a couple of sites where we have to bite the bullet and hire a car/driver for a few days. We'll probably scrap the idea of Ethiopia if it looks impossible to realistically bird anywhere without your own driver and guide.

 

[delia todd]

Hi Larry

If you can wait a couple of weeks until Volker Sthammer returns, I'm sure he'll give you lots of advice, he lives there for a lot of the year.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Hi Larry

If you can wait a couple of weeks until Volker Sthammer returns, I'm sure he'll give you lots of advice, he lives there for a lot of the year.

Thanks Delia, I'll try contacting him :t:

 

[T.O.]

Hi Nick (and anyone), if you find any links to reports of anyone travelling and birding around Ethiopia mostly without car and driver I'd be very interested. We considering as somewhere to go for a month in Jan (as a couple with a 3 year old), and will consider it if there are a few sites that can be reached and birded without car/driver, with maybe a couple of sites where we have to bite the bullet and hire a car/driver for a few days. We'll probably scrap the idea of Ethiopia if it looks impossible to realistically bird anywhere without your own driver and guide.

I am currently in Ethiopia and have been so for the past 8 weeks. At the moment I would consider not going to Ethiopia at all. Protests in especially Amhara regions are still very much there and tensions are also high in Oromiya region. These two regions harbour the bulk of all good birding sites (many rift valley lakes, Lake Tana, Bale mountains, Debre Libanos). The past month over 200 people have been killed in protests (and many more arrested) and even foreign flower farms have been destroyed by protesters. This weekend it was a bit more silent, but all universities start again this month and people expect that protests will start again then.

Though white people are no targets of the demonstration (government, Tigrayans and special forces are), people get killed by stray bullets and road blocks are very common. Also the best buses for public transport (Selam bus & golden bus) are a target for protesters and several off these buses have been put to fire this year as they are government owned.

The government is still having a no-tolerance policy and the unrests have been going on for about 10 months now (though they come in waves), but there is no indication that the problem will be resolved anytime soon.

So I would rather go to for example Tanzania (or Madagascar for that sake), where many good sites are easily reached with public transport and where the situation is very stable and safe at the moment.

 

[Feathered and Free]

We will have a few days in Ethiopia next year and were hoping to get to Bishangari. Is this area safe? Can we take a bus to the nearest town and a taxi to the lodge or do we have to get a private car all the way from Addis Ababa? Is Menagesha a good substitute if we can't get to Bishangari? The Bishangari website seems to assume people will be self-driving and I didn't think this was possible in Ethiopia although we have done self-driving in South Africa several times and will be self-driving in Namibia next year.

 

[T.O.]

We will have a few days in Ethiopia next year and were hoping to get to Bishangari. Is this area safe? Can we take a bus to the nearest town and a taxi to the lodge or do we have to get a private car all the way from Addis Ababa? Is Menagesha a good substitute if we can't get to Bishangari? The Bishangari website seems to assume people will be self-driving and I didn't think this was possible in Ethiopia although we have done self-driving in South Africa several times and will be self-driving in Namibia next year.

Bishangari is in a region that is potentially unstable (just as Menegasha and everything else within easy reach of Addis, except Awash) and also the road towards Bishangari passes through several towns in which demonstrations have occured recently. The situation will remain unpredictable, though it has been generally ok for the past two weeks.

Self driving in Ethiopia is different from southern Africa, though the number of crazy truck drivers you are likely to meet on this route is rather small. Additionally most cars are delivered with a driver and including driver and fuel you should expect to pay about 100 USD per day if you search a bit.

Menegasha is more a highland forest than Bishangari, so has less species, but more of the endemics (though you should be able to see those in the hotel garden from Ghion in Addis as well). I was in Bishangari for 2 days in July and it is an amazing place, also for mammals (I saw caracal, bushbuck, common duiker, guereza and bushbaby) and about 100 bird species around the lodge in one day...

 

[Feathered and Free]

Thanks T.O. Our trip isn't until April next year, I would hope that any political unrest would have died down. Our flight gets in at 5am and I was hoping to go direct from the airport to Bishangari if we can get the transport sorted out. They haven't replied to my email yet. My biggest target is the Yellow-fronted Parrot and the Black-winged Lovebirds (the latter can probably be found at the Ghion). Then I want a location that has the targets and as many other species as possible. The other alternative is Wondo Genet which we could probably get to by Skybus to Awassa and hired taxi to the reserve although most reports I have seen say Bishangari is nicer and has a bigger bird checklist. We have 2 days for Bishangari or Wondo Genet, then 2 days at the Ghion with a possible day trip to Menagesha.

I don't like having a driver travel around with us, ideally I like to use public transport from one city to another (Addis-Awassa) then taxi to reserve. I've been a backpacker type traveler since the mid 80's and am used to being independent and cheap! We usually hire a local birding guide at the reserve or lodge. I use online booking agencies like Expedia for accommodation where I can pay with credit card but cancel if I need to (unlikely but it happens).

Day 1: Arrive ADD 5am, transfer to Bishangari or Wondo Genet, time for afternoon birding. Just want to be dropped off, don't want the driver to stay and have to pay his expenses and time for day 2.
Day 2: Full day birding at Bishangari or Wondo Genet.
Day 3: Morning birding, then transfer to nearest bus station and get Skybus back to Addis. Afternoon birding at Ghion.
Day 4: Possible morning trip to Menagesha depending on successes the day before otherwise hang around Ghion.
Day 5: Need to be at airport by 7am.

 

[T.O.]

Finding Yellow-fronted parrots in Bishangari should not be any problem, especially in the early morning they are everywhere, especially in the forest outside the lodge grounds. The lovebirds are common as well and trogons are very easy to find too. The local guide at Bishangari charges 15 USD per hour, which is very steep and not really necessary imo as with some random walking around most targets will be found anyway....

You will have a hard time finding any driver who would only want to take you for 1 day. But in that case you should be able to get a bus in the direction of Shashemene and be dropped at the junction to Bishangari or in Negele (which is a slightly larger town just after the junction). In town you will certainly be able to find a tuctuc (Bajaj) to drive you, but at the junction this should also be possible. You could also ask whether the lodge has a vehicle that could pick you up, as 18 or 25 km in a tuctuc is rather uncomfortable, though very common in Ethiopia...

The protests have been coming and going since about December, with a quiet period in spring and early summer. August was the worst month so far, but it is unpredictable what will happen, but I also hope it calms down soon.

 

[Feathered and Free]

I heard back from Bishangari and they have availability for our dates but they were very vague about how to get there, just saying they recommend minibus or 4x4 from the road. You would think that an eco-lodge in a remote place would have worked out how people can get there and have it spelled out on their website, especially in countries where self-drive cars aren't common.


Is it possible to also get Prince Ruspoli's Turaco in that area? According to eBird they are near Negele but I thought it was further south than Lake Lugano area.

When you arrive at ADD airport, are there long distance taxis that would be capable of getting to Bishangari? We were just in Ecuador and paid $100 from UIO to Mindo right there in the arrival hall, official taxi. Super easy!

Failing all else, how is the birding in Wondo Genet? It seems easy enough to get to Awassa or Shashemene and then probably just hire a taxi by the day to get to the reserve.

Is it only the Skybus that goes to points south such as Awassa, Negele, Shashemene, etc or are there minibuses (matatus) that go when full? It seems the good buses all leave at the crack of dawn and our flight gets in at 5am, not sure if we can make those buses.

 

[T.O.]

Is it only the Skybus that goes to points south such as Awassa, Negele, Shashemene, etc or are there minibuses (matatus) that go when full? It seems the good buses all leave at the crack of dawn and our flight gets in at 5am, not sure if we can make those buses.

There are many options, skybus (and selam and golden bus) are the high-end options. But the matatu-style buses are much more common and they should leave throughout the day to at least Shashemene (so they could drop you at Negele or the junction).

I do not think that you can get an Addis taxi so crazy to bring you all the way to Bishangari. A regular rented car with driver should be possible though for 100 USD for one day. Though they are not very keen on 1 day only trips.


I highly doubt that Ruspoli turaco is present that far north, white-cheeked turaco are extremely common though around Langano (Lugano is in Switzerland )

 

[Feathered and Free]

Thanks T.O, I really appreciate the details. I guess the best plan is to have two scenarios:

Both Plans - Use Skybus or similar to Shashamene or matatu if we miss the last departure.

Plan A - Bishangari if they can arrange transport or tell us how to do it from the main road or Negele. They also have to be able to call a bajaj from the town to come and get us and take us back to the town's bus station.

Plan B - Skybus or matatu to Shashemene, stay somewhere like Haile Resort and hire taxi by the day to take us to Wondo Genet and back.

Both Plans - Bus or matatu back to Addis, taxi to Ghion.

I am assuming that Bishangari has the best birding between the 2? Or at least best possibility of Yellow-fronted Parrots? I don't mind hiring the local guide at least for the first day as they will know where the birds have been hanging around and will be able to identify the "hard" birds - LBJ's & similar.

 

[T.O.]

Thanks T.O, I really appreciate the details. I guess the best plan is to have two scenarios:

Both Plans - Use Skybus or similar to Shashamene or matatu if we miss the last departure.

Plan A - Bishangari if they can arrange transport or tell us how to do it from the main road or Negele. They also have to be able to call a bajaj from the town to come and get us and take us back to the town's bus station.

Plan B - Skybus or matatu to Shashemene, stay somewhere like Haile Resort and hire taxi by the day to take us to Wondo Genet and back.

Both Plans - Bus or matatu back to Addis, taxi to Ghion.

I am assuming that Bishangari has the best birding between the 2? Or at least best possibility of Yellow-fronted Parrots? I don't mind hiring the local guide at least for the first day as they will know where the birds have been hanging around and will be able to identify the "hard" birds - LBJ's & similar.

Sounds good.

Wondo Genet has quite similar birding, the parrots are more difficult there thoug, but Half-collared kingfisher occurs. But Wondo Genet is a bit more degraded and the accomodation is also more degraded...

I do not think that Skybus and the bigger companies pick people up all along the road like matatu's do, but I haven't used them, so I am not sure.

I would also advise to buy a local simcard (ethiotel is the only option), this is cheap and calling is even cheaper, so that can make communications easier when in the country. You should be able to do this at Bole.