Ethiopia Tour – Oct /November 2018
We had wanted to go to Ethiopia for some time and nearly visited a couple of year ago but changed our plans when a state of emergency was declared after some local troubles, gladly now this seems a thing of the past. So it while we would normally just get a driver if we couldn’t drive ourselves in Africa, we decided to go with a local company Ethiopian Quadrants who were recommended to us and the cost including guiding wasn’t much more than just hiring a driver and 4x4 vehicle.
We were originally due to be driven/guided by Abiy, who some friends of ours had used on their trip a couple of years ago but he is now freelance guide and isn’t always available to Quadrants (he chose to do a bigger Naturetrek tour – we met him during the tour and he gave us some advice), so we were guided by Abel Belay Molla ([email protected]) – a really excellent enthusiastic young guide, who is available directly for those wanting to bypass an organisation; we were driven by Begashaw Nekele a very experienced Quadrant’s driver who knows all the sites and has aspirations to be a guide so spots quite a bit of wildlife as well as driving well.
We went for a slightly customized birding agenda and choose to stay at Bale Mountain Lodge rather than in Goba where most bird tours seem to base themselves.
Our main targets were the Wolf, Gelada, Bale Mountain Monkey and all available endemic birds, plus a list of 20 life birds I gave to Abel – however, we limited our chances of Salvatori’s Seedeater by opting to have more time available on the Sanetti Plateau after rain and fog meant no wolves and limited other wildlife on our first afternoon in the Bale Mountains, so we didn’t go to Sof Omar valley despite it being on the original itinerary.
Summary:
Day 1 (Oct 19) – Fly to Instanbul overnight Bricks Hotel
Day 2(Oct. 20): Day tour of Istanbul free from Turkish Airlines for those with more than 6 hour stop-over- the flight to Addis Ababa arrived at 23.00. Overnight at Ghion Hotel.
Day 3(Oct. 21): Early birding in the Ghion Hotel grounds then drive to Debre Libanos birding on the way. Overnight at C-Lale Resort Hotel in Fiche.
Day 4(Oct.22): Birding around Debre Libanos and Jemma Valley. Overnight at C-Lale Resort Hotel.
Day 5(Oct 23): Drive to Debre Berhan. O/n Getva hotel.
Day 6(Oct.24): Ankober escarpment, Melka Jedbu. O/n Getva hotel.
Day 7(Oct.25): Drive to Awash Park. O/n Awash Falls Lodge.
Day 8(Oct.26): Full day in Awash Park. O/n Awash Falls Lodge.
Day 9(Oct.27): Drive to Bilen. Visit Alledeghi for Arabian Bustard. O/n Doho Lodge
Day 10(Oct.28): Drive to Lake Langano. O/n Hara Lodge.
Day 11(Oct.29): Around Bishangari, and Abiata and Shalla Park. O/n Hara Lodge.
Day 12(Oct.30): Drive to Bale Mountains National Park. O/n Bale Mountains Lodge.
Day 13(Oct.31): Full day in Bale Mountains. O/n Bale Mountains Lodge.
Day 14 (Nov.01): Itinerary had us drive to Sof Omar – but we stayed in Bale Mountain area. O/n Bale Mountains Lodge.
Day 15(Nov.02): Drive to Negele via Harenna Forest.O/n Maereg Hotel.
Day 16(Nov.03): Birding around Negele. O/n Maereg Hotel.
Day 17(Nov.04): Birding around Negele. O/n Maereg Hotel.
Day 18(Nov.05): Drive to Yabello. O/n Yabello Motel.
Day 19(Nov.06): Birding around Yabello. O/n Yabello Motel (was due to stay in Borena Lodge).
Day 20(Nov.07): Drive to Hawassa. O/n Africa United Hotel.
Day 21(Nov.08): Drive to Wolliso. O/n Negash Lodge.
Day 22(Nov.09): Birding around Gibe gorge, then back to Addis Ababa, Ghion Hotel day room and last birding in Addis.
Day 23(Nov.10) Early morning flight via Istanbul to Manchester.
Day out in Istanbul
We flew with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul and stayed overnight at Bricks Hotel, 15 minutes from the airport – under £40 on expedia. In the morning (get back to airport by 8.30) we joined the Turkish Airline free touristanbul – a version based on time available is offered to all passengers with more than 6 hour international connection, you can either have tour or free hotel place. We had time for the six hour version which took in Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, German Fountain, Obelisks and Topkopi Palace, it included breakfast and lunch. This got us back to the airport with just a few hours to kill before our flight to Addis Ababa. We did see a few birds on the tour, Ring-necked Parakeet, Tree Sparrow, European Bee-eater, Barn Swallow, Great Tit and Starling.
After an uneventful flight we arrived in Addis at 23.00 and were met by Begashaw who took us to Ghion Hotel a green oasis in the city.
Day 1 in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa (means new flower), the diplomatic capital of Africa is situated on the flanks of the Entoto Mountains at an altitude of over 2400m. We had agreed to meet up with Begashaw and see our guide Abel at 08.00 after our breakfast. In a short walk before breakfast we spotted Yellow-billed Kite, Speckled Mousebird, Abyssinian White-eye, Tacazzi Sunbird and Dusky-turtle dove.
After breakfast with Abel we added Mountain Thrush, Hooded Vulture, our first endemic the [B]Wattled Ibis, Great Sparrowhawk, African Grey and Dusky Flycatchers, Red-winged Starling and Bronze Manakin before heading off.
We drove over the Entoto Mountains, admiring the spectacular views of Addis that the road affords, and then out onto the high moorland en-route to Debre Libanos and then Fiche. Along the route, in the marshy areas of grassland, we saw many Wattled Ibis and added Blue-winged Goose (whose nearest relative and ecological counterpart is the Andean Goose of South America) feeding along the water’s edge and then displaying on a small lake. These were joined by Ground-scraper Thrush, Black-crowned Crane and Abyssinian Longclaw skulking in the wet grass – we saw him, but not great views so no photographs of this endemic, easier to see were flocks of White-collared Pigeons and Ethiopian (Black-headed) Siskins decorating the telegraph wires. We stared to see chats and wheatears, adding African Stonechat, Moorland Chat, Mocking Cliff-chat and White-winged Cliff-chat with Isabelline and Pied Wheatears. We also saw Cinnamon-breasted and Ortolan Bunting.
About 30KM before Debre Libanos – we headed onto some marshy fields and then down to a river looking for Rails and Lapwings – no joy on that; but we did see the recently split Short-crested Lark, Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, Brown-rumped Seedeater, Swainson’s Sparrow, Pied Kingfisher and then had a really close up view of a flyover Lammergier unfortunately rubbish photo taken as settings were all for the larks. Back on the road and another stop when Abel spotted some sitting eagles Steppe and Tawny seen well and then a couple of Thick-billed Raven scavenging by the roadside.
We were late getting to lunch – but had a nice lunch and it included our first of many Ethiopian coffee ceremonies and then later than planned to our afternoon birding in the forest behind the church and monastery at Debre Libanos, being Sunday there was a service on with crowds of people walking on the road, we did though spot our first troop of Gelada Baboon – a key target for Sarah on the way. We only had just over an hour of light at the forest so walked quickly to the higher path – birding was quite good with White-rumped Babbler, the beautiful near endemic White-cheeked Turaco, whistled in by Abel (he did not have any calls on his phone but knew most calls and was more than happy for me to use playback if his extensive whistles and clicks didn’t work – I had downloaded all main target calls from Xeno Canto to learn in advance and I had brought a speaker with me) and Banded Barbet. The light was fading and although we added Lemon Dove, African Thrush and Grey-backed Cameroptra Abel was disappointed by the haul. On the way back to the church carpark Abel saw an Abyssinian Woodpecker on the telegraph pole but we couldn’t relocate it.
We were due to stay in the Ethio-German lodge which is situated not far from the monastery at Debre Libanos, it is perched on the lip of a massive and spectacular gorge (a branch of the Blue Nile drainage system). However it was closed for a period but re-opened on the day we were leaving so a better option logistically and on the basis of our experience; accommodation wise than staying 20KM further away in Fiche as we did.
Overnight C-Lale Resort Hotel - basic accommodation and slow dining service.
We had wanted to go to Ethiopia for some time and nearly visited a couple of year ago but changed our plans when a state of emergency was declared after some local troubles, gladly now this seems a thing of the past. So it while we would normally just get a driver if we couldn’t drive ourselves in Africa, we decided to go with a local company Ethiopian Quadrants who were recommended to us and the cost including guiding wasn’t much more than just hiring a driver and 4x4 vehicle.
We were originally due to be driven/guided by Abiy, who some friends of ours had used on their trip a couple of years ago but he is now freelance guide and isn’t always available to Quadrants (he chose to do a bigger Naturetrek tour – we met him during the tour and he gave us some advice), so we were guided by Abel Belay Molla ([email protected]) – a really excellent enthusiastic young guide, who is available directly for those wanting to bypass an organisation; we were driven by Begashaw Nekele a very experienced Quadrant’s driver who knows all the sites and has aspirations to be a guide so spots quite a bit of wildlife as well as driving well.
We went for a slightly customized birding agenda and choose to stay at Bale Mountain Lodge rather than in Goba where most bird tours seem to base themselves.
Our main targets were the Wolf, Gelada, Bale Mountain Monkey and all available endemic birds, plus a list of 20 life birds I gave to Abel – however, we limited our chances of Salvatori’s Seedeater by opting to have more time available on the Sanetti Plateau after rain and fog meant no wolves and limited other wildlife on our first afternoon in the Bale Mountains, so we didn’t go to Sof Omar valley despite it being on the original itinerary.
Summary:
Day 1 (Oct 19) – Fly to Instanbul overnight Bricks Hotel
Day 2(Oct. 20): Day tour of Istanbul free from Turkish Airlines for those with more than 6 hour stop-over- the flight to Addis Ababa arrived at 23.00. Overnight at Ghion Hotel.
Day 3(Oct. 21): Early birding in the Ghion Hotel grounds then drive to Debre Libanos birding on the way. Overnight at C-Lale Resort Hotel in Fiche.
Day 4(Oct.22): Birding around Debre Libanos and Jemma Valley. Overnight at C-Lale Resort Hotel.
Day 5(Oct 23): Drive to Debre Berhan. O/n Getva hotel.
Day 6(Oct.24): Ankober escarpment, Melka Jedbu. O/n Getva hotel.
Day 7(Oct.25): Drive to Awash Park. O/n Awash Falls Lodge.
Day 8(Oct.26): Full day in Awash Park. O/n Awash Falls Lodge.
Day 9(Oct.27): Drive to Bilen. Visit Alledeghi for Arabian Bustard. O/n Doho Lodge
Day 10(Oct.28): Drive to Lake Langano. O/n Hara Lodge.
Day 11(Oct.29): Around Bishangari, and Abiata and Shalla Park. O/n Hara Lodge.
Day 12(Oct.30): Drive to Bale Mountains National Park. O/n Bale Mountains Lodge.
Day 13(Oct.31): Full day in Bale Mountains. O/n Bale Mountains Lodge.
Day 14 (Nov.01): Itinerary had us drive to Sof Omar – but we stayed in Bale Mountain area. O/n Bale Mountains Lodge.
Day 15(Nov.02): Drive to Negele via Harenna Forest.O/n Maereg Hotel.
Day 16(Nov.03): Birding around Negele. O/n Maereg Hotel.
Day 17(Nov.04): Birding around Negele. O/n Maereg Hotel.
Day 18(Nov.05): Drive to Yabello. O/n Yabello Motel.
Day 19(Nov.06): Birding around Yabello. O/n Yabello Motel (was due to stay in Borena Lodge).
Day 20(Nov.07): Drive to Hawassa. O/n Africa United Hotel.
Day 21(Nov.08): Drive to Wolliso. O/n Negash Lodge.
Day 22(Nov.09): Birding around Gibe gorge, then back to Addis Ababa, Ghion Hotel day room and last birding in Addis.
Day 23(Nov.10) Early morning flight via Istanbul to Manchester.
Day out in Istanbul
We flew with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul and stayed overnight at Bricks Hotel, 15 minutes from the airport – under £40 on expedia. In the morning (get back to airport by 8.30) we joined the Turkish Airline free touristanbul – a version based on time available is offered to all passengers with more than 6 hour international connection, you can either have tour or free hotel place. We had time for the six hour version which took in Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, German Fountain, Obelisks and Topkopi Palace, it included breakfast and lunch. This got us back to the airport with just a few hours to kill before our flight to Addis Ababa. We did see a few birds on the tour, Ring-necked Parakeet, Tree Sparrow, European Bee-eater, Barn Swallow, Great Tit and Starling.
After an uneventful flight we arrived in Addis at 23.00 and were met by Begashaw who took us to Ghion Hotel a green oasis in the city.
Day 1 in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa (means new flower), the diplomatic capital of Africa is situated on the flanks of the Entoto Mountains at an altitude of over 2400m. We had agreed to meet up with Begashaw and see our guide Abel at 08.00 after our breakfast. In a short walk before breakfast we spotted Yellow-billed Kite, Speckled Mousebird, Abyssinian White-eye, Tacazzi Sunbird and Dusky-turtle dove.
After breakfast with Abel we added Mountain Thrush, Hooded Vulture, our first endemic the [B]Wattled Ibis, Great Sparrowhawk, African Grey and Dusky Flycatchers, Red-winged Starling and Bronze Manakin before heading off.
We drove over the Entoto Mountains, admiring the spectacular views of Addis that the road affords, and then out onto the high moorland en-route to Debre Libanos and then Fiche. Along the route, in the marshy areas of grassland, we saw many Wattled Ibis and added Blue-winged Goose (whose nearest relative and ecological counterpart is the Andean Goose of South America) feeding along the water’s edge and then displaying on a small lake. These were joined by Ground-scraper Thrush, Black-crowned Crane and Abyssinian Longclaw skulking in the wet grass – we saw him, but not great views so no photographs of this endemic, easier to see were flocks of White-collared Pigeons and Ethiopian (Black-headed) Siskins decorating the telegraph wires. We stared to see chats and wheatears, adding African Stonechat, Moorland Chat, Mocking Cliff-chat and White-winged Cliff-chat with Isabelline and Pied Wheatears. We also saw Cinnamon-breasted and Ortolan Bunting.
About 30KM before Debre Libanos – we headed onto some marshy fields and then down to a river looking for Rails and Lapwings – no joy on that; but we did see the recently split Short-crested Lark, Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, Brown-rumped Seedeater, Swainson’s Sparrow, Pied Kingfisher and then had a really close up view of a flyover Lammergier unfortunately rubbish photo taken as settings were all for the larks. Back on the road and another stop when Abel spotted some sitting eagles Steppe and Tawny seen well and then a couple of Thick-billed Raven scavenging by the roadside.
We were late getting to lunch – but had a nice lunch and it included our first of many Ethiopian coffee ceremonies and then later than planned to our afternoon birding in the forest behind the church and monastery at Debre Libanos, being Sunday there was a service on with crowds of people walking on the road, we did though spot our first troop of Gelada Baboon – a key target for Sarah on the way. We only had just over an hour of light at the forest so walked quickly to the higher path – birding was quite good with White-rumped Babbler, the beautiful near endemic White-cheeked Turaco, whistled in by Abel (he did not have any calls on his phone but knew most calls and was more than happy for me to use playback if his extensive whistles and clicks didn’t work – I had downloaded all main target calls from Xeno Canto to learn in advance and I had brought a speaker with me) and Banded Barbet. The light was fading and although we added Lemon Dove, African Thrush and Grey-backed Cameroptra Abel was disappointed by the haul. On the way back to the church carpark Abel saw an Abyssinian Woodpecker on the telegraph pole but we couldn’t relocate it.
We were due to stay in the Ethio-German lodge which is situated not far from the monastery at Debre Libanos, it is perched on the lip of a massive and spectacular gorge (a branch of the Blue Nile drainage system). However it was closed for a period but re-opened on the day we were leaving so a better option logistically and on the basis of our experience; accommodation wise than staying 20KM further away in Fiche as we did.
Overnight C-Lale Resort Hotel - basic accommodation and slow dining service.
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