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ETHIOPIA
Birdquest's Ethiopia birding tour is a feast of birdwatching, wildlife and scenic experiences that is hard to rival in Africa. Our Ethiopia tour has the most comprehensive itinerary avaiulable and turns up more Ethiopian endemics and other specialities than any other tour. Combine this with some magnificent scenery, exploration of remote and wild places and some great mammals and you have an unforgettable journey.
Sunday 10th November -
Friday 29th November 2013
(20 days)
Leader:
János Oláh
Group Size Limit: 12
Tour Category: Easy for the most part, occasionally Moderate
The Wattled Ibis is a common endemic to Ethiopia and Eritrea and can even be found in the middle of Addis Ababa! (Nik Borrow).
Ethiopia, the ‘Roof of Africa’, is a rugged and ancient land that is home to 31 (more or less, depending on taxonomic treatment) sought-after endemic bird species (some of which are now shared with Eritrea) and arguably one of the most fascinating African countries for birding with new and exciting discoveries being made every year.
Ethiopia bird tours using small coaches manage to see many of these endemics, but the remainder inhabit more remote regions and the primary aim of this special tour is to find the complete set of the country’s endemics (with the exception of the controversial ‘Nechisar Nightjar’, known only from a wing!) and virtually every other speciality of the country, something which involves some extra time, the use of 4-wheel-drive transport for part of the tour and one night in basic accommodation. Our tour is the most comprehensive bird tour of Ethiopia available and as well as targeting all the undisputed endemics it all turns up more northeast African specialities than any other bird tour to the country.
The ‘missing endemics’ include the exceedingly localized Harwood’s Francolin, a species that lives below high cliffs amongst the dense stands of Typha reeds that cover gravelly stream beds. Another is the enigmatic Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco, a rare relict species that was first collected by Prince Ruspoli in 1896, although he was unfortunately killed by an elephant shortly afterwards and the exact site of the type specimen remains unknown! Although rediscovered in the 1940s, it hasn’t been until recently that sightings have become more regular. In the remote south, we shall search for the endemic Sidamo (or Sidamo) Long-clawed Lark, as well as the restricted-range African White-winged Dove, Philippa’s (or Somali Short-billed) Crombec and Juba Weaver. Ethiopia is also renowned for its strange endemic serins and seedeaters, and we will be hoping to find Yellow-throated, White-throated (or Yellow-rumped), Ankober and Salvadori’s.
Ethiopia is certainly a land of superlatives, unsurpassed in scenic grandeur by any other part of this ancient continent; a place where Lammergeiers soar over majestic gorges and robed horsemen gallop across the high plains. Here the Ethiopian Wolf hunts Giant Root-Rats among the grey cushion plants of the Afro-alpine moorlands, Gelada Baboons scramble up towering cliffs and graceful herds of Mountain Nyala browse along the edge of fragrant juniper forests. Birds pass unmolested lives in Ethiopia, with the result that the birdlife is not only spectacularly abundant but also remarkably tame. During the northern winter large numbers of Palearctic migrants enrich an already impressive avifauna, with the result that over 840 species of birds have been recorded from the country.
Close to Addis Ababa, ringed by the peaks of the western highlands, we shall drive through the rolling grasslands of the high plateau where shimmering silver tarns are thronged with birds. Even on the doorstep of the capital we will find endemic birds, including Wattled Ibis, Blue-winged Goose, Rouget’s Rail and Abyssinian Longclaw.
At Debre Libanos and in the Jemma Valley the landscape will be completely different as we gaze across a vast panorama of arid gorges and rugged mountain ranges that stretch endlessly away towards the horizon. Here we will search for such endemics as Harwood’s and Erckel’s Francolins, Black-winged Lovebird, Banded Barbet, Rüppell’s Black Chat, White-winged Cliff Chat and White-billed Starling.
Moving on, we will visit the eyrie-like village of Ankober, perched on the edge of a great escarpment, overlooking the forbidding Danakil Depression, where we shall hunt amongst the cloud-wreathed cliffs for the extremely localized Ankober Serin.
Next we will descend into the Great Rift Valley to savour the rich birdlife of Awash National Park, which includes such specialities as Arabian Bustard, Yellow-breasted Barbet, Gillett’s Lark and Sombre Rock Chat, and the game that wanders through the dry thornbush.
Continuing through the Rift Valley we shall visit its chain of lakes, each one different in character but several teeming with waterbirds. Continuing on we will climb up into the southeastern highlands to the Bale Mountains National Park. Here on Africa’s highest road we will marvel at the stark beauty of these wild uplands with their spectacular Afro-alpine vegetation and unique collection of endemic birds including Spot-breasted Plover and Abyssinian Catbird.
From here we shall make an excursion to Sof Omar to look for Salvadori’s Seedeater (or Salvadori’s Serin) before heading southwards through the wild and extensive Harenna Forest deep into the acacia bushland in the Boran region of remote Sidamo province. Here in this remote part of Ethiopia we will look for some of Africa’s least-known species such as Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco, Sidamo Lark, the enigmatic Stresemann’s Bush-crow and the attractive White-tailed Swallow.
Turning back north, we will visit a forested area at Lake Langano where Yellow-fronted Parrots screech at each other in the fruiting figs, before ending up in Gibe Gorge to search for our final specialities, including Red-billed (or Lineated) Pytilia and the superb Egyptian Plover.
Birdquest has operated tours to Ethiopia since 1987.
(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)
Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/lodges are mostly of normal Birdquest standard. At Debre Birhan and Negelle the hotels are fairly simple but most of the rooms have private bathrooms. At Alem Ketema the hotel is decidedly basic, with shared bathroom facilities. Road transport is partly by minibus or small coach and partly by 4x4s. Roads vary from good to poor.
Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but there are a few longer walks, sometimes at fairly high altitude.
Climate: Predominantly warm or hot, dry and sunny. It can be quite cool in the early morning, especially at higher altitudes, and in the Bale Mountains it may be distinctly cold. It may be overcast at times but rain is infrequent at this season (except in the Bale Mountains where it can rain at any time of year).
Bird/Mammal Photography: Opportunities are good.
Tour Price: (provisional): $5950 Addis Ababa/Addis Ababa. Price includes all transportation, all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.
Single Room Supplement: (provisional): $462.
Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).
Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.
Stands of kniphofia cover swathes of the magnificent Bale Mountains (Nik Borrow)
The endangered endemic Ethiopian Wolf is the world’s rarest canid with perhaps no more than 400 animals left. A sighting is always a highlight of the trip! (Nik Borrow)
134 photos
View Gallery Photos From ETHIOPIA
Of all Ethiopia's many endemic birds, the smart Spot-breasted Plover must rank highly (Nik Borrow)
Stresemann’s Bush Crow is a strange endemic of ‘uncertain affinities’ that has been recently reclassified as a starling (János Oláh)
The rare Wattled Crane has a northern outpost in Ethiopia, far from its main range in Southern Africa (Nik Borrow)
Down in the arid plains, Somali Coursers inhabit the stony desert (János Oláh)
The attractive endemic Abyssinian Longclaw can be found throughout the highlands (Nik Borrow)
Black Crowned Cranes can usually be found in small numbers in the Rift Valley (Nik Borrow)
The endemic Harwood’s Francolin although threatened still seems to be reasonably common within its restricted range (Nik Borrow)
The Red-naped Bush-shrike is a stunning and often showy inhabitant of the dense thorn bush in the south of the country (Nik Borrow)
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