14 Days Bird Watching Tour to Central Ethiopia
Day 01.
Arrival
Day 02.
An early morning start we drive to the Mt. Entoto/Sululta Plain with short grassland habitat searching for unique birds such as White-backed Black Tit, Blue-winged Goose, Wattled Ibis, Ethiopian Siskin, Ethiopian Cisticola, White-collared Pigeon, Abyssinian Longclaw, Erlangerfs Lark, Tawny Eagle, Cattle Egret and Yellow-billed Duck. Jamma Valley escarpment (upper Nile valley) is adjacent to Debre Libanos natural forest and thickets home to the endemic Banded Barbet, White-cheeked Turaco, Abyssinian Woodpecker, Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole, Lammergeyer, Egyptian Vulture, Vareauxfs Eagle, Lanner Falcon and Griffon Vultures. The nearby gorge attracts the endemic White-billed Starling, Ruppell’s Black Chat, White-winged Cliff-chat and mocking Cliff-chat. Scrub lures Erckel’s Francolin, Stout Cisticola and Tekeze Sunbird
Overnight at the Ethio-German Lodge nearby the so called Portuguese Bridge.
Day 03.
Today we drive to Jamma Valley to locate the rare Harwood’s Francolin and Abyssinian Black-wheatear. The road climbs steeply through highland fields and traditional villages. The cliffs and boulder-strewn slopes of the Jamma Valley may have flocks of White-billed Starlings, the extremely rare Salvadorfs Serin, Singing Cisticola, Isabel line Shrike and Abyssinian Black Wheatear. In the afternoon, we drive to Debre Birhan town while enjoying another sector of plain grassland birds including Erlanger’s Lark, Pectoral-patch Cisticola and Ortolan Bunting.
Overnight at Eva Hotel Ankober Lodge.
Day 04.
An early start exploring the road to Tarmaber scenic view outlook. Our main interest is to find the rarest endemic Ankober Serin feeding in the highland grass field. In the lower fields, we can expect Yellow-crowned Canary, Brown-rumped and Streaky Seed-eater. Overhead we may locate Saker Falcon, Lammergeyer, Augur Buzzard and Alpine Swifts.
After late breakfast we drive towards Bishoftu east of Addis towards fascinating Crater Lakes such as Lake Chalalaka, an important shallow lake for migratory waders and significant numbers of Cranes, Marabou storks and Cormorants. Hora a fresh water lake holding Little Grebe, Pelican, Malachite Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Black-billed Barbet, African Paradise Flycatcher, Masked weaver and Starlings. The area named after the crater lake Bishoftu, meaning gtasteless Waterh support large numbers of Weavers, Seed-eaters, Thrushes, Doves, Sunbirds and Finches in the adjoining sedges and thickets. Late afternoon proceed to
Overnight at Dreamland Hotel with an excellent view of Bishoftu.
Day 05.
Today we drive to Bale Mountains found on the other side of the Great Rift Valley looking for Rougetfs Rail, Thick-billed Raven, Abyssinian Catbird, Abyssinian Slaty-flycatcher, Chestnut-napped Francolin, Moorland Francolin, Abyssinian Ground Thrush to name a few. The remnant of Ruddy Shell-ducks and Wattled Cranes are also found here.
The northern dry forest around Dinsho is known for exceptional wild animals including Mountain Nyala, Menelikfs Bushbuck, Bohor Reedbuck, Warthog and Bush Duiker.
Overnight Goba Hotel at the edge of the Sanate Plateau.
Day 06.
Beyond Goba we enter typical timberline habitats of Juniper and Hygenia Abyssinica driving up Africa’s highest all weather roads to 4100 meters above sea level where we enter the 10,000 square kilometers Sanate plateau with its chain of tiny terrains. In this strange and fascinating afro-alpine climate we will find the rare Ethiopian Wolf, Starckfs Hare and Giant Mole-rat.
Then the road drops suddenly on the Harenna leeside with its wet forest and fantastic view points, through a series of dizzying hairpin bends, as it zigzags down to the lowland town of Dolo-mena. In the afternoon we drive back to Goba looking for birds and animals we missed earlier on.
Overnight Goba Hotel.
Day 07.
Today we drive to the Sof Omar Caves on the eastern edge of Bale Mountains maybe the worldfs most spectacular and extensive underground system carved by the Web River into the limestone that line it. Time has carved out ornate and immense pillars, domes and chambers, and the river flows through the caves year-round. During onefs passage through the caves, we have to cross the river seven times in the 1.5km underground caves. It is an interesting shrine and pilgrimage place for Muslims. The roof of the caves is home to thousands of Bats and the floor is covered with droppings accumulating over many years. Web River gorge and cliffs with its bushes support the endemic Salvadorifs Seedeater, Bristle-crowned Starling, Swifts and Swallows and many more.
Overnight Goba Hotel.
Day 08.
Today we continue through Sanate Plateau, undisturbed natural forest of Harenna, Genale River basin towards the Borena diverse ecosystem looking for African White-winged Dove, Juba Weaver, Ruspolifs Turaco, Sidamo Lark, Stresemannfs Bush-crow, White-tailed Swallow, Golden Breasted Starling, Vulturine Guineafowl, Red-napped Shrike, Rosy-patched Bush-shrike and Striped Swallows to name a few.
Overnight the Green Hotel at Negele town.
Day 09.
Dawn excursion to Hara-kalo and Wadera dry river valleys to search for a remarkable bird called Prince Ruspolifs Turaco. On the way expect different birds of prey including Pygmy Falcon, Ovambo Sparrow hawk, Eastern Chanting Goshawk, White-headed Vulture and the like.
In the afternoon we visit the large grassland of the Liben Plain looking for the birds of dry-open country such as Sidamo Lark, Tiny Cisticola, Rufous Short-Toed Lark, Kori Bustard, Sooty Falcon and Crowned Lapwing and many more. After lunch we continue exploring for birds like Golden-breasted Starling, Shelleyfs Starling, Magpie Starling, Chatterers and many more arid land birds.
Overnight at Green Hotel.
Day 10.
Today we proceed birding en route to the town of Yabello an important junction town in the middle of the red sandstone landscape with many large termite mounds. This mosaic arid land is home to several spectacular birds notably the charismatic Stresemann’s Bush-crow, White-tailed Swallow, Vulturine Guineafowl, Yellow-naked Spur fowl, White-crowned Starling and many more.
Overnight Yabello Motel.
Day 11.
Today we explore the road to Mega and Dubluk were mixed thicket attracts Pygmy Falcon, Slate-colored Boubou, Bare-eyed Thrush, Purple Grenadier, Black-capped Social and Grey-capped Social Weaver. Birds of prey are numerous including Gabar Goshawk, Amur Falcon, Lappet-faced Vulture on wings and many more.
In the afternoon we will bird Yabello Forest Sanctuary for Northern Black Flycatcher, White-cheeked Turaco, Tawny Wagtail, Bare-faced Go-Away-Bird and many Seed-eaters.
OvernightYabelloMotel.
Day 12.
Today we drive back to the Yirgalem area through typical southern highland forest. Arriving at the Aregash Lodge compound we search the grounds for Great Sparrow hawk, African Hawk-eagle, Tambourine Dove, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Mountain Thrush, Battis, Shrikes and more.
Overnight Aregash Eco-lodge.
Day 13.
After early morning birding and breakfast we drive to eBishangarif meaning gBlessed waterh located on the eastern bank of Lake Langano adjacent to the Chilalo chain of mountains on the southern edge of the Great Rift Valley. Here we find the remnant of typical tropical rain forest and en route we search for Nubian Woodpecker, Speckled Mousebird, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, African Mourning Dove and many more colorful forest birds.
Overnight Bishangari Eco-Lodge.
Day 14.
Early morning we explore the tropical rain forest and adjacent bank of Lake Langano for birds including Yellow-Fronted Parrot, Orange-bellied Parrot, African Paradise Flycatcher, Bare-faced Go-Away Bird, African Fish-eagle, Cuckoo Shrikes and water birds including Greater Egrets, Squacco Herons, Greater and Long-tailed Cormorants, Gulls, Geese, Ducks, Shanks, Kingfishers and Weavers.
Leaving after a late breakfast we arrive in Addis late afternoon and we will have a farewell dinner before departing for the airport.