Book this 14-Day Ethiopia Wildlife Safari to see rare animals and top sites across the country.
The trip starts with a flight to Gondar and a visit to Simien Mountains National Park to see Gelada baboons and other rare wildlife. After exploring Bwahit Mountain, you fly back to Addis Ababa and drive to Awash National Park for a game drive. You then visit Awash Falls, Alideghe Wildlife Reserve, and drive to Harar, where you see old sites and the famous Hyena Man.
The trip continues to Lake Langano, Senkale Wildlife Sanctuary, and Bale Mountains National Park, home to the Ethiopian wolf and other rare animals. After exploring the Sanetti Plateau and Harenna Forest, you return to Addis Ababa for departure.
Detailed 14-Day Ethiopia Wildlife Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Flight from Addis Ababa to Gondar
Arrive at Bole International Airport, where our guide will welcome you and help with check-in for your flight to Gondar. On arrival, another team will meet you and drive you to Simien Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After checking into your lodge, explore this scenic area. The escarpment is a great spot to see Gelada baboons, also called bleeding heart baboons. These primates are found only in Ethiopia and live in large groups thanks to plenty of grass, herbs, roots, and insects to eat.
Day 2: Simien Mountains National Park
After an early breakfast, drive to Chennek Camp, at 3,620 meters above sea level, for great views of the Gelada baboons. As you hike higher, the views get even better.
Drive to Bwahit Mountain, at 4,200 meters above sea level. From the top, see great views of the Imet Gogo and Inatiye rocks. With luck, you may spot the Walia ibex, found only in the Simien Mountains, along with the rare Ethiopian wolf.
Day 3: Drive to Awash National Park
After an early breakfast, drive to Gondar airstrip for your flight back to Addis Ababa. On arrival, our team will drive you to Awash National Park, with a stop for lunch on the way.
In the late afternoon, join an evening game drive before heading to camp for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Awash National Park
Before breakfast, head out to explore the bush, looking for animals before people disturb them. Hike to the banks of the Awash River to see the Awash Waterfalls. Look for Salt’s dik-dik, lesser kudu, warthog, Hamadryas baboon, aardwolf, aardvark, grivet monkey, black-backed jackal, spotted hyena, olive baboon, Abyssinian hare, and Nile crocodiles.
Day 5: Drive to Alideghe Wildlife Reserve
After breakfast, drive to the northeastern part of Awash National Park to Alideghe Game Reserve. Look for Grevy’s zebra, Hamadryas baboons, African golden wolf, gerenuk, beisa oryx, Soemmerring’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, and olive and Somali ostriches. Birds here include the Abyssinian roller, bee-eaters, Arabian bustard, and kori bustard.
Day 6: Drive to Harar
After an early breakfast, drive 300km to Harar, a historic city known for its 16th-century walls and Islamic heritage. Harar is one of the five most important cities in Ethiopia.
A key highlight is meeting the Hyena Man, who feeds wild hyenas every night. This tradition began years ago to stop hyenas from attacking livestock and entering homes. You may even get a chance to feed the hyenas yourself.
Day 7: Harar to Awash
After breakfast, explore the walled city of Harar. Highlights include Arthur Rimbaud’s House, the old home of the French poet who lived here for most of his life, the Harari Museum, Ras Mekonnen House, Harari traditional homes, and the Islamic market.
Later, drive back to Awash for the night.
Day 8: Drive to Langano with Stops Along the Way
Drive to Lake Langano, stopping at Lake Ziway to see water wildlife. At Lake Langano, you may spot hippos. Join a forest walk to look for the bat-eared fox, bush babies, aardvark, crested porcupine, and genets.
Day 9: Drive to Senkale Wildlife Sanctuary
After breakfast, drive to Senkale Wildlife Sanctuary, home to Swayne’s hartebeest and oribi. On the way, stop at Abijatta National Park to look for the African golden wolf, African ostriches, and Grant’s gazelle.
After the game drive, continue to Awassa, where African clawless otters are often seen.
Day 10: Drive to Bale Mountains National Park
Drive southeast to Bale Mountains National Park. The park’s borders are great for spotting wildlife, since many species stay out of the southern part, home to serval cats. Look for mountain nyala and Menelik’s bushbuck, both found only in this area.
Day 11: Bale Mountains to Sanetti Plateau
After an early breakfast, drive to the Sanetti Plateau, at 4,000 meters above sea level. The plateau has beautiful Afro-alpine scenery and is the largest habitat of its kind in Africa. Here, you have a good chance of seeing the endangered Ethiopian wolf, along with Stark’s hare, giant mole rat, rock hyrax, and grass rats.
Day 12: Bale Mountains to Harenna Forest
Wake up early for a morning drive to Harenna Forest, where you may spot the giant forest hog, bush pig, and the Bale monkey, found only here and living in bamboo trees. A night game drive lets you spot nocturnal animals.
Day 13: Bale Mountains to Gassay Grasslands
After breakfast, leave the forest and drive to the Gassay Grasslands to explore woodlands and open grass areas. On day and night drives, you may see the serval cat, African golden wolf, civet cat, and caracal.
Drive to Goba for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 14: Return to Addis Ababa
After breakfast, drive back to Addis Ababa, with stops along the way to meet local cultural groups and enjoy traditional Ethiopian food. You will have time to freshen up before your departure flight.
Book this 14-Day Ethiopia Wildlife Safari today and see rare wolves, baboons, and mountain wildlife across Ethiopia.
