12 Days Ethiopia Bird watching Tour
Day 1. Addis Ababa-Awash National Park
You will be picked from either your hotel or the hotel and drive to Awash national park. The dessert landscapes are very good spot of the dry migrant and resident birds of Ethiopia. We shall be looking for Red-bellied Parrots, Bustards, Pygmy Batis, and the Lesser-striped Swallow.Yellow-breasted Barbet, Wahlberg’s Honeyguide, Red-fronted Barbet, Blue Rock-Thrush, Common Nightingale, Weavers, Hoopoe, Yellow-throated Serine and the rare Sombre Chatand.
Overnight Hotel.
Day 2. Awash National Park
We shall do early morning birding around Awash National Park as we drive towards the Alledeghi palin which are about 60 kilometers drive from the Awash area. These plains are a good spot for birds like bustards, larks and sandgrouse.
Overnight Doho Lodge.
Day 3. Awash National Park – Lake Langano
This morning we drive to Lake Langano as we make several birding stops like that the Awash River and Ziway lake. We expect to record bird species like the African Pygmy Goose, Little Weaver, Yellow-billed storks, Black-billed Woodhoopoe, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Northern Black Tit, Collared Pratincole, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, White Pelicans, Fish Eagles, and crowned and common cranes.
Overnight Hara Langano Lodge.
Day 4. AbyattaShala Lakes National Park
Our birding today will be around the shorelines of the lakes. We shall be optimistic to see the Somali Ostrich, Buff-bellied Warbler, huge flocks of Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Northern Shoveler, Southern Pochard, Cape Teal, Gray Kestrel, the rare Clapperton’s Francolin, Gray Woodpecker, Bank Swallow, African Pipit, Isabelline, Pied and Mourning Wheatear, Little Rock-Thrush, African Thrush, Little Ringed, Common Ringed and Kittlitz’s Plover, species of gulls and terns, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Dark Chanting-Goshawk, Imperial and Long-crested Eagle, Little Bee-eater, Hemprich’s Hornbill, family groups of the wonderful Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill, Black Scimitar-bill, Red-faced Crombec Beautiful Sunbird, Rüppell’s Glossy-Starling, Red-billed Oxpecker, Red-billed Firefinch and Northern Grosbeak-Canary.
Overnight Hara langano Lodge.
Day 5. Langano – Bale Mountains National Park
After our breakfast we shall drive to the Bale Mountains National park which is a top birding destination rated number 4 in Africa by the African Bird club. There are about 300 bird species recorded here. Six of the 300 are endemics to Ethiopia. We shall arrive in the afternoon and we have a slow leisure hike where you will see some endemic mammals like the Menelik’s Bushbuck and the Mountain Nyala bushbuck. The bird species you will have to look out for here the Wattled Ibis, Rouget’s Rail, the Blue-Winged Goose, the Black-Headed Siskin, the Spot-Breasted Lapwing and the Abyssinian Long Claw.
Overnight WabeShabale Hotel.
Day 6. Bale Mountains National Park
Today we shall continue to explore the Bale mountains National park. We shall spot bird like Chestnut-naped Francolin, the endemic White-backed Black-Tit, the endangered Wattled, the secretive Abyssinia Ground- thrush, Ground Thrush, the vocal Abyssinian Catbird, Cape Eagle- Lapwing, Thekla Lark, Red-breasted Wheatear, and Moorland chats. You have chances of seeing the rare Ethiopian Red Wolf.
Overnight WabeShabale Hotel.
Day 7. Bale Mountains N.P -NegeleBorena
We shall drive to Negelle are and we shall make many other birding stops on the way. We shall be looking for the Turacos and the Golden-breasted starling, the Sidamo Lark that is endemic, Heuglin’s Bustard and Somali Short-toed Lark.
Overnight Hotel.
Day 8. NegeleBorena
We shall spend the entire morning looking for the Degodi Lark. We shall also be looking for the White Winged Dove, the Juba Weaver, Black faced Sandgrouse, Scaly Chatterer and the Chestnut-Headed Sparrow-lark.
Overnight Hotel.
Day 9. Negele – Yabelo
After our breakfast, we shall drive to Yabello. This is a good area to search for the Stresemann’s Bushcrow and the White-tailed swallow which is endemic to Ethiopia. We shall use the whole day to traverse and explore the Yabelo wildlife reserve. Some of the bird we many see today are: Somalian Ostrich, Secretary Bird, Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture, Martial Eagle, Black-capped Social Weaver, Grey-headed Silverbill, Taita Fiscal, Somali Golden-breasted Bunting, Coqui Francolin, Somali Courser, Short-tailed Lark, Northern Grey Tit, Shelley’s and White-crowned Starlings, Abyssinian Grosbeak Canary, VulturineGuineafowl, Kori Bustard, Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar, Star-spotted Nightjar, African Bare-eyed Thrush, Grasshopper Buzzard, African Pygmy Falcon, Lilac-breasted Roller, Rufous-crowned Roller, D’Arnaud’s Barbet, Red and Yellow Barbet, Yellow-billed Hornbill, Somali Sparrow, Little Spotted Woodpecker, Pringle’s Puffback, Little Tawny Pipit and Fawn-coloured Lark.
Overnight Hotel.
Day 10. YabeloArea
We shall give the Yabello conservation area another try to try find the species we may have missed on the first day.
Overnight Hotel.
Day 11. Yabelo – Awassa
We shall have breakfast and have a final birding lap as we leave Yabello and drive to Hawassa. We shall do more birding enroute and we expect to see birds like Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill, Black and White Egrets, Ibis, African Fish Egret, Woodland Kingfisher, African Pygmy Goose, Abysinnian Ground Hornbill, Roget’s Rail, Marabou Stork, Spur-winged Goose, Swallows and Malachite Kingfisher.
Overnight Hotel.
Day 12. Awassa – Addis Ababa
We shall have a breakfast and check out of the lodge and drive to Addis Ababa. We shall make a lunch stop to enjoy a typical Ethiopian Cuisine. You will have cultural dances and entertainment from the locals. We shall then drive to the airport for your flight back home.
