14 Days Birding Safari In Ethiopia

Upon arrival, you will be met by MyPrice Africa Adventure representative at the airport and taken to hotel for check in. Spend the rest of the day at Lake Geffersa, on the outskirts of town!

Take a full day to drive north through the Solulta Plain to Debre Libanos. Debre Libanos is an important monastic center for the Orthodox church, where the 13th-century monk and mystic, Teklehaimanot, is reputed to have stood on one leg for seven years. There will be no such hardships for you as you search this spectacular location on the edge of the massive gorge.You will search for more endemics including Abyssinian longclaw, Erlanger’s lark, and black-headed siskin as well as look for the flocks of common crane that winter in the area and seek out the few pairs of red-chested swallows that breed here. Also, lammergeier, Rüppell’s griffon vulture, Verreaux’s eagle, Erckel’s francolin, the endemic black-winged lovebird, Rüppell’s chat, white-billed starling, and white-backed tit are birds that will be found here.

Today, you’ll head down the Rift Valley to Lake Langano and as you travel south, you’ll begin to notice vividly-colored northern carmine bee-eaters and Abyssinian rollers on the roadside wires.

Leaving Lake Langano, you’ll immediately call in at another Rift Valley lake-Abijata. Here, the lakeshore will be thronged with tens of thousands of flamingoes and wintering waders. Continuing south down the Rift Valley, you should reach Lake Awasa in time for lunch.

For those who wish, today you’ll travel even farther south to the remote town of Yabello. Here can be found perhaps one of the most remarkable birds in the whole of Africa, Stresemann’s Bush Crow, a species restricted to a tiny part of southern Ethiopia.

After some more birding around the outskirts of Yabello, you’ll return to Awassa.

Today’s climb into the Bale Mountains and across the southeast high-lands to Goba will take you through some magnificent scenery where you’ll stop to look for Abyssinian long-eared owl.

Today, you’ll leave the highlands and retrace your steps back down toward the Rift Valley.

The hotel is located in an extensive area of forest that is home to many birds including African wood-owl, Bruce’s green pigeon, yellow-fronted parrot, half-collared kingfisher, dark-headed oriole, Abyssinian woodpecker, and Abysinnian ground thrush.

You’ll return north along the Rift Valley to Awash National Park where you’ll spend two nights. The lodge at Kereyou is perched on the edge of the dramatic Awash Gorge affording eye-level encounters with fan-tailed ravens.

You’ll spend the day birding in Awash National Park. Although a few lions still roam in the park, you are more likely to see beisa oryx, Soemmering’s gazelle, and Swayne’s hartebeest as well as white-bellied, crested, kori, and possibly Arabian bustards. African swallow-tailed kites inhabit the grasslands and other raptors could include red-necked and sooty falcons. Ethiopian swallows can be found here as well along with red-winged and singing bush larks, fawn-colored, and Gillet’s larks, chestnut-backed sparrow-lark, yellow-breasted barbet, and shining sunbird. One night, you’ll stay out after dark to look for plain and the similar-looking star-spotted nightjars and Heuglin’s courser.

You’ll spend the morning in the park before returning to Addis in the afternoon in time for a special end-of-tour meal at the best Italian restaurant in Africa.

Transfer out for your international flight.