The tour starts with a morning drive of around 3 hours, out of Addis Ababa and south through the green Rift Valley to the lakeside town of Ziway.

Ziway

Here, you’ll stop for lunch and have some time to explore the town and lakeside which is a great place to spot birds and watch the world go by.

Awasa

Leaving Ziway, you’ll then continue south and further into the rift valley to Hawassa, another pleasant lakeside town, where you’ll spend the night in a local hotel. Don’t miss out on the delicious fresh-caught local fish and a stroll along the shore to see the sunset.

Fish Market at Awassa Lake

In the morning, you'll see Hawassa's famous fish market.

Hippo watching on Lake Awassa

Take a boat trip on the lake, looking out for hippos!

You’ll then continue on your journey to Dinsho - the gateway to the Bale Mountains National Park. Here, you’ll set up camp and have some time to explore the surrounding area and its wildlife.

Bale Mountains National Park

Sightings of Warthog, Mountain Nyala, Menelik’s Bushbuck, and Bohor Reedbuck are all common within this area, as well as many endemic birds.

Bale Mountains National Park

After a hearty breakfast and some local coffee, you’ll set out from camp by foot or 4x4, depending on your preference. You’ll follow a rough dirt track through farmland along the edge of the park, then into the park itself. The track continues parallel to the Web River, skirting an impressive gorge where Rock Hyraxes are often seen. Black eagles and giant eagle owls are occasionally seen here, as well as very rare sightings of Leopard. At the top of the gorge, you'll enter the Afroalpine habitat, with magnificent views across the Bale landscape. Look out for the rare and endemic Ethiopian wolf and hunting raptors. In the afternoon, you'll head into the Gaysay Grasslands. Look out for Warthog, Mountain Nyala, Menelik’s Bushbuck, Grey Duiker, Bohor Reedbuck and other mammals. In the woodlands, elusive animals such as the Serval, Spotted Hyena and Golden (Common) Jackal reside. Also listen for the Abyssinian catbird. At the end of the day you’ll return to camp for some hard-earned rest!

You will also see the Finch Habera waterfall, which means “woman’s urine” in the local language!

Early in the morning, you’ll strike camp and head to the Sanetti plateau. As the sun rises, the most endangered canid in the world – the Ethiopian wolf – begins to hunt. The Sanetti plateau is the best place in Ethiopia to see this elegant animal, and the winding road atop the plateau, one of the highest all-weather roads in Africa, is an ideal spot for viewings. The plateau is also home to many rodents, the largest being the giant molerat, found only in the Bale Mountains. If rodents aren’t your thing, then there are plenty of rare lichens to marvel at too! Again, you are likely to see a variety of birds of prey soaring in the skies above: golden, tawny and Verreaux’s eagles as well as the bearded vulture (lammergeyer), lanner falcon, and augur buzzard.

As you continue your journey, you will stop at Tulu Dimtu or “the Red Mountain”. At 4,377m, this is the highest mountain in the park.

As you reach the end of the plateau and the Harenna escarpment, there are stunning views as the road winds its way down more than 2,000m and into the vast Harenna tropical forest. At the base of the escarpment is the small village of Rira, where you can either stop and relax with some local refreshments, or if you’re feeling more adventurous, stretch your legs on a short walk (around 2hrs round trip) through the forest to a bamboo-filled canyon and two waterfalls, stacked almost on top of each other. A large pool at the base of the second waterfall is a great spot for photos and offers a chance to soak your feet in the cool, clean water. Keep your eyes peeled for the black-and-white colobus monkey and the elusive Bale monkey as well as Menelik’s bushbuck. Birds in the area include the grey cuckoo shrike, Abyssinian catbird, Ruppell’s robin-chat, Abyssinian ground thrush, white-cheeked turaco and many more. Returning to Rira, you’ll camp nearby for the night.

Bale Mountains National Park

In the morning, you’ll take a short drive south from Rira to the southern edge of the National Park. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a lion on this road! Here, you'll find an area with massive fern pine and fig trees, now rare in Ethiopia. In the shade of these trees grows wild forest coffee. A 6km nature trail through this wild coffee forest leads to a natural spring. In the village of Manyete, the Sankate Community Tourism Association runs a coffee house where you can try the wild coffee, local honey and other produce. Returning towards Rira, there's the opportunity to relax or take the Gushuralle Peak Forest Trail. This 2-3 hour route takes you through dense bamboo forest to the summit of Gushuralle, with stunning views across the Harenna Forest. Look out for wildlife such as Bale monkeys, Menelik’s bushbuck, warthog, colobus monkeys, mountain nyala, giant forest hogs or (very rarely) leopards or lions. At the end of the day, you’ll return once more to camp near Rira.

From Rira, you’ll make your way back over the Harenna escarpment and over the Sinetti plateau once more, passing through Dinsho again as you leave the Bale Mountains behind and head westwards towards Wendo Genet.

Wondo Genet

In 1962, Princess Tegnanwork visited this lush mountain area and decided to have a resort built for the royal family here. Her father, Emperor Haile Selassie, was so impressed that he named the area Wendo Genet, meaning "heavenly place". Here, after four nights of camping, you can take an invigorating soak in the thermal waters, heated by natural springs, and stay in the former palace of Emperor Haile Selassie. This building retains much of its original furniture and there’s even a small museum of the Emperor's personal belongings, housed in the old Princess Bar.

Abidjatta-Shalla National Park

From Wendo Genet, you’ll make your way back north through the Rift Valley towards Addis Ababa, stopping off on the way to visit Abiyata-Shala National Park. This park is named after the two large lakes that make up most of its area, but which have very contrasting characters. Lake Abiyata is shallow and highly alkaline, whilst Lake Shala is Ethiopia’s deepest lake, containing eight volcanic islands. You'll get a guided tour of the park and see how the local residents live in this relatively harsh and dry environment.

Finally, you will arrive back in Addis Ababa and the tour ends with dinner at a cultural restaurant, where you can sample local dishes as you watch energetic traditional dances from across the country.