14 Days bird watching trip to Central Ethiopia Highlands, Southeastern Bale Mountains and Lowland, Neghele and Yabelo.
Mode of transport: surface
Itinerary: L`Arada Ethiopian tours
expect more than 350+ species of birds

Day 01.
Arrival and transfer to the Ghion or Extreme hotel in Addis Abba.

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, Erlanger’s Lark, Tawny Eagle, Cattle Egret and Yellow-billed Duck. Jemmu Valley escarpment (upper Nile valley) is adjacent to Debrelibanos natural forest and thickets home to the endemic Banded Barbet, White-cheeked Turaco, Abyssinian Woodpecker, Ethiopian Black-headed Oriole, Lammergeyer, Egyptian Vulture, Vareaux’s 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 Tacazze Sunbird
Overnight at the Ethio-German Lodge nearby the so called Portuguese Bridge.

Day 03.
Today we drive to Jemmu 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 Jemmu Valley may have flocks of White-billed Starlings, the extremely rare Salvadori's Serin, Singing Cisticola, Isabelline Shrike and Abyssinian Black Wheatear. In the afternoon, we drive to Debrebirhan 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. 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 Bushoftut 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 Bushoftu, support large numbers of Weavers, Seed-eaters, Thrushes, Doves, Sunbirds and Finches in the adjoining sedges and thickets
Overnight at Dreamland Hotel with an excellent view of Bushoftu.

Day 05.
Today we drive to Bale Mountains found on the other side of the Great Rift Valley looking for Rouget’s 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, Menelik’s Bushbuck, Bohor Reedbuck, Warthog and Bush Duiker.
Overnight Wabishebelle Hotel.

Day 06.
Beyond Goba we enter typical timberline habitats of Juniper and Hagenia Abyssinica driving up Africa's highest all weather road 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, Starck’s Hare and Giant Mole-rat.
Then the road drops suddenly on the Harena 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 wabi shebelle Hotel.

Day 07.
Today we drive to the Sof Omar Caves on the eastern edge of Bale Mountains maybe the world’s most spectacular and extensive underground system carved by the Web River into the limestone that line it. 12km underground caves.. 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 Salvadori’s Seedeater, Bristle-crowned Starling, Swifts and Swallows and many more.
Overnight Wabishebelle Hotel.

Day 08.
Today we continue through Sanate Plateau, undisturbed natural forest of Harena, Genale River basin towards the Borena diverse ecosystem looking for African White-winged Dove, Juba Weaver, Ruspoli’s Turaco, Sidamo Lark, Stresemann’s 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 Neghele town.

Day 09.
Dawn excursion to Hara-kalo and Wadera dry river valleys to search for a remarkable bird called Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco. On the way expect different birds of prey including Pygmy Falcon, Ovambo Sparrowhawk, 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, Shelley’s 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 Yabelo 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 Spurfowl, 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 Yabelo Forest Sanctuary for Northern Black Flycatcher, White-cheeked Turaco, Tawny Wagtail, Bare-faced Go-Away-Bird and many Seed-eaters.
Overnight Yabelo Motel.

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 Sparrowhawk, 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 ‘Bishangari’ meaning “Blessed water” 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.

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