Other Attraction
Bird Watching:
More than 800 bird species are found in Ethiopia, of which 16 are endemic. A further 14 species are shared with Eritrea, which was part of Ethiopia until 1991. Ethiopia’s diverse habitats, highlands, lowlands, forests, lakes, wetlands and reverie systems provide sites for wintering or passage birds......
Where to Watch Birds in Ethiopia, by Claire Spottiswoode, Merid Gabremichael and Julian Francis, is a great guide and makes finding birds easy!
Most bird watching itineraries are in the south of the country – an itinerary in search of all of Ethiopia’s endemic birds would take in Debre Libanos, north of Addis Ababa, the Jemma River valley, the escarpment north west of Addis Ababa, around Debre Berhan and Ankober and the descent to Melka Jedbu, the Awash National Park, the Rift Valley Lakes, Wondo Genet, Bale and the road south through the Harenna forest to Negele, the area near the border with Somalia near Bogol Manyo, west from there to Yabello, Konso and Fejej and Nech Sar National Park. This would take a minimum of 3 weeks, but shorter tours of about 10 days which would guarantee seeing most of the endemics and several hundred other species could be set up covering Awash National Park, the Rift Valley Lakes and the Bale Mountains.
Danakil Depression & Erta Ale Volcano:
The Danakil region is the lowest point of Africa and also one of the hottest. This deep depression in the desert is the result of the rifting process which formed the Red Sea and the great African Rift Valley. Until today, volcanic action can be noticed, for example by watching the lava in the Erta Ale Volcano crater. The area also contains salt lakes and sulfur formations, which look like a landscape from another planet. Travelling through this harsh environment is not something that everyone can handle. It is an ideal travel destination for real adventurers.
Coffee:
Increasingly popular are coffee tours, our company organizes in collaboration with the Coffee Farmers Cooperative & Union. The tour would include meetings and discussions in Addis Ababa, cupping sessions, a visit to a coffee auction, and visits to the cooperatives in the coffee growing areas, such as around Harer, Yirga Chefe, Jimma and Nekemte.
Special Interest Tour:
Ethiopia is one of the twelve bio-diversity centers in the world, and visitors with a special interest in nature, such as flowers and plants or butterflies, will find much to interest them. A butterfly tour would take in the Menagesha Forest near Addis Ababa, the Rift Valley Lakes, the Bale Mountains and the Awash Valley. (There are 8 families, 93 genera and 324 species to be found in Ethiopia.) A typical tour would take about 11 days in and out.
With flowers and plants we would take in the Bale Mountains, the Awash Valley and then cut across to ascend the escarpment of the Abyssinian Highlands. About 10 days should be allowed.