15 Dec 2026 - 18 Dec 2026 (4 days)
USD2,295 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Glen Valentine
Tour price (Per person): USD2,295 * GBP1,777 * EUR2,141 * AUD3,488
Single Supplement: USD150 * GBP116 * EUR140 * AUD228
Flight costs: USD440 * GBP341 * EUR411 * AUD669
Can be linked with: Ethiopia - Endemic Birding (Small Group) 2026
To do full justice to the cultural aspects of this fascinating country, we offer an incredible Ethiopia historical tour extension to the northern town of Lalibela where we explore the unique 12th century monolithic churches, hewn out of solid rock and which took an estimated 25 years to construct, now appropriately considered one of the wonders of the world!
Whilst our main focus during the Ethiopia historical tour will naturally be these amazing monuments, we can also expect some excellent birding. Possible species include White-collared Pigeon, White-winged Cliff Chat, Erckel’s Francolin, Egyptian Vulture, White-fronted Black Chat, Abyssinian Catbird, Little Rock Thrush, Thick-billed Raven, White-backed Black Tit, Hemprich’s Hornbill, the scarce endemic Banded Barbet, Black-billed Woodhoopoe and large flocks of White-billed Starlings.
White-backed Black Tit; Thick-billed Raven; Banded Barbet; White-billed Starling; Rüppell's & White-fronted Black Chats; White-winged Cliff Chat; Erckel's Spurfowl; Yellow-rumped & Brown-rumped Seedeaters; Wattled Ibis; White-collared Pigeon; Abyssinian Catbird.
arid escarpments
temperate in highlands
6 with 1 Rockjumper leader
moderate pace, mostly undemanding walks
basic but comfortable
easy
+-70
excellent
Greg de Klerk is an excellent leader. What I admired most about Greg was his willingness and patience to take the time and "teach" the group shorebird and wading bird identification. Throughout the tour, he would take the time and repeat the details to anyone who asked, or seemed to be unclear on the details.
Julian was a wonderful leader, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and attentive to our needs. The local guide, was also excellent and worked particularly hard when we had to change accommodation at short notice. The cultural guide was very knowledgeable and shared both his knowledge and his experience of Orthodox Christianity with us in a very helpful manner. We saw a lot of birds and a good variety of mammals. In addition the food was very interesting and the coffee outstanding.
Greg de Klerk did a very good job managing the tour, was personable and was highly effective at bird spotting & identification.
"As expected, the accommodations and infrastructure in Ethiopia had their challenges. We find that as we are aging these challenges become more difficult. So our plan for the future is to do trips with higher end lodges, good sanitation and well paved roads. This is no reflection on Rockjumpers just the reality of our now being in our 70's. Time to do some easier trips! Our leader, David Hoddinott, was outstanding. His enthusiasm for the birds of Ethiopia was contagious, his knowledge incredible and his ability to handle all the logistics shows that he is a seasoned leader. Thank you to the entire team at Rockjumpers for another incredible trip. "
The guide, Greg de Klerk, did a good job. He was well informed regarding the participants and tried hard to accommodate everyone's needs. He made a good effort to inform us daily as to what birds we might see, which was very helpful.
Ethiopia - Lalibela Extension I 2024 - January 2024
Ethiopia - Endemic Birding I 2024 - January 2024
Ethiopia - Endemic Birding II 2023 - November 2023
Ethiopia - Summer Endemics 2023 - June 2023
Ethiopia - Endemic Birding (Small Group) 2023 - February 2023
Ethiopia - Brewer 2023 - January 2023
Ethiopia - Endemic Birding III 2022 - November 2022
Ethiopia - Endemic Birding (Small Group) 2022 - February 2022
Ethiopia - Budget Birding 2019 - November 2019
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding II 2019 - November 2019
Ethiopia - Summer Endemics 2019 - May 2019
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding I 2019 - January 2019
Ethiopia - Budget Birding 2018 - November 2018
Ethiopia - Mega Birding 2018 - January 2018
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding I 2018 - January 2018
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding III 2017 - November 2017
Ethiopia - Glendinning & Welman 2017 - February 2017
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding II 2017 - January 2017