Ethiopia is hands-down one of Africa’s most productive and rewarding birding destinations. A plethora of endemic birds, many of which are very tame and confiding is further complimented by a rich assemblage of forest and savannah species, rare mammals and a kaleidoscope of culture and food that combine to produce a fascinating and intriguing experience.
Spring brings earth parching rain, flushing the spectacular landscapes in green. Spring means the Palearctic migrants have already returned home, but the important endemic and near endemic species are just beginning their breeding cycle. Outside of the regular tourist season, you’ll feel that Ethiopia is all yours! Fascinating history, decent road infrastructure, diverse cultures and astonishing wildlife make Ethiopia an essential expedition for both hard-core and casual birders alike, and for many of our guides this remains one of their top destinations on the African continent!
Ruspoli's & White-cheeked Turacos, Stresemann's Bush Crow, Spot-breasted Lapwing, Blue-winged Goose, Rouget’s Rail, Egyptian Plover, Wattled Ibis, Ankober Serin, Yellow-fronted Parrot, Black-winged Lovebird, Erkel's & Harwood's Francolins, White-backed Black Tit, Abyssinian Woodpecker, Donaldson-Smith's Nightjar, White-tailed Swallow, Archer's (Sidamo), Gillett's & Somali Short-toed Larks, White-winged Collared Dove, Nile Valley & Black-bellied Sunbirds, Arabian & Hartlaub's Bustards, Golden-breasted, Magpie & White-billed Starlings, Pygmy Batis, Red-naped Bushshrike, Juba Weaver.
Ethiopian Wolf, Gelada Baboon, Hamadryas Baboon, Mountain Nyala, Giant Mole Rat, Serval, Guenther's & Salt's Dikdik, Gerenuk, Lesser Kudu, Beisa Oryx, Soemmering's Gazelle
montane forest, Afro-alpine moorland, Acacia savanna, Rift Valley lakes, semi-desert
temperate in highlands, hot and dry in lowlands
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
moderate pace, mostly undemanding walks
comfortable to basic hotels
not challenging
410 - 450
spectacular montane scenery, interesting ancient farming methods
excellent
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.
Greg de Klerk was an excellent guide and his lively manner and humour did much to make the trip enjoyable.
Greg de Klerk did a very good job managing the tour, was personable and was highly effective at bird spotting & identification.
This tour was our first one with Greg de Klerk. I would certainly go with him again. He is an extremely good birder, quick to locate birds and get all of the tour group on them. He worked hard to get those difficult endemics. His sense of humour added greatly to the group experience. What I most appreciated about Greg was his method of helping us to see the necessary field marks to identify a bird and to explain the difference between a bird and one that looked similar. I was therefore sure of the identity of every bird we had.
Julian was a wonderful leader, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and attentive to our needs. The local guide, Bereket, was also excellent and worked particularly hard when we had to find accommodation at short notice. The cultural guide Frui 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.
Tour Leader: David Hoddinott
Tour price (Per person): USD7,095 * GBP5,648 * EUR6,618 * AUD10,805
Single Supplement: USD470 * GBP374 * EUR438 * AUD716
Ethiopia - Lalibela Historical Extension I 2024 - January 2024
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding I 2024 - January 2024
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding II 2023 - November 2023
Ethiopia - Summer Endemics 2023 - June 2023
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding (Small Group) 2023 - February 2023
Ethiopia - Brewer 2023 - January 2023
Ethiopia - Endemics Birding III 2022 - November 2022
Ethiopia - Endemics 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