14-Day Rare Mammals of Ethiopia

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Addis Ababa

On arrival into Addis Ababa Airport you will be met by your Pictus Safaris representative and transferred to a local hotel to meet the rest of your group and freshen up after your overnight flight. The remainder of the day is at leisure, and there will be a pre-tour briefing before dinner in the hotel this evening.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

Ethiopian Skylight Hotel

• Luxury hotel located in Addis (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• Meals at own expense
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Maze NP

This morning we will return to Addis Ababa airport for our short domestic flight to the town of Arba Minch. From here, it is a lengthy drive over poor roads to reach our remote and little-visited destination, Maze National Park.

Arriving by mid-afternoon, there may be time for a late afternoon game drive as our camp gets set up. Our key target here is the rare and range-restricted Swayne's hartebeest, for which Maze is a stronghold. Like many parks in Ethiopia, Maze is often overrun by herdsmen and livestock, and we should expect to see plenty of cattle today. However, a small population of predators does remain, with leopard, cheetah and even lion passing through, although sightings are rare.

After our drive, we return to our basic campsite for dinner and some rest.

Main Destination:

Maze National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• Inside Maze NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Maze NP

Our full day is spent in Maze today, enjoying the birding and mammal-watching of this little-visited park. We will head out on morning and evening drives, aiming to explore the park before and after the herds of livestock have the opportunity to descend on the savanna. Swayne's hartebeest will be a key focus for us, and we will certainly be keeping our eyes peeled for any signs of predators using the park.

Main Destination:

Maze National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• Inside Maze NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Yabello

Today is very much a driving day, taking us back through Arba Minch and towards the town of Yabello. The roads are very poor in this region of Ethiopia, and today should absolutely be approached with a spirit of adventure. Our accommodation tonight, where will arrive by early evening, is extremely basic, but is the only accommodation in the area.

Main Destination:

Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary (Wildlife Sanctuary)

Accommodation:

Yabello Motel

• Budget hotel located Yabello WS (Wildlife Sanctuary)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Yabello

The next two days will be spent exploring Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary on full-day drives. Like Maze, pastoralists have taken over much of the park, but the sanctuary does still play host to some fascinating wildlife. Contiguous with the wildernesses of Northern Kenya, big game including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lion, cheetah, leopard, wild dog and more all pass through here infrequently. The real, highlight, though is the birding and the rare Stresemann's bush crow is a real highlight.

With the permission of local ecoguards, we are sometimes permitted to embark on night drives, where we have an increased chance of spying species including Ethiopian hare, leopaed and serval.

Main Destination:

Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary (Wildlife Sanctuary)

Accommodation:

Yabello Motel

• Budget hotel located Yabello WS (Wildlife Sanctuary)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Bale Mountains

Today is very much a driving day, taking us north towards the world-famous Bale Mountains National Park. Our lodge here is truly excellent, and we hope to arrive herejust before nightfall. This lodge is perfectly located, within a short distance from both the Sanetti Plateau and the Gaysay Grasslands. Depending on how tired the group is after a long day of travelling, we may choose to spotlight the area around Gaysay for a few hours after dinner. This area has one of the highest densities of serval and caracal in all of Africa, and sightings of both are relatively common. After spotlighting, we will return to our lodge.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Best Time To Visit Nov to Feb (Little rain)

High Season Oct to Jan (Park is never busy)

Best Weather November to February

Wildlife in Bale Mountains NP

Ethiopian wolf Common

Mountain nyala Common

Warthog Common

Menelik's
bushbuck Occasional

Guereza monkey Occasional

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Olive baboon Occasional

Bohor reedbuck Occasional

Starck's hare Occasional

Giant mole-rat Occasional

Bale monkey Rare

Giant forest hog Rare

Golden jackal Rare

Gelada monkey None

Walia ibex None

Accommodation:

Bale Mountain Lodge

• Luxury lodge located inside Bale Mountains NP

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Sanetti Plateau

This morning we will make a beeline directly for the iconic Sanetti Plateau. This scenic and lofty highland is one of the very few remaining strongholds of Africa's most endangered canids - Ethiopian wolves. Several packs are dotted around the plateau and, whilst sightings can never be guaranteed, we are likely to find at least a handful of these beautiful animals with the help of our expert guide. Watching these gorgeous animals hunt and play is a truly humbling and awe-inspiring experience, and we will be sure to dedicate significant time to these creatures this morning. Be sure also to keep an eye out for several other species when travelling to or from the plateau, including the endemic mountain nyala.

After returning to camp for lunch, we will return to the Gaysay Grasslands this afternoon, staying until the late evening in the hope of a rare daylight sighting of serval or caracal. After a, hopefully successful, stake-out in Gaysay, we will return to the lodge for dinner.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Bale Mountain Lodge

• Luxury lodge located inside Bale Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Harenna Forest

Today we will see everything that Bale Mountains has to offer. At first light we will head to the Gaysay Grasslands in the hopes of further encounters with serval and caracal. Depending on our success, we will then aim to head back to the Sanetti Plateau for some more rewarding time with Ethiopian wolves.

By early afternoon we will en route to an entirely different biome, the dense Harenna Forest. This forest is home to a star-studded array of mammals - finding them can be very tricky, but we aim to locate as many as possible on foot or by vehicle. Harenna is home to several packs of wild dog, as well as lion and leopard (including melanistic specimens). Visitors may also encounter giant forest hog and the endemic bale monkey here.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Bale Mountain Lodge

• Luxury lodge located inside Bale Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Harenna Forest

Three full days will be dedicated to driving the few roads through the forest, as well as exploring likely areas for wild dog and other species on foot. Whilst this area is vast and the forest impenetrable at times, many species use the roads as arterial routes with which to navigate the forest. As such, the very best sightings in Harenna are often enjoyed by the first vehicles to use the roads each morning, and there have recently been sightings of melanistic leopard and black-maned lions using exactly this method.

Main Destination:

Bale Mountains National Park

Accommodation:

Bale Mountain Lodge

• Luxury lodge located inside Bale Mountains NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Lake Awassa

After a final morning walk in the Harenna Forest, we will drive west to Lake Awassa. After many nights under canvas we are sure you will be glad to rest and relax at a comfortable lakeside resort. For those who wish to, you are welcome to head out by boat onto the lake itself to view the local hippos and crocodiles. Alternatively, you may choose to remain at the hotel to catch up on some rest or reflect on a fantastic tour.

Main Destination:

Awasa (City)

Accommodation:

Haile Resort Hawassa

• Mid-range resort located in Awasa (City)

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Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Senkelle & Addis Ababa

This morning there is one last game drive in store, as we head to the small Senkelle Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary is dominated by livestock, but also has a population of the rare Swayne's hartebeest, not seen anywhere else. After a brief drive, we will return to Awasa for your homeward flights via Addis Ababa.

Main Destination:

Addis Ababa (City)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.