Ethiopia- birds, wolves and baboons (1 Viewer)

[kittykat23uk]

Following in the footsteps of Coke Smith and planning to use his guide:http://www.cokesmith...d-ethiopia.html

I originally looked into this for 2013, but pushed it back in favour of other destinations.

November is one of the best time of the year for our main target, Ethiopian wolf and we will also include night drives for nocturnal mammals, birding rift valley lakes, game drives in Awash NP and visit to see the Gelada baboons. :t:


Basically this trip would only be financially feasible for me if I could find one or two more people to join, preferably a female share.

Day 1: Arrive Addis Ababa, refresh yourself and leave for Lake Langano with birding and lunch stops en route. O/n Bishangari Lodge
Day 2: Around Bishangari. o/n Bishangari Lodge
Day 3: Drive to Bale Mountains NP, with first stop at Dinsho. o/n Dinsho Lodge
Day 4: Morning explore the Geysey area and leave for Goba to stay two nights at Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel
Day 5: Around Sanette Plateau. o/n Wabe Shebelle Hotel
Day 6: Drive to Arba Minch with various stops en route. o/n Paradise Lodge Lodge
Day 7: Morning boat trip on Lake Chamo and trekking on Nech Sar National Park. o/n Paradise Lodge
Day 8: Drive to Awassa visiting Senkele Sanctuary en route. United Africa Hotel
Day 9: After morning birding on Lake Awassa leave for Awash NP. o/n Awash Falls Lodge.
Day 10: Full day at Awash National Park. Night drive. o/n Awash Falls Lodge
Day 11: Excursion to Bilen Lodge. o/n Awash Falls Lodge
Day 12: Return to Addis Ababa. o/n Jupiter Hotel
Day 13: Fly to Gonder and leave for Simien Mountains National Park. o/n Simien Lodge
Day 14: Full day in Simien. o/n Simien Lodge
Day 15: Another day in Simien Mountains. o/n Simien Lodge
Day 16: Drive to Gonder to fly back to Addis Ababa, day room and evening transfer to the airport for final departure.

The trip can run with a max of four people travelling, but two to three would be better, the main issue being if there are four one person will seat/rotate in the middle of the back seat where there is no window seat.

If all travellers need window seat at all-times three people would be ideal. I think we will be doing quite a lot of viewing on foot as well.

Prices are:

US$3830pp for two pax
US$3035pp for three pax
US$2640pp for four pax
Single room supplement is US$740

This represents good value for money, when compared to shorter group tours. For a price comparison and to read some tour reports of where this trip will take place have a look at:*http://www.naturetre...our.aspx?id=124

Costs include:

1) All internal travel using 4x4 vehicles, transfers, tours and excursions, boat trip etc.
2) Accommodation at the hotels specified on single bed breakfast basis.
3) Local Guides' fees (it is mandatory to have them in most places), scout fees, etc
4) Escort guide fees throughout
5) All entrance fees (except for photography)
6) Airport facilitation, meeting and greetings etc
7) all local taxes.

Cost excludes:

Airfare - International allow £575 for direct from London with Ethiopian airways, less with indirect flights if going with e.g. Turkish.
Airfare- Internal-If you use Ethiopian airlines in your international flight the cost is around US $160 and if you use other flights the cost is around US $300

Proposed dates for this tour would be November 12 to 29th but I'm flexible. Failing that, I would most likely be happy to delay to Nov 2016 if there is some firm interest.

Alternatively, I have no firm plans for this year yet so if anyone is planning to do any cheaper self drive trips e.g. Southern Africa over the summer I would be very interested in sharing costs, especially if there is no interest in the above!

Regards,

Jo

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hi Jo,
did you get any response?

Did we meet in Goa in 2000, you were with another girl?

Anyway, my fiancee and I would be interested, we are primarily birders with an all round interest in other things. Anastasia, my fiancee, is a keen photographer which blends nicely and usually ensures some outstanding permanant memories..

Anyway, do I understand that this is primarily a mammal trip, how much time is allocated to birding?

All the best, Andy and Anastasia.

 

[kittykat23uk]

Hi Andy,


I've not had any firm interest as yet but if you are both keen we could look at this in earnest again. I've not been to Goa so it wasn't me you met!

Regarding the birding, I like birds obviously, and the plan will be to include birding (the rift valley lakes are specifically for birding) as well as looking for mammals. When we are on the plateaux I'd want to spend as much time as possible watching the wolves but other than that it will be stopping for whatever we see. But we won't be going all out looking for LBJs if you know what I mean or rushing around trying to get a big list of birds- I'm into photography too. :t:

In light of having had no firm interest I was also looking at Brazil (Pantanal) as an alternative.

PM me if you want to take this further.

All the best

Jo

 

[hari ari]

Jo, greetings again from last meeting on a tiger trip with wolves in India.
Definite interest.
Hari

 

[kittykat23uk]

Lovely to hear from you Hari, I hope you are well?

So potentially we have four who might be interested in this Ethiopia trip? It looks like I will be pushing back the idea of going to the Pantanal to next year. So I have emailed Abiy to find out if he can still run this trip for us. I'll let you know when I hear anything.

All the best

Jo

 

[hari ari]

Jo, sent a PM. Would be interested in the Pantanal too.
Hari

 

[Chris D]

Great place. Good luck.................

 

[hari ari]

Jo, what are the photography charges and are there limitations on kit. I have been mistaken for a 'pro photog' and so attempted to be imposed with pro charges, if not for he guide.
Hari

 

[kittykat23uk]

I am not aware of any camera fees or limitations on kit. I will ask though.

 

[kittykat23uk]

Still looking for participants for this. I am also thinking about cutting out the Simiens in favour Debre Libanos Gorge which is about 2 hrs by car from Addis. This would save on the internal flight and possible allow an extra day or two at Awash and the bale mountains.

Has anyone been and can compare the two?

Ideally still looking for a female share.

 

[temmie]

Not wanting to spoil your thread, but I reckon you won't need 4x4 on any of the sites you mention (leaving out the North, I haven't been there), at least not in the dry season.
This would obviously cut costs. I feel that Ethiopia is one of those dirt-cheap countries where everybody has an overkill 4x4 and all Mzungus (better: Faranjis!) stay in the same hotels, which are sometimes OK, but sometimes not worth the extra money. I would try to camp out as much as possible. This is mostly free or for a small fee to the village head (to guard the tents for the wild animals!), and I had the best nights sleeping in this way (cool, silent, not smelly like most hotel rooms).

 

[kittykat23uk]

Hi temmie

Thanks can you recommend a guide that offers camping? To me the most important aspect is getting a good guide taht knows where to look! Especially for the mammals.I am relaxed about accommodation style.

By the way, you are not spoiling my thread at all I am always happy to receive help on planning trips. Hari who also expressed an interest is a keen photographer as am I.

 

[temmie]

I cannot fully understand your expectations and I am obviously talking from my own vision and (limited) experience, but the best sites for mammal watching would be the ones you are going to: Nechisar, Bale, and Awash. Aardwolf is regularly seen in Awash, Nechisar was good for Genet, and Bale is obviously Wolf's territory.

I have to rectify one thing: we did need the 4x4 in Nechisar. You can drive into the park (I don't know whether you were planning to do this?).

About the camping: Awash and Nechisar have dedicated camping grounds, but don't expect facilities. Expect quite wonderfull surroundings (birds straight from the tent), though! I would not camp near Bale as it's quite cold at night.

 

[kittykat23uk]

Did you self drive temmie and organise your own camping gear?

From my expectations I would really want someone to guide us, who knows the birds and can help us get the best out of the trip. Thinking about this camping a bit more, I would expect it to be of a standard of non-participatory mobile camping that you might find in southern Africa. So, tents set up by camp staff, either en suite or a separate canvas loo and bush shower or separate ablution block as you might find in Kruger and with camp staff providing the cooking. I don't mind helping to break the camp down but the idea of bringing our own gear and setting up and breaking down the camp, having no toilet or shower facilities and having to do our own cooking is not for me.

So on that basis would you say stick with the lodge options or are there companies who could offer this style of camping for less than the lodges cost?

 

[temmie]

On that basis, I would say you better stick with the lodge options, which often have excellent birding in the gardens.

I cannot remember having read anything about the style of camping you would consider, and yes, the style we did this was very basic with own gear and no facilities at all. We only had a driver who was very good at driving / interpreting / knowledge about roads, hotels, accomodation. But not the birds / nature.

So my only practical advice that could help you, is to rent a minibus for part of (or the whole) trip to save some costs. For the guiding, I have no experience with guides there except the guy at Dinsho (to show Abyssinian Owl). But I heard very very good things about Meryem Gebremichael (definitely the #1 birdguide, and I think he knows about all other wildlife quite a bit, too).

One last thing I had to say to you: I was really gobsmacked by your pictures of Tadoba and Gujarat. Excellent stuff and story!)

 

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks for your insights sounds like lodges are the the way to go. yes I have heard of that guide. He gets booked up quickly though.

Thanks for the kind words about tadoba and Gujarat.

All the best

Jo

 

[Tom Lawson]

Thanks for your insights sounds like lodges are the the way to go. yes I have heard of that guide. He gets booked up quickly though.

Thanks for the kind words about tadoba and Gujarat.

All the best

Jo

Have been following your posts with interest.Three years ago two of us did an extended birding trip to Ethiopia.We included the Simien Mountains as we wanted to see Walia Ibex. This turned out to be very easy,with a family group walking past us,but we saw no other significant mammals and the birding wasn't a patch on that within relatively easy reach of Addis. Given the choice I would go for Debre Libanos.You will get Gelada Baboons there as well as several endemic birds.Simien Wolf is far easier to see in the Bale Mountains than in the Simiens. Simien is a long way north and the only accommodation is in the very expensive Simien Mountain Lodge. As far as guides I can highly recommend Abiy Dagne. He is a superb birder and a delightful character.On our trip he drove us himself,and when we were out at daybreak he cooked breakfast for us in the field!
Tom Lawson.

 

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks Tom. Abiy hasn't availability now for the dates I was looking at, but has offered to find us a good guide. I have also said I have some flexibility with dates so I will see what he comes back with. Walia ibex is not a big draw for me so that insight is incredibly helpful thank you!

 

[dcw]

If there is any interest I have 600-800usd worth of Ethiopian Birr that I could sell for 1/2 the rate.

 

[kittykat23uk]

DCW thanks! If this trip happens I might well take you up on that offer.

I have been doing more research and have made some significant changes to the plan for this trip. It's still a work in progress, but I have dropped the simiens in favour of Debre libanos gorge so that will save a costly flight and we'll still get geladas. Not really fussed about the walia ibex. This also gives us at least one extra night at Goba so more time with the wolves.

I am also looking at dropping Arba Minch (Nechisar national park) it's a bit out of the way, the roads there are not in great condition and theres not much there that we wont get elsewhere. This all means we can add more days at awash national park.

This will increase chances for more night drives in the park and there are several carnivores that have been seen in other peoples trip reports that I really would like to get a chance for. These include, striped hyena, serval, caracal and aardwolf!

I have also heard of a lodge at Lake Langano where they say there is a chance of aardvark! so looking at that.

I still really need at least one other person (female share preferably but not essential) to join me to make this trip viable.

Looking at either 12 to 29 nov or 3 to 20 December - the later dates would mean Abiy can guide us personally.