Get a taste of Eastern Ethiopia on this short, but very rewarding birding tour
If you are only visiting Ethiopia for a short time and want to cram in as many bird species as possible, whilst also seeing some incredible scenery, then this birding tour is for you.
We start the tour birding around the beautiful high-altitude plateau of the Sululta Plains and then move on to the staggering mountain escarpments around Debre Libanos, and finally finish the tour by visiting the area Gemesa Gedel, where you stand a good chance of witnessing the Ethiopia endemic species, Ankober Serin.
Join us as we take you on an enchanting birding tour of the East!
Brief Tour Itinerary
Day 1 – Sululta Plains & Debre Libanos
On your first day of the tour, we’ll head to the Sululta Plains just north of Addis Ababa. These high-altitude plateau grasslands provide fantastic birding, where we’ll likely see species such as the endangered White-backed Vulture, African Hobby, African Citril, Mountain Thrush, Tacazze Sunbird, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Secretarybird, Erckel’s Francolin, Red-chested Swallow, Cape Crow, Pectoral-patch Cisticola and African Quailfinch to name a few.
In the afternoon, we’ll be birding near Debre Libanos, an old monastery situated on a stunning mountain escarpment with some breath-taking views! Here we will likely find the Fan-tailed Raven, Stout Cisticola, Ethiopia Boubou, Variable Sunbird, Ruppell’s Robin-chat, Yellow-bellied Waxbill and three endemics White-winged Cliff-chat, Ruppell’s Black Chat and White-billed Starling. It’s also a good place to find Lammergeiers soaring above, and if we’re lucky a large troop of Gelada Baboons.
Day 2 & 3 – Jemma Valley & Melka Jebdu
On Day 2, we’ll be birding around the stunning Jemma River Valley. Here on the rocky valley rim, we will be looking for a number of species but the main agenda will be to find the elusive and well sought-after endemic Ankober Serin, occurring only along the spectacular Ankober escarpment. The next day we’ll be visiting Melka Jebdu to look for species such as Erckel’s Francolin, Crested Francolin, Speckled Pigeon, White-collared Pigeon, Dusky Turtle Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Eastern Plantain-eater, Abyssinian Nightjar, African Grey Hornbill, Yellow-breasted Barbet, Shining Sunbird to name a few!
In the afternoon, we’ll head back to Addis Ababa where this short, but very rewarding Ethiopia Birding Tour will come to end 🙂
*Greater Blue-eared Starling
*Gelada Baboon
*African Hawk-eagle
Key Bird Species
Popular species on this tour: Rüppell’s Black Chat, White-winged Cliff-chat, Lammergeier & White-billed Starling
Below is a list of bird species likely to be encountered on this tour:
Dusky Turtle-dove, White-collared Pigeon, Tacazze Sunbird, Baglafecht Weaver, Streaky Seedeater, Secretarybird, White-backed Vulture, African Hobby, Erckel’s Francolin, Red-chested Swallow, Cape Crow, Pectoral-patch Cisticola, African Quailfinch, Rüppell’s Vulture, Verreaux’s Eagle, African Hawk-eagle, Augur Buzzard, Lanner Falcon, Nyanza Swift, Hemprich Hornbill, Rüppell’s Chat, White-winged Cliff-chat, White-billed Starling, Mocking Cliff-chat, Yellow-rumped Serin, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Ankober Serin and much more!
*Gelada Baboon can also be seen on this tour!
Something Special
Book with us today and be part of award-winning ethical and sustainable tourism!
Established in 2016, we are renowned as the best birdwatching tour company in East Africa