Ethiopia - Central Birds & Wildlife (Relaxed) 2026

25 Jan 2026 - 07 Feb 2026 (14 days)

USD6,695 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Nigel Redman

Tour price (Per person): USD6,695 * GBP5,336 * EUR6,434 * AUD10,736

Single Supplement: USD430 * GBP343 * EUR413 * AUD690

Can be linked with: Ethiopia - Lalibela Extension 2026

Our 14-day relaxed Ethiopia birding tour covers the central birding circuit of this unique country. We explore the massive Rift Valley lakes teeming with birds, moss-draped montane forests supporting a wide selection of endemics, the high Bale Mountains home to the critically endangered Ethiopian Wolf, the impressive Jemma Valley and Awash National Park, a Mecca for game and bird watching in Ethiopia (home to an incredible six species of bustard!). Key Ethiopian bird species we will seek include Spot-breasted Lapwing, Blue-winged Goose, Rouget’s Rail, Wattled Ibis, Ankober Serin, Yellow-fronted Parrot, White-backed Black Tit and Abyssinian Woodpecker.


Top Birds

White-cheeked Turaco; Spot-breasted Lapwing; Blue-winged Goose; Rouget’s Rail; Wattled Ibis; Ankober Serin; Yellow-fronted Parrot; Black-winged Lovebird; Erkel's & Harwood's Francolins; White-backed Black Tit; Abyssinian Woodpecker; Gillett's & Blanford's Larks; Tacazze & Beautiful Sunbirds; Arabian & Hartlaub's Bustards; White-billed Starling; White-collared Pigeon; Black Crowned Crane; Moorland Chat; Abyssinian Ground Thrush; Abyssinian Catbird; Abyssinian Crimsonwing; African Citril; Thick-billed Raven; Little Rock Thrush; Sombre Rock Chat; Blackstart; Black-headed Lapwing; Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse; Yellow-breasted Barbet; Ethiopian Siskin; Hemprich’s Hornbill; Rüppell’s Black Chat; White-winged Cliff Chat; Red-billed Pytilia.

Top Mammals

Ethiopian Wolf; Gelada, Olive & Hamadryas Baboons; Mountain Nyala; Giant Mole Rat; Serval; Salt's Dik-dik; Gerenuk; Lesser Kudu; Beisa Oryx; Soemmering's Gazelle

Habitats Covered

montane forest, Afro-alpine moorland, Acacia savanna, Rift Valley lakes

Expected Climate

temperate in highlands, hot and dry in lowlands

Max Group Size

8 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

our Relaxed series of tours are designed to focus on having an enjoyable holiday with a bird and wildlife focus. Where possible; we have reduced or removed long drives, single night stays and poor/rustic accommodation. We have also sought to reduce or remove difficult hikes, narrow/muddy trails and otherwise oppressive environmental conditions. Early starts and night birding are mostly optional, and we will not spend much time searching for difficult and/or skulking species. These tours are not suitable for hardcore birders and listers, or dedicated photographers.

Accommodation

comfortable to basic hotels

Ease of Birding

not challenging

Other Attractions

spectacular montane scenery, interesting ancient farming methods

Photographic Opportunities

excellent

What our clients say about us

Gregory de Klerk
AW, Ethiopia 2018

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.

David Hoddinott
DB, Ethiopia 2023

This tour was designed to see endemic birds during the summer with full breeding plumage. The pace was fast and called for extensive time in vehicles racing from site to site to get the birds. This was great for getting birds but tough on the participants, if they expected time to relax. I enjoyed the birds but not the time riding in cars. The number of species seen was astounding and the birds were great. Knowing that accommodations would be "basic" was realistic but still tough at times. Fortunately, our group did well together and this helped compensate for the facilities at times. I reached my goal for birds and I hope to enjoy trips again in the future.

David Hoddinott
CS, Ethiopia 2023

Just a few comments on the recent Ethiopia Summer Highland Endemics tour guided by David Hodinott. First, I want to commend David on his skills as a leader and guide. His logistic and organizational skills are first-class and his knowledge of the bird life in Ethiopia matchless. His interpersonal skills with the group kept people on time, focused and successful in getting good looks at most species and great looks at many. That was his challenging task and he accomplished it with passion and patience, two qualities that are often difficult to combine.

Gregory de Klerk
SC, Ethiopia 2018

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.

Stephan Lorenz
JW, Ethiopia 2023

Stephen Lorenz, our tour leader, was exemplary especially in the face of some tour problems. At least two sites we could not access because of civil unrest. Stephen worked tirelessly with the local guides to find safe locations where we could still see endemics. He also handled some issues with one of the tour group who could be rather difficult. Stephen did an outstanding job making sure everyone felt at ease and included. He is also a fantastic birder!

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