This short wildlife safari takes you northeast of Addis Ababa to Awash National Park, which is found 253 km into the Ethiopian Great Rift Valley. This beautiful park was established as a recreational park for the royal family in 1966. The Awash National Park is home to over 460 species of birds and several mammals such as the Beisa Oryx, Desert Warthog, Summering’s Gazelle, Lesser Kudu, Hamadryads Baboon, Olive Baboon, Grivet's Monkey, Abyssinian Hare, Harar Dik Dik, Spotted Hyena, Ard Wolf, Bat-eared Fox, Golden Jackal, African Wildcat, and some other rarely seen mammals.
Trip Highlights
- View amazing landscapes including young volcanic mountains and lakes
- See unique wildlife
- Relax in hot springs
- Engage in bird watching
Itinerary
Day 1: Addis Ababa, Awash National Park
In the morning, drive to Awash National Park, 230 km away, part of the Ethiopian Great Rift Valley. Visit Debre Zeit Crater lakes while enroute.
After having lunch at Nazret, drive to Awash National Park through the volcanic mountains and valleys, and witness the lava on both sides of the road as freshly turned earth. We will visit beautiful Beseka Lake rich in bird life. Here you can see the Wattled Ibis, Pink-winged Pelican, African Fish Eagle, Saddled Stork, and many more birds. This is also the place where you can see the nomadic Kereyu tribe, bringing in large herds of camels for water.
After visiting the alkaline Lake Beseka, we will continue our visit to the base of the Fentale Volcanic Mountain, one of the youngest volcanic mountains. At the base of this mountain is a very big and recent rift formed by the volcanic activity in the region. This rift continues all the way to the lake, which enables numerous hot springs to flow all the way to Lake Beseka. As a result, the volume of the lake continues to increase. Under this rift, there are many Spotted Hyena, and around late afternoon they all come out of their caves. This creates a great opportunity to see and photograph this wild beast. Sometimes, the Warthogs share the same cave with the Spotted Hyenas and you can see them as they come out.
As the sun starts to go down, we will drive to Awash National Park for a possible evening game drive and visit the beautiful Awash Falls. Your lodge today is located in a very beautiful part of the park overlooking the Awash River waterfall.
Overnight: Awash Fall Lodge, Awash National Park (Meals: L, D)
Day 2: Awash National Park, Ali Dege National Park
In the morning, we will have an early morning game drive around Awash National Park, near the falls and over the Ilala grassland. Here we can expect to see many Olive Baboons, Byssen Oryx, Waterbucks, and Bushbucks, as well as many native birds and more.
After our morning game drive, we will drive to Doho Hot Springs where Doho Lodge is located overlooking the Doho Lake, which formed as the result of the many hot springs around the area. For the rest of the morning, relax around the hot springs or rest. Here we can also visit nomadic Afar Villages.
Late in the afternoon, we will drive to Ali Dege, 70 km away. Here we can expect to spot among many other wildlife species such as the Summering Gazelle, Gerenuk, Graving Zebra, and perhaps the Kori Bustard and Arabian Bustard.
On our way to the lodge, we may spot the Hamadryads Baboon, the sacred baboon depicted on the ancient pyramids of Egypt.
Overnight: Doho Lodge (Meals: B, L, D)
Day 3: Awash, Addis Ababa
In the morning, drive back to Addis Ababa through Debre Zeit and the express road. At Debre Zeit, you can relax at the beautiful resorts before heading to Addis Ababa. We expect to arrive in Addis Ababa late in the afternoon. (Meals: B, L)
