Short Tours
You are in Ethiopia for a few days, on business or in transit and quite rightly want to take in something of the country before leaving. Ethiopian Quadrants has a number of Short Tours, of 1 or 2 days’ duration - these will help you to make best use of your time, explaining what there is to see and do in the time available. Ethiopia is a fascinating and diverse country and once you have sampled it, it is inevitable that you will come back for more. If you have the time, the 2 days can easily be extended into 3, as most of the places described here are well worth a second night.
These tours are all road journeys, but it is possible to visit places on the Historic Route – Axum, Lalibela, Gondar and Bahir Dar – or Harer by air, flying out one day from Addis Ababa and returning the following day.
For both your short and longer trips Ethiopian Quadrants will provide advice on the itinerary, good vehicles, experienced guides and the best service at reasonable rates. Ask for our general tour brochure, or check out our website, this will give you more information about Ethiopia and will help you plan for the time you come back!
Introduction
If you take Addis Ababa as the hub, there are 6 main roads coming out like spokes to the North, North East, South East, South, South West and West.
To the north is the Gojjam road, to Debre Libanos, the Blue Nile Gorge and Bahir Dar. The road to the northeast is the Asmara Road, which will take visitors to the Senbete Market, Kombolcha and Dessie. The road to the south east forks about 70 km from Addis Ababa at Mojo, with one fork leading east to Awash, and then forking again with roads leading east to Dire Dawa and Harer and north east to the Red Sea ports of Dijbouti and Assab. From Mojo the other fork heads south, passing the Rift Valley lakes and continuing to Moyale and the border with Kenya.
The road directly south is the Butajira road, the road to the southwest is the Jimma Road, while the road to the West is the Ambo Road - the last two meet in Gambella near the border with Sudan.
On these routes there are a variety of attractions for visitors, from historic and religious sites, to bird life and wild life and places of scenic beauty. For convenience sake we will take each route in turn, starting with Addis Ababa itself. While some visitors may be less interested in bird life, the birds we can expect to see will be mentioned in each tour.
These 1 and 2 day itineraries are planned for road travel, but Ethiopian Quadrants can arrange two-day tours by air to one of the four towns on the Historic Route - Axum, Lalibela, Gondar, Bahir Dar - or the city of Harer via Dire Dawa. Ask our staff for more details.
EQST 001 Addis Ababa City tour - half day
We start at 1.30 PM with a pick up from your hotel and drive north up to Mount Entoto. In 1881 Emperor Menelik II made his permanent camp there, after remains of an old town (believed to have been the capital of 16th century monarch Lebna Dengel) were discovered, which Menelik took as a divine and auspicious sign.
Addis Ababa at between 2300 - 2500 meters is the third highest capital in the world and Entoto is a few hundred meters higher - as we drive up the hill there is an appreciable drop in temperature and the air is filled with the scent of the Eucalyptus trees which line the road.
From the top, there is a panoramic view of the capital and surrounding countryside. Entoto is an important watershed, to the north water flows to the Blue Nile, to the south to the Awash River. Your guide will point out the important landmarks of the city.
Entoto was soon abandoned as a site for the capital - it was cold, difficult to provision and there was a shortage of wood. Empress Taytu was said to have led the move down to the plain of Finfine, and to have named the new capital Addis Ababa, or New Flower. However, two important structures remain within the old imperial compound on Entoto, the churches of Mariam and the Archangel Raguel. It was in the church of Mariam that Menelik was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1889, and in the small museum in the compound there are various clothes, court and household implements and weapons dating from the period. The church of Raguel is unusual in that it is octagonal, rather than round. There is a first story balustrade around which Menelik liked to stroll.
Leaving the churches we descend to Addis Ababa, stopping off at the National Archaeological Museum. Here visitors can see exhibits ranging from the 3.5 million-year-old bones of Lucy, through the Axumite and Gondarene periods to the monarchs Tewodros and Menelik.
This completes the half day tour and visitors will be taken back to their hotels.
EQST 002 Full day Addis Ababa City tour
We start at 8.30 with a pick up from your hotel and drive north up to Mount Entoto. In 1881 Emperor Menelik II made his permanent camp there, after remains of an old town (believed to have been the capital of 16th century monarch Lebna Dengel) were discovered, which Menelik thought was a divine and auspicious sign.
Addis Ababa at between 2300 - 2500 meters is the third highest capital in the world and Entoto is a few hundred meters higher - as we drive up the hill there is an appreciable drop in altitude and the air is filled with the scent of the Eucalyptus trees which line the road.
From the top, there is a panoramic view of the capital and surrounding countryside. Entoto is an important watershed, to the north water flows to the Blue Nile, to the south to the Awash River. Your guide will point out the important landmarks of the city.
Entoto was soon abandoned as a site for the capital - it was cold, difficult to provision and there was a shortage of wood. Empress Taytu was said to have led the move down to the plain of Finfine, and to have named the new capital Addis Ababa, or New Flower. However, two important structures remain within the old imperial compound, the churches of Mariam and the Archangel Raguel. It was in the church of Mariam that Menelik was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1889, and in the small museum in the compound there are various clothes, court and household implements and weapons dating from the period. The church of Raguel is unusual in that it is octagonal, rather than round. There is a first story balustrade around which Menelik liked to stroll.
Leaving the churches we descend to Addis Ababa, stopping off at the National Archaeological Museum. Here visitors can see exhibits ranging from the 3.5 million year old bones of Lucy, through the Axumite and Gondarene periods to the monarchs Tewodros and Menelik.
We will take a break here for lunch - there are a number of possibilities, we could take lunch in Blue Tops across from the National Museum, at Top View which offers great views of the city, or visitors may prefer to sample Ethiopian food at the atmospheric Addis Ababa restaurant, once the home of Empress Zauditu.
After lunch we resume our tour with a visit to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, where we can see clothing from different regions, along with artifacts, household utensils and in a separate section, paintings reflecting the history and culture of the country.
This building was once the Genete Palace of Emperor Haile Selassie, and visitors can see his bedroom and bathroom.
There is an interesting display in Giorghis Church, and after seeing that we will visit Menelik’s mausoleum, where Etege Taitu and Queen Zauditu are also buried.
We then move to the Mercato, the largest market area in Africa, where virtually every possible commodity is on sale, from livestock to computers. For the visitor good at bargaining, there is a huge selection of Ethiopian arts and crafts.
We now return to our hotel. Tonight we will take our dinner in the Crown Hotel, and see dancing from Ethiopia’s different regions.
EQST 003 Debre Libanos and the Jemma River Gorge - 1 or 2 days
Pick up from the hotel is at 8.00 am and we then head north on the Gojjam road to Debre Libanos, about 110 km from Addis Ababa or approximately two hours’ drive.
Debre Libanos is an important monastic center for Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, the monastery there was founded by the renowned 13th century mystic, Saint Teclehaimanot and there is a small cave near the church (which is of recent construction) where he is said to have stood for seven years on one leg, until the other wasted away and dropped off.
On this tour visitors can combine history and culture with some good bird watching, as we pass through the Sululta Plain we can see Black-winged plovers, Wattled Ibis, Blue-winged geese, Common Cranes and Wheat ears.
On arrival at Debre Libanos, we will first stop at the Jemma River gorge. The Jemma River is one of the tributaries of the Nile, and there is a drop of nearly 1000 metres to the valley below. Here at the gorge (and in the forest around the church) we can expect to see the Banded Barbet, the Black-headed Forest Oriole, the White-billed Starling, the Red-billed Starling, the White-winged Cliff Chat, the White-backed Black Tit, the White-cheeked Turaco and Hemprich’s Hornbill. We will also see one of Ethiopia’s endemic mammals, the Gelada or bleeding heart baboon. (In the gorge we will see a variety of vultures - Lamergeyer’s, Ruppell’s and Lappet faced vultures.)
Leaving the Gorge we proceed to the church. After the church visitors can make the climb to the cave of St Teklehaimanot. Near the cave monks may show visitors the remains of some 300 monks, slaughtered in 1936 by the Italian invaders. Mussolini and the fascist authorities saw the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as one of the key elements of an independent Ethiopian identity, and thought that by carrying out the massacre they would cow the Church and by extension the Ethiopian people into submission. Rather, this atrocity fed the flames of resistance.
If you continue up the hill from the cave from the top there’s a great view of the surrounding countryside.
At some stage we will take a picnic lunch, either at the Gorge or in the forest near the church. We will leave Debre Libanos around 4.30 PM, returning to Addis Ababa early evening.
With the opening of the Ethio – German Lodge (the owner is an Ethiopian who had been resident in Germany), it is possible to spend the night in a great location, overlooking the Jemma Valley Gorge. The scenery is stunning, and it is very peaceful. As yet, the catering facilities there are not fully operational.
EQST 004 Senbete (Sunday) Market - 1 day
This trip can only be done on a Sunday, the day the market takes place.
Pick up from the hotel is earlier than usual at 6.30 am, since it is about 275 km to Senbete or about 5 hours’ drive up the main road north, or the Asmara road. There is spectacular mountain scenery en route. We should aim to get to the market before it gets hot, and before the other shoppers imbibe too much local beer, honey wine and home distilled spirits! Markets in Ethiopia are not only about buying and selling, but are major social occasions, where people meet and exchange information. Once the business is done, the socializing begins.
Senbete market is a place where the highlands and lowlands meet, and brings together different ethnic groups: the Afar (with their camels and distinctive knives), the Oromo, the Amhara, Gurage and Argoba. (The latter claim descent from the Muslims who fled persecution in Saudi Arabia before the triumph of Islam.) Visitors can buy different kinds of crafts, jewelry, baskets and woven materials.
We can either take a picnic lunch, or stop at a local restaurant. We should set off back to Addis Ababa after lunch, arriving early evening.
EQST 005 Debre Berhan and Ankober - 1 day (or 2 days with overnight at Ankober)
We set off at 7.00 am, heading north on the Asmara Road. Our first stop will be Debre Berhan, some 130 km from Addis Ababa. The great Emperor Zera Yaqob (1434 - 1468) made his imperial capital here, after seeing a “heavenly light” (almost certainly Haley’s comet), which he took as a divine sign. Later rulers abandoned the town but once again it became an important centre under the Shoan kings, notably King Sahle Selassie (1813 - 1847). However, it was largely destroyed in 1855, when Emperor Tewodros advanced into Shoa. Emperor Menelik made it his capital for a period, and visitors should see the church of Selassie which he restored in 1906.
In the town itself, visitors might like to buy the woolen hats worn by shepherd boys, and carpets with the designs characteristic of the area.
We now take the road east to another former imperial capital - Ankober, a little over 40 km from Debre Berhan. Founded by King Amaha Iyesus, Ankober commanded the very important trade route between the eastern lowlands and the Showan plateau. Abandoned by Menelik II in favour of Entoto (and later Addis Ababa), the old palace ruins can still be seen, and two of the original five churches (Mariam and Medhane Alem) are still used as places of worship.
From the town of Anokober, there are marvellous views over the escarpment, and for ornithologists there is the chance of seeing the very rare Ankober Serin, and other species such as Smith’s Francolin, Yellow Throated Serin, White billed Starling, Black-winged Love Bird, Lammergeyer, Mountain Buzzard, Peregrine, Red-breasted Sparrow Hawk, Alpine Swift, Crag Martin and Blue Rock Thrush. Wildlife recorded in the area includes: Leopard (rarely seen), Colobus and Vervet Monkeys, Gelada Baboon, Menelik’s Bushbuck, Klipsringer and Rock Hyrax, which despite its small size is a distant relative of the elephant.
One could return from Ankober back to Addis Ababa but there is now a new lodge built at Ankober in a traditional style. Using this lodge as a base, there are some great walks and hikes – one could easily spend a couple of days here, enjoying the air (it is 2870 metres asl) the great views and tranquility.
EQST 006 The Menagesha Forest and Addis Alem - 1 day
We set off at 7.00, heading west on the Jimma road. We pass potters’ markets and take a turn left after the town of Sebeta to mount Wuchacha and the Menegasha forest - the 50 km journey takes about 1 ½ hours. The Emperor Zera Yacob (1434-1468), noticing the degradation of the forest around Mount Wechecha, initiated what was the first reforestation and conservation measure in Africa by having Juniper trees planted. We will take a picnic lunch, making our way up through the forest towards the top of Mount Wechecha. We can expect to see the Abyssinian Catbird, Banded Barbet, Golden-backed Woodpecker, Black-headed Forest Oriole, Wattled Ibis, Yellow-fronted Parrot, Black-winged Lovebird, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Crowned Eagle and Narina’s Trogan. Among the wildlife species recorded here are: Menelik’s Bushbuck, Leopard rarely seen), Colobus Monkey, Serval, Grey Duiker, Hyaena, Warthog, Porcupine and Civet Cat.
After a picnic lunch in the forest, we will return to Addis Ababa by the Ambo road, stopping off at the small town of Addis Alem. Towards the end of the 19th century, faced with a chronic wood shortage around Addis Ababa (ultimately solved through the importation and planting of the fast growing Eucalyptus), Emperor Menelik II thought of transferring his capital here, and one can see today the imperial compound, Menelik’s residence, a dining hall, kitchen and the church of Mariam, which was planned to be the counterpart of Mariamtsion Church in Axum. The church has some interesting paintings and a small museum nearby contains clothes and decorations of former Ethiopian rulers.
We then set off for Addis Ababa, passing Gefersa reservoir (good for birds) and arriving early evening.
EQST 007 Melka Kunture, Adadi Mariam and Tiya - 1 day
Pick up is at 7.30 am, and we then head south-west on the Jimma road, before turning due south on to the Butajira Road. Melka Kunture lies near the Awash River Gorge and is one of the most important neolithic sites in Ethiopia. Hand axes and various other implements have been found here. There is a museum at the site.
About 5 km further on the Butajira Road, is the rock hewn church of Adadi Mariam, contemporaneous with those of Lalibela - in fact local tradition ascribes it to King Lalibela who is said to have had it built on his visit to Mount Zuqwala in 1106. Damaged during the wars with Ahmed Gragn in the 16th century, it fell into disuse and was only reopened in the time of Menelik II. It is today in regular use.
Our final stop today is at Tiya, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, where we can see the northernmost example of a peculiar type of engraved, standing stellae which stretch across parts of southern Ethiopia. These stellae are believed to have been erected between the 12th and 14th centuries and are almost certainly grave markers - recent excavations at Tiya have revealed the remains of young people of both sexes, aged between 18 - 30 and buried in foetal positions.
At some stage today we will take a picnic lunch, perhaps near the Awash River Gorge, and leave for the return journey to Addis Ababa mid afternoon.
EQST 008 Ambo and Wonchi Crater Lake - 1 day
We set off at 7.00, heading west on the new Ambo road. We will pass Menagesha Forest to the north of the road, the Holetta River (a tributary of the Awash), the small town of Addis Alem where Menelik II once planned to make his capital, before reaching Ambo, some 120 km from the capital.
The area between Addis Alem and Ambo contains the intersections of three of Ethiopia’s major river basins: those of the Awash, Omo and Guder.
We will stop for some refreshment in the town of Ambo, from where Ethiopia’s most famous mineral water is drawn, before driving up nearly 1000 meters in 27 km to the rim of the Wonchi crater, where visitors will see one of the most beautiful sites in Ethiopia - verdant forests, a lake with islands, all within the crater.
We can leave our vehicles here and descend either on foot or on horse, or drive down all the way to the crater. We will have a picnic lunch here and spend some hours walking or horse riding through the forest, visiting the hot springs, and taking a dug-out boat over to the island to visit the church. Mid afternoon we will start our journey back to Addis Ababa.
The formerly state owned Ethiopia Hotel in Ambo has been privatized is being refurbished and has great grounds. Across the road from the hotel is the swimming pool, fed by springs. This one day tour can easily be extended to 2 days, with an overnight at the Ethiopia Hotel.
EQST 009 Ambo, Wonchi Crater Lake and Wolliso- 2 days
From Wonchi crater lake we could continue to Wolliso, to the newly opened Negash Lodge. This was the site of the old Ghion Hotel – there is a natural hot spring which feeds a swimming pool as well as the water in the rooms, marvelous grounds with good bird life and Colobus and Vervet monkeys.
The owner has totally revamped the old hotel building, which has enormous baths in the rooms, and added as number of bungalows in traditional styles, Sidamo style and tukuls.
We could drive straight to Negash Lodge taking the Jimma Road out of Addis Ababa – it is only 125 km and leaving early we would be there mid-morning.
EQST 010 Mount Zuquala – 1 day
Pick up is at 7.30 and we take the south east road, heading for Mount Zuquala, which can easily be seen from Addis Ababa. Zuquala is a volcanic cone which rises to 3000 m asl, some 1000 m higher than the surrounding countryside, the crater is 2 km across and some 60 m deep, with a shallow lake at the bottom.
We turn of the main road just before entering Debre Zeit, some 48 km from Addis Ababa. It used to be possible to drive straight to the top but in recent years there has not been maintenance after the rains and it is now necessary to park the car and walk for an hour or so.
On the north east of the caldera is a monastery, part of which was destroyed by Mohammed Gragn in the 16th century, but which was later restored. The monastery is dedicated to Abba Gebre Menfes Qiddus, an Ethiopian saint renowned for his love of animals and wild life – he is frequently shown in paintings surrounded by lions and other wild beasts. A common story is that he allowed a bird to drink water from his eye.
The crater slopes are covered by dry montane forest, mainly made up of Juniper trees. The forest has a high bio-diversity – 217 species of flowering plants and ferns have been recorded. A number of endemic birds and mammals can be seen here, including: Wattled Ibis, Blue-winged Goose, Black-winged lovebird, Banded Barbet, Abyssinian Woodpecker, White-winged Cliff Chat, Abyssinian Catbird, White-backed Black Tit, and the Colobus Monkey.
Other birds of interest include : White-cheeked Turaco, Slender-billed Chestnut-winged Starling, Sharpe’s Starling, Verreaux’s Eagle and Ruppel’s Griffon Vulture, while of animal species Grey Duiker and Klipsringer can be seen.
We will take a picnic lunch in the crater (it is forbidden to enter the lake, which is said to be blessed), and pay a short visit to Debre Zeit town before returning to Addis Ababa late afternoon.
EQST 011 Sodere hot springs - 1 day
Pick up from the hotel is at 7.30, and we then set off on the south east road, turning east at Mojo. We turn off the main road before Nazereth for the host springs resort of Sodere, which lies along theAwash River.
There is a large naturally heated swimming pool, and a number of smaller pools throughout the grounds of the resort. Vervet monkeys and baboons are common in the resort, and visitors can see crocodiles basking along the banks of the Awash River. The forests which fringe the river are also good for birds – there are about 9 or 10 endemics to be seen, including Black Winged Love Bird, White Collared Pigeon, Abyssinian Woodpecker, Abyssinian Cat Bird, Yellow Fronted Parrot, Abyssinian Wax Bill.
Lunch will be taken at the resort, and we will set off back to Addis Ababa around 4.00 PM, arriving early evening.
Sodere gets rather noisy at the weekends – so be warned!
EQST 012 Awash National Park and Bilen Lodge - 2 days
Day 1: Pick up is at 7.30. Heading south down the Rift Valley we turn east at Mojo for Awash and the Afar Region. We pass Lake Beseka (which has grown over the last decade, causing the Djibouti – Addis Ababa railway line to be raised on several occasions), and enter the Awash National Park to take a picnic lunch at the Awash River Falls. Leaving the park we come to the town of Awash. Just outside the town we get to the junction where the road forks, straight ahead for Dire Dawa and Harer, and left for Djibouti and the Red Sea. Some 60 km down this road, 40 km after the town of Awash Arba, you approach some new buildings, the new District Council Offices at Andido The exit is at the edge of Andido – there is a large sign post - and 10 km on a good gravel road brings you to Bilen Lodge, which is situated on Elalaytu, a hill overlooking the vast hot springs of Bilen and the sea of reeds which fringes them.
The lodge consists of 15 self contained, double units for visitors, with a restaurant bar and staff housing.
The units’ design reflects local cultural building traditions, are thatched on the outside and covered with reed mats on the inside. The units are situated at intervals along the hill overlooking the sea of reeds, each has its own thatched patio, a bedroom with two twin beds with mosquito nets, a bathroom, with shower, flush toilet and hand basin.
The restaurant serves western and Ethiopian food, along with local specialties such as barbecued goat. Vegetarians are well provided for. The bar is well stocked with local and imported beers, wines and spirits.
In a shorter trip, returning to Addis Ababa on the second day, on arrival we could take a stroll passing through the patch of natural forest at the northern end of Elalaytu hill, down past the some agricultural project buildings and on to the hot springs. On our way, we may bump into a family of wart hog, scurrying past with their tails erect like antennae, nervous dik dik, vervet monkeys (particularly around the project buildings) and mongoose. Less frequently seen are oryx, gerenuk and lesser kudu. You don’t have to worry about chance encounters with Bilen’s resident lions – if you’re lucky you may see them in the early mornings, emerging from the reeds to survey the world, and you may well hear them at night – they sometimes stroll through the compound of the lodge in the early hours of the morning , but they’re rather reticent and we don’t guarantee sightings.
There’ll be plenty of birds on the way, you may well see the following species: Black Scrub Robin, Somali Golden Breasted Robin, Nile Valley Sunbird, Lineated Pytilia, Yellow Throated Serin, Sombre Chat and Arabian Bustard. (If you are a keen ornithologist, ask for the Bilen Lodge Bird List.)
Entering the springs and advancing to the middle it is possible to stand on top of the springs and have a kind of gravel Jacuzzi, as the hot (but not uncomfortably hot) water swirls around your legs. From there we can cut back to the lodge.
The next day we could do an early morning game drive - returning to the main road and proceeding north for a couple of kilometers, we turn right and approach the Alledeghi Plains, where at the right time of day (early morning or late afternoon) a variety of plains animals can be seen, including zebra, gerenuk, ostrich etc.
After breakfast at the lodge we can go and visit some Afar villages – most of the lodge’s workers come from the nearby village and we can wander round there, taking photos and seeing how the Afar people live.
A 10 minute car ride will bring us to the Awash River, and here we can arrange to have camels ready on which we can load cool boxes with soft drinks and a picnic lunch. There is a well preserved riverine forest, and you can trek here in the shade, and stop at a picturesque spot by the river for lunch.
If it’s a 2 day trip we should leave after lunch back to Addis Ababa.
We could easily extend to another day. (The owners of Ethiopian Quadrants are share holders in Bilen Lodge.)
NB There is now a new lodge inside the Awash Park, Fuafuate Awash Lodge, located near the Awash River Falls.
EQST 013 The Rift Valley Lakes - Zwai, Langano, Shalla and Abiata - 2 days
Day 1: We set off early down the Rift Valley, passing through Debre Zeit, and by the lakes of Koka and Zwai - if there are birders in the party, we will stop at Lake Zwai and head down to the lake shore where huge numbers of water birds are congregated. African Pygmy Geese, Yellow-billed Storks, Collared Pratincoles, Lesser and greater Jacanas, African Jacanas, White Pelicans, Fish Eagles, crowned and common cranes are some of the species to be seen here in impressive numbers.
At Lake Langano visitors now have a choice of hotels. There is the Abule Basuma Lodge at the northern end of the Lake, Wabe Shabelle a bit further south, Bekele Molla towards the southern end, opposite the entrance to Shalla and Abiata Park, and on the eastern shores, Wenney Lodge and Bishangari Lodge.
The last two are more expensive, but the eco-system on the eastern shores is more interesting and varied than the western, and there are more birds and wild life.
Lake Langano is bilharzia and crocodile free, and visitors can go for a swim, walk along the shores of the lake or go bird watching in the forests along the lake shores.
Later in the afternoon around 4.00 PM we could visit Shalla and Abiata National Park, very near to Bekele Molla, but further if we stay at Wenney or Bishangari, and after passing the tame ostriches at the gate, head first towards Shalla Lake which with a maximum depth of 300 meters is the deepest of the Rift Valley Lakes. We can stop at a look out point over the two lakes before heading down to the lake shore where there are a number of springs so hot that locals boil maize in them. We then head towards Abiata Lake, where by this time of day the lakes shores will be pink from the thousands of both lesser and greater Flamingo’s which feed in the shallows. African Pochard, Avocet, Gull billed Tern and Pintail, Ruff and a variety of ducks are among other species to be seen.
Day 2: We will spend the morning relaxing by the lake, take our lunch in the hotel and leave for Addis Ababa mid afternoon, arriving early evening.
EQST 014 Wondo Genet - 2 days
Day 1: We set off early down the Rift Valley, passing through Debre Zeit, and by the lakes of Koka, Zwai Langano, Abiata and Shalla. We start to climb after passing Langano, leaving the drier acacia forest for the greener areas around Shashamene.
Shashamene is situated at a cross roads, with roads north south and east west. It is also home to a Rastafarian community from the Caribbean. The late Emperor Haile Selassie I granted them land here in perpetuity in recognition of the support and solidarity of the people of African origin in the Caribbean for Ethiopia at the time of the Fascist aggression in 1935, when Mussolini’s Italian forces invaded the country.
From Shasmene we turn east for about 13 km for the mountain and spa resort of Wondo Genet - or “place of heaven”.
Haile Selassie had a lodge here, now part of the hotel, and the waters are reputed to have curative properties. The hot water comes gushing out of the rocks and one can stand underneath, getting a natural hydro massage. There is also a naturally heated swimming pool. The scenery around the lodge is hilly and Juniper forested. While most visitors may prefer to relax around the spa, there are some very good walks in the hills, with plenty of bird life - the endemic Yellow-fronted Parrot, the Black-headed Forest Oriole and the Golden-backed Woodpecker can easily be seen, along with the Redwing Starling, Grosbeak Weaver, Mountain Wagtail and Black Roughwing Swallow - and wildlife - colobus and vervet monkeys, anubis baboon and bushbuck.
Spectacular sunsets can be seen from the terrace outside the bar, with a great view of Lake Awassa.
Day 2: More relaxation, or forest walks. After taking lunch in the hotel, we return to Addis Ababa. We will take a stop at the Bekele Molla hotel on the shores of Lake Langano, and arrive in Addis Ababa late afternoon.
EQST 015 Lake Awassa - 2 days
Day 1: Pick up from the hotel is at 7.30, and we then head south down the Rift Valley, passing through Debre Zeit, and by the lakes of Koka, Zwai Langano, Abiata and Shalla. We start to climb after passing Langano, leaving the drier acacia forest for the greener areas around Shashamene.
A short distance from Shashamene is the town of Awassa, capital of the southern region. We will check into the new Lakeside Motel, situated on the shores of the lake. Lake Awassa with its mountainous background, is one of Ethiopia’s most beautiful lakes and is home to a huge population of birds, and walking along the shores one can also see hippo. Colobus and cervet monkeys and baboons are common in the hotel grounds. (The distance is about 280 km, the journey taking about 4 hours.)
Boats can be hired on the lake, and it is a great way to spend an afternoon, among the fishermen and watching the antics of the malakite king fisher and other water birds. There is a swimming pool in the grounds of the hotel, or visitors may like to walk along the shores of the lake or in the nearby Black Forest. Lunch and dinner will be in the hotel.
Day 2: Bird watchers may like to take an early morning trip to the fish market, and get really close to a variety of species that are very used to human company. Otherwise we will spend the morning relaxing in the hotel grounds, along the shores of the lake or on a boat. We will take lunch in the hotel, and set back to Addis Ababa mid-afternoon.
EQST 016 Yirgalem and Aregash Lodge - 2 days
Yirgalem is about 45 minutes past Awassa. This is coffee country, and the scenery is extraordinarily lush and green.
The accommodation at Aregash Lodge is based on the very attractive traditional Sidamo House. There is an excellent kitchen with lots of organic fruit and vegetables grown in the vicinity.
There are more than 100 bird species recorded in the area, and on our walks we can see hyena, jackals, Colubus and vervet monkeys.
Leaving early and without too many stops, we could reach Aregash Lodge in time for lunch, and on the second day head off back to Addis Ababa after an early lunch, arriving early evening, but it is very easy to get tempted into staying a second night.