8-Day Bale Mountains Trekking and Cultural Tour in Ethiopia

1

Day 01

Addis Ababa City Tour and Mount Entoto Views

• Arrive at Bole International Airport and transfer to your hotel. Then enjoy a full-day city tour of Addis Ababa, visiting the National and Archaeological Museum of Addis Ababa, Holy Trinity Cathedral Church, and Mount Entoto for a panoramic view of the capital. Mount Entoto was the former capital of Emperor Menelik II. You will also visit Merkato, the largest open-air market in Africa. Overnight at the hotel.

2

Day 02

Drive from Addis Ababa to Goba via Mountain Scenery

• Leave Addis Ababa and drive 400 km towards Goba through increasingly magnificent mountain scenery. Along the way, visit different small and large towns in the Oromia region. Overnight at Wabe Shebele Hotel in Goba.

3

Day 03

Horseback Exploration in the Northern Woodland

• Spend the full day exploring the northern woodland of the park. As you ride on horses across the grassland and into the woodland, there are a number of animals to see, including the endemic mountain Nyala as well as warthog, reedbuck, Menelik's bushbuck, and grey duiker. Overnight at Adelay Camping.

4

Day 04

Trek to Sodota Campsite at 3,400 m

• Trek to Sodota campsite, set at an altitude of 3,400 m a.s.l. The trek takes 6 to 7 hours. The landscape is covered with small shrubs, which makes it easy to spot animals such as the Ethiopian wolf, Abyssinian hare, and rock hyrax. Overnight camping.

5

Day 05

Scenic Trek to Gebre Guracha and Tulu Dimtu

• The scenic trail to Gebre Guracha takes 5 to 6 hours and offers splendid views of the so-called "Black Lake." Many interesting water birds can be spotted here. These trails lead you onto the Sanetti Plateau, which is endowed with several peaks, and continue to the top of the domed Tulu Dimtu, the "Red Mountain" in the local language, the second-highest mountain in Ethiopia at an altitude of 4,377 m a.s.l. Overnight camping.

6

Day 06

Ride Across the Sanetti Plain and Continue to Hawassa

• After breakfast, ride for 2 to 3 hours to the plain of Sanetti, observing birds such as Rouget's rail, blue-winged goose, thick-billed raven, white-winged cliff chat, banded barbet, golden eagle, chestnut-naped francolin, wattled crane, Thekla lark, black saw-wing, moorland chat, white-backed black tit, red-billed chough, and black-headed siskin.
• You may also see the endemic Abyssinian wolf and the giant mole rat. Afterwards, the minibus will be waiting to take you on to Hawassa, crossing the town of Shashemene, where the Rastafarians live - a community who believe in the late Emperor of Abyssinia. Overnight at the hotel.

7

Day 07

Lake Awassa, Alaba Painted Houses, and Halaba Market

• In the morning, drive to the shore of the lake and visit the "Fish Market" at Lake Awassa.
• After breakfast, drive to Arba Minch, and along the way visit the people of Alaba, who are noted for their beautifully painted houses and hats.
• Then visit the colorful local market at Halaba. Overnight at the hotel.

8

Day 08

Return to Addis Ababa via Tiya

• After breakfast, drive back to Addis Ababa. On the way, visit the stelae field of Tiya, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. After lunch on the way, continue driving to Addis Ababa and end the tour.