PlanningAugust 21, 20269 min read
Travel in Ethiopia: the ultimate guide to exploring the Land of Origins
Where to go, what to do, what to eat and how long you need: everything to plan your first journey through Ethiopia.
UNESCO National Park · Nature & Wildlife
Bale Mountains
The Sanetti Plateau is the largest expanse of Afro-alpine habitat in Africa and the best place in the world to see a wild Ethiopian wolf hunt.
- Best Time
- October to April
- Suggested Stay
- 3 to 6 days
- Altitude
- 2,500 to 4,377 m
- Region
- Nature & Wildlife
Why We Go
Afro-alpine moorland holding the rarest canid on earth: the Ethiopian wolf.
The Bale Mountains protect one of Africa’s most unique ecosystems and were inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2023. Their most famous residents are the Ethiopian wolf, the world’s rarest canid, roughly half of whose population lives here, and the mountain nyala, an antelope found only in Ethiopia.
The road across the Sanetti Plateau is the highest all-weather road in Africa. Mornings there are cold, clear and quiet, and sightings of a rust-coloured wolf working a rodent burrow are genuinely intimate. Below the southern escarpment, the Harenna Forest is another world of moss, wild coffee, colobus and hornbills.
Highlights
- Ethiopian wolf tracking on the Sanetti Plateau
- Tulu Dimtu, Ethiopia’s second-highest peak, at 4,377 m
- The Harenna cloud forest with wild coffee and colobus monkeys
- Mountain nyala and Menelik’s bushbuck around Dinsho
- More than 250 bird species, including 16 Ethiopian endemics
Journeys Including Bale Mountains
Routes that pass through here
From The Travel Journal
Read more about Bale Mountains
Plan This Destination
Build Bale Mountains into your journey
Nothing here is fixed. Tell us how long you have and what else you want to see, and our team will plan the route, including the flights, the guides and the hours that matter.
Let’s Plan Your Ethiopian Adventure
Tell us a little about your travel plans. We’ll help you create a journey that suits your interests.
Discover Ethiopia. Experience the Extraordinary!
Speak to someone who has been there this season
Our guides travel these routes all year. Ask about road conditions, festival dates or the best time to visit. You will get a straight answer.
Or call us directly on +251 912 039405