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Atravelynn

medium.5959d1477eed6_IMG_9070baleclouds.

Bale Mountains

 

The title is compliments of the alliteratively talented @AndMic.  Heading above the clouds last March along with @AndMic were @Michael-ibk and myself.

 

We settled on the travel company, Ethiopian Quadrants, after some independent research and reaching out to other Safaritalk members who have gone to Ethiopia and have posted some great reports here.  A key factor in choosing Ethiopian Quadrants was securing the guide @Nature Traveler had, Abiy Dagne.  Red Jackal was also a company we considered and they provided timely, informative, and professional information.

 

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                                        Traditional meal with injera bread

 

After Ethiopia experienced some security problems in Oct 2016, we were cognizant of safety issues.  Our investigations, contacts and especially our visit allayed any concerns.  Absolutely nothing, even the least little bit unsettling occurred.  As more time passes without incident, as more people heed Lonely Planet’s 2017 “Ten destinations you cannot afford to miss” (Ethiopia’s on the list), and as more accounts of  successful travels to Ethiopia are shared, visitors are going to flock to Ethiopia.

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Geladas in Guassa, led by male

Four safety anecdotes:

1)  A hotel employee in Addis proudly described to me the beauty, wonder, and security of Ethiopia.  He explained that the grass outside the city was so green and soft, it just beckoned you to lie down upon it.  And when you did, he explained, “You can fall sound asleep on the grass and not one single animal or person will harm you.”

 

2)  A longtime resident of Ethiopia from the UK explained he had no qualms walking around the city and heading home on foot at night.  He added that he would not feel so safe in other African cities.  (Or American cities, I might add, from my own experience.)

 

3)  An NGO worker who had been all over Ethiopia for the past 3 years stated: “I could tape money to my naked body and walk the streets any time of day or night and nothing would happen to me.”  None of us put that suggestion to the test.

 

4)  At the end of our trip we were a few hours outside of Addis Ababa when we noticed several men approaching the street and waving machetes over their heads.  They were making obvious eye contact and gestures toward our vehicle.  Alarmed, I asked our guide and driver what was going on.  “This is the town where they make knives and they are selling them.”  Oh, nothing to fear, just free enterprise at work.

                    medium.5959b58624cfe_IMG_7795guassascene  medium.59597b976f898_IMG_3634blackwinged

                     Scenery bordering Guassa                                               Ethiopian Endemic--Black-winged Lovebird, Addis Ababa, Ghion Garden

 

ITINERARY, and some notable wildlife

 

MARCH 2017

 

10      Met upon arrival and transferred to Jupiter International Hotel.  Visa upon arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, no hassle. 20 minutes drive to Jupiter Hotel.  I had arranged for a morning check-in.  Day at rest.  Ethiopian Quadrants owner,Tony Hickey, offered to host me for dinner that evening at his restaurant, but I was asleep when the invitation was granted and needed the recuperation time.

 

11      Depart Addis Ababa to Menz Guassa

7:10 – 7:30  Gentlemen arrived on early flight, drive to Ghion Unity House and Gardens

7:30 – 9:00  Birding at Ghion Unity House in Addis Ababa

9:00 – 11:00  Drive

11:00 –12:00 Birding at ponds/lakes between Addis and Debre Birhan

12:00 – 12:40  Drive to Debre Birhan

12:40 –1:50 Lunch at Eva Restaurant, Debre Birhan

1:50 – 5:30 Drive to Menz Guassa, Guassa Community Lodge

 Some Notable Endemic Birds Seen in/around Addis:  Black-winged Lovebird, Black-headed Siskin, Abbyssinian Long-claw, Blue-winged Goose

 

12      Menz Guassa, Guassa Community Lodge

Mostly walking

13      Menz Guassa, Guassa Community Lodge

Mostly walking

 Some Notable Guassa Wildlife Seen:  Wolves, Gelada, Blick’s Grass Rat, Serval, Klipspringer, Mountain/Gray/Common Duiker, Abyssinian Hyrax, Rouget’s Rail, White Collared Pigeons, Abyssinian Long-claw, and other Birds

 

 14      Menz Guassa to Awash National Park

7:00 – 12:40 Drive to Addis, stopping about 15 minutes for Gelada

12:40 – 1:40 Lunch at Road Runner, same owner as Ethiopian Quadrants

1:40 – 4:50  Arrive at Awash Park Gate

4:50 – 6:30  Drive in park, arrive Awash Lodge

 

 

15      Awash National Park, Evening at Harar Hyena Den, Awash Lodge

Walk and drive during the day

5:30 – 8:30 pm Drive, then walk to Harar Hyena Den

 

 

16      Depart Awash Lodge to Ali Deghe Wildlife Reserve, Doho Lodge

6:45 – 9:00 Drive Awash to Ali Deghe Wildlife Reserve, wildlife enroute

9:00 – 10:00  Game drive in Ali Deghe

10:00 –11:00  Drive to Doho Lodge, wildlife enroute

3:30 – 4:30  Drive Doho Lodge to Ali Deghe Wildlife Reserve, wildlife enroute

4:30 – 6:30  Game Drive in Ali Deghe Wildlife Reserve

6:30 – 7:30 pm Drive Ali Deghe to Doho Lodge, wildlife asleep

10:00 pm  Night walk for Defassa Waterbuck

 Some Notable Awash & Ali Deghe Wildlife Seen:  Soemmerring's Gazelle, Gerenuk, Grivet Monkey, Abyssinian Hare, Beisa Oryx, Hamadryas Baboon, Olive Baboon, Bat-eared Fox, Hyena, Salt’s Dik dik, Crocs, Somali Ostrich, Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, Arabian Bustard

 

 

 17      Depart Doho Lodge for Lake Langano, Hara Lodge

6:30 – 7:30  Bird walk around lodge

8:45 – 2:10  Drive Doho Lodge to town of Ziway, wildlife enroute

2:10 –3:10 Lunch at Bethlehem Restaurant, Ziway

3:15 – 3:30  Tree Hyrax walk and viewing in Ziway

3:30 – 4:30  Drive Ziway to Abijatta- Shalla National Park, wildlife enroute

4:30 – 6:00 Walk in Abijatta- Shalla National Park

6:00 – 7:00 pm Drive to Lake Langano, Hara Lodge

 

 

18      Lake Langano, Hara Lodge

Walking

Some Notable Lake Langano Wildlife Seen:  Banded Barbet, Black-winged Lovebird, Yellow-fronted Parrot, Double-toothed Barbet, , Colobus Monkeys, Gambian Sun Squirrel, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Northern Carmine Bee Eater, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, White-cheeked Turacao

 

 

19      Drive Lake Langano to Bale Mountain Lodge

8:00 –9:20 Bird walk, Bishangari at Lake Langano

9:20 – 2:30 Drive Lake Langano to Gaysay Grasslands of Bale National Park

2:30 – 2:55 Game drive Gaysay Grasslands

2:55 – 3:15 Drive to Park Headquarters, Dinsho

3:30 – 6:45 pm Game Drive through Sanetti Plateau and reach Bale Mountain Lodge

 

20, 21, 22, 23  Bale Mountain Lodge

Forest walks, drives to Sanetti Plateau, drive to Gaysay Grassland, grassland and owl walk

Some Noteable Bale Wildlife Seen:  Ethiopian Wolf, Giant/Big-headed Mole Rat, Blick's Grass Rat, Bale Monkey, Starck's Hare, Mountain Nyala, Menelik's Bushbuck, Reedbuck, Colobus Monkey, Abyssinian Catbird, Blue-winged Goose, Lammergeier,  Rouget's Rail, Spot-breasted Plover, Thick-billed Raven, Wattled Ibis, White-cheeked Turacao

 

24      Drive Bale Mountain Lodge to Hawasa, Halile Resort

7:35 –12:15 Depart Bale, mostly game drive

12: 15 – 1:35 Lunch Meeboon Restaurant

1:35 – 6:00 pm Complete drive to Hawassa, Halile Resort

 

 

 25      Drive Hawassa to Jupiter Hotel, Addis Ababa. Fish Market & Senkelle Sanctuary

7:00 – 7:15 Drive Halile Resort to Fish Market

7:15 – 8:15 At Fish Market

8:15 – 9:50 Drive to Senkelle Sanctuary

9:50 – 11:15 Walk through Senkelle Sanctuary

11:15 – 4:30 pm Arrive Jupiter Hotel

 

6:00 – 6:15 Drive from Jupiter Hotel to Roadrunner Restaurant for farewell dinner

6:15 – 8:30 Farewell Dinner, joined by Tony Hickey, owner of Ethiopian Quadrants

8:30 – 8:50 Drive from Roadrunner Restaurant to airport

Some Notable Fish Market Wildlife Seen:  Marabou Storks, Black Crake, Grivits Monkey

Some Notable Senkelle Sanctuary Wildlife Seen: Oribi, Swayne’s Hartebeest, Northern Carmine Bee-eater

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Yellow-billed Ducks, outside of Addis Ababa

 

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Me at Awash Falls

 

 

Edited by Atravelynn
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Botswanadreams

Thanks for the start of your trip report. I was still waiting of this because we are going to Ethiopia on August 30. Can't wait for the next part.   

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Atravelynn
6 minutes ago, Botswanadreams said:

Thanks for the start of your trip report. I was still waiting of this because we are going to Ethiopia on August 30. Can't wait for the next part.   

Lots of Ethiopia reading as of late.  You'll love it and may starting dreaming of Ethiopia along with Botswana.

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Atravelynn

The cartographer bug bit.  We traversed a small area of this expansive and fascinating country, as shown in red.

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It was more driving than most African safaris we have done.  Thank goodness we had such a pro in Begashaw, or Bega for short. That man could motor!

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In keeping with the title of the report, that emphasizes “endemics,” the next map is where we saw some of the endemics.  It is possible I omitted a bird species or two.

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Temps and elevations could be a little extreme, so they are noteworthy.

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And we did see wolves!  I believe the count went like this:  Guassa = 3*

Bale = 3, 2, 12, 2, 6 for a total of 25 in 5 outings.  The gentlemen may have spied even more in Bale.

* The gentlemen saw 2 wolves in Guassa.  I saw #3 while they were getting fantastic photos of #1 jumping off the ground.

 

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Collage from Bale

 

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At times they even hunted - from Bale

 

 

Edited by Atravelynn
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my neck grew so loooong, looking out for this and finally it arrived - Yay. and then I read of the wolves in Guassa and I grew so jealous. But I knew that you guys would see the wolves in Guassa and am glad (with face still green with envy) that you did, and more!

 

 

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Looking forward to this  -  really lovely collection of Wolf pictures from Bale.

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Ahhh, finally, was bothering the gentlemen for quite some time now :ph34r:. Tell me, Lynn, that hour-by-hour itinerary, was it done in advance?! 

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Wow so many wolves!  And birds!  This is going to be fun to read. 

 

Love the maps too. Really helpful as I know next to nothing about Ethiopia. 

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michael-ibk

After re-assembling our well-tried safari trio from India Abiy first took us to a restaurant in Addis after our long flights to have some breakfast and coffee. Of course we couldn´t sit still for very long, so soon ended up doing a bit of birding in the garden. There are 40 endemic birds in Ethiopia, and we found the first of them right away:

 

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The Black-Winged Lovebird

 

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Abyssinian Thrush - recently confirmed as a separate species from the very similar Olive Thrush.

 

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Tacazze Sunbird - the most common sunbird this trip

 

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Dusky Turtle Dove - a new bird for me, very common in the capital.

 

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And their cousins, Red-Eyed Doves.

 

We did not have too much time too linger, it´s quite a long drive to Guassa, our first station, so soon embarked on our journey. One stop along the way was made for more birding (do not worry, we´ll get to the mammals very soon), at a nice pond close to the main road.

 

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Black-Necked Heron

 

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Yellow-Billed Ducks.

 

Whenever we were close to human settlements it never took long for kids turning up, chuckling, following us around and wondering what the hell we were doing here in the middle of nowhere, running after something as uninteresting as birds.

 

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Oh my gosh this will be fun....thanks for the detailed maps Lynn, that had to take some time.  

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That Abyssinian Thrush sure looks like our American Robin! Sure one wasn't lost over there? ;)

 

No need to make excuses for the birds on my account, although I am looking forward to mammals too!

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michael-ibk

We stopped for lunch at Debre Birhan and had our first try of the local food! While the toppings were really good we agreed that Injera, a flat-bread with a somewhat spongy texture used both as plate and eating instrument, would need a bit of time to get acquainted to. Pretty weird and sour stuff. Ethiopians love it and eat it with everything, each household has their own recipe. Little did I know at that time that I would definitely not learn to like it but rather hate, hate, hate and detest it and would swear never, ever, absolutely really never ever again to touch this devillish stuff again. But more on that later.

 

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We drove up onto the highlands, on steep, winding roads through idyllic villages which seemed a bit out of time, like something from eras long past. In a good way - obviously people here don´t have much, but everything was tidy, and the locals looked content.

 

It was already late afternoon when we finally reached Guassa Plateau.

 

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Straight away we found our second endemic - the Abyssinian Longclaw.

 

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After settling in at the "lodge" AndMic and me decided to have a look around the place. It was already very cold, and we planned to escape the freezing shadows and enjoy the last shimmers of sun on a hill close by. And enjoyed the golden light Guassa´s long grass was bathing in.

 

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But wait - what is that? Surely not a ...

 

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YES! A wolf, only 15 minutes after we arrived at the place. Supersuperlucky! Humdidum, we couldn´t believe our luck! While we had hoped for Wolves here we did not really expect it, from everything we´d read we knew that sightings were few and far between. But here it was - right at our feet.

 

We carefully climbed down the hill and tried to approach the Wolf who luckily was busy - it was hunting for rodents.

 

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So how shy would it be? Would it allow us to get a bit closer?

 

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Well, this one was not very attentive. Completely oblivious to us it was totally fixated on getting a snack for dinner.

 

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Jump jump everybody!

 

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When suddenly it realized it was not alone, it stared at us indignantly and ran ran ran.

 

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Apparently this one is a bit different from the Bale population, the "Northern Ethiopian Wolf" (subspecies Canis simensis simensis), found here at Guassa (about 50), the Simiens (about 100), Mount Guna (probably extinct there) and the Wollo highlands (around 40). Interestingly enough it seems the southern subspecies has a "longer nasal bone". Contrary to that, my impression was that the Wolves at Guassa had a somewhat more elongated snout.

 

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The Wolf did not stop until it had reached a safe distance to us.

 

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Their population in Guassa seems to go up a bit. Wiki says there are 40, a Gelada researcher told us a recent count had come up with 54. The Golden Jackal (which was recently promoted to Golden "Wolf") is their rival here, and the two animals apparently do not get along too well. Abiy thought it could be beneficial to remove the (least vulnerable) Jackals from the area to ease the tension for the Wolves and ensure their survival.

 

As the light was going down we spotted a second Wolf pretty close.

 

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We would not see the Wolves again in Guassa. This was a super-precious sighting we had not even dared dream of, even more special because we saw them on foot.

 

I said to Andrew that Lynn would kill us once we´d tell her of what we had found. But I needn´t have worried, Lynn was right behind us, and even saw one Wolf more than we had. Just as the first Wolf focused on the rodents had not noticed us we hadn´t seen Lynn, transfixated as we were on our canine object of desire.

Edited by michael-ibk
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michael-ibk

"Guassa" is not only the name of the place but also the community´s lifeblood:

 

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"Guassa" - or Festuca abyssinica - is the Amharic name for the special grass growing here, slightly taller and coarser than ordinary grass. The locals use it as grazing fodder, to thatch cottages, to mix with mud for housebuilding, to make whips and ropes, to make raincoats known as "gesa" and much much more.

 

Not a national park but something unique, the area is managed through a common property resource system by the communities living adjacent to the area. This indigenous management system has been traced back to the 17th century and is one of the oldest conservation management systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Because Guassa, the grass, is invaluable to the locals they have a good incentive to take care of the place which is of course hugely beneficial to the local wildlife. They are financially supported by the Frankfurt Zoological Society which also tries to assist the communites in practicing sustainable resource management. In part thanks to their work Guassa was gazetted in 2012 as the first community conservation area in Ethiopia.

 

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One more of the endemics - the huge Thick-Billed Raven, the largest corvid.

 

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Standing guard on the lodge´s roof.

 

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Another endemic - the White-Collared Pigeon.

 

The Society also helped in constructing the self-catering lodge here which is the only accomodation for tourists. All revenue goes to the community.

 

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The lodge in the background

 

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Is this a great place to stay? Well, I will be honest.

 

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The rooms are rather damp and extremely basic. No sanitary facilites in the room. The one sink they have outside did not work, so we had no running water at all which was a nuisance. The shower did not work (but it was way too cold to get one anyway.) Let´s really not talk about the toilet. And it´s getting very, very cold up here - Ethiopian Quadrants provided us with warm sleeping bags which was welcome indeed.

 

The eating room was ok. We had our own cook, a local, who prepared a combination of pasta - potato - rice with tomato and sometimes meat. Nothing special but absolutely alright.

 

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The evenings were quite cosy, the huge fire really was very pleasant.

 

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I did my very best to also warm myself up from inside and "enjoyed" a bottle of "Ethiopian Gin" (some brown extremely strong stuff made from barley) with our driver Bege (who knew he did not have any driving duties the next day) and our local guide. Miraculously I survived without getting sick, just a decent good old hang-over the next day. One evening we were joined by a party of four, two expats living in Addis who had visited their parents to show them the country. A fun meeting, and what they told us about living in Ethiopia and its people was very positive. (This was the guy Lynn mentioned plastering his naked body with money btw).

 

All in all, the lodge is extremely basic - which I do not mind as such, simple can be absolutely alright. Unfortunately I also felt the place is not very well kept (and not very clean). All the facilites (running water, shower, even electric lights) are in place, they just do not work because they are being neglected. A bit of a shame, with only a bit of an effort the lodge could be much nicer.

 

But - who cares! There are Wolves there! And it´s such a unique place, unlike anything else I´ve ever been to, majestic and simple at the same time, silent and powerful, plain and grand.

 

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And most important of all - it´s home to the Geladas!

 

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Edited by michael-ibk
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SafariChick

Yay, been waiting excitedly to see this report!  Fantastic start - the maps are awesome and beautiful wolves! You saw 12 in one day? Wow!!!  And so great you got to see them at Guassa also! Looking forward to more.

 

Just saw the newest installments - the jumping wolves, wow, amazing @michael-ibk!

Edited by SafariChick
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@Atravelynn and @michael-ibk

What a wonderful start to your trip - especially the wolves.

It is great to have the detail of the maps, and I am enjoying the writing and the photos.

The 3 of you must have got on very well together in India, and it sounds like you have planned an amzing trip in Ethiopia.

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Loving this. Thanks all

 

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SafariChick

Beautiful Gelada shot! They have very expressive faces ... and their hairdos are really something else!

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michael-ibk

But I´m getting ahead of myself. So, what to do in Guassa?

 

This is not safari country, "game drives" do not really work here. Very few roads, and to get to the good stuff you have to mainly use your feet.

 

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Which can be quite exhausting - the plateau is roughly 3500 m above sea level, and one quickly notices the thin air. And with 100 km² there´s a lot of ground to cover.

 

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Four different raptors? No, this is all the same bird, the Augur Buzzard, omnipresent in the area. It comes in a lot of different morphs. After a while one gets a bit disappointed about them. "Is this a new raptor, Abiy?" - "No, Augur Buzzard again." - "Oh".

 

We also saw a few Vultures and Harriers, but none of them as close as the Buzzard.

 

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Just like in Bale there are a lot of rats and mice around and are providing ample food for all the raptors. They are tiny and shy - we never managed to get close.

 

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This one was living in the lodge, however.

 

Do not ask me about the species - I have given up. Maybe Blick´s Grass Rat, Abyssinian Meadow Rat, Unstriped Grass Rat - take your pick.

 

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What about other mammals? The brochures say they also have Leopard, Civet and Spotted Hyena. The researcher we chatted with confirmed that there are Hyenas around but they have never seen Leopard. Our local guide insisted, though, that they are in the area. We did see one Golden Wolf/Jackal but from a great distance.

 

Antelopes? We found a couple of Common Duikers, twice.

 

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And these rocky areas ...

 

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... are of course perfect terrain for Klippspringers.

 

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We saw them twice, a pair and a group of four. All very shy and not approachable.

 

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Which can´t be said about the Alpine Chat - a bold little guy.

 

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Some great vistas to be found in Guassa especially where the plateau drops down.

 

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Some more birds from the area:

 

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Blue-Winged Goose, another Ethiopian endemic

 

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Groundscaper Thrush

 

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African Stonechat

 

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Fan-Tailed Raven

 

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Wattled Ibis, a signature bird of the highlands. Another endemic.

 

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Yellow Bishop

 

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Brown-Rumped Seedeater, another - you guessed it - endemic to the horn.

 

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Endemic overload - White-Winged Cliff Chat

 

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And another exclusive Horn-inhabitat - the Abyssinian Wheatear

 

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offshorebirder

Wow - @Atravelynn and @michael-ibk - I am floored by this excellent trip report!   What an unexpected surprise. Your combined enthusiasm is infectious. 

 

Thanks for the maps and trip planning info Lynn - and Wattled Ibis, Michael you lucky dog!

 

Great photos of the Ethiopian Wolf @michael-ibk.    And I like the Ethipian Wolf montage @Atravelynn.

 

 

 

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michael-ibk

But of course the main attraction was the incredibly fascinating plant life.

 

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Kidding!

 

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Now we´re talking - Geladas!

 

As mentioned before we mainly walked around in Guassa, and found plenty of them, dozens, maybe hundreds.

 

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But of course we did not know that when we started walking, and actually were nervous if we would get to see them at all. And indeed, we had to walk for almost an hour until Abiy finally told us we were close.

 

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They retreat to the steep cliffs for sleeping, to be out of reach for predators. Once it´s warming up they are returning to their feeding grounds - Geladas are pure grazers.

 

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Our very first Gelada!

 

And soon we made contact with the first proper troup:

 

 

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Enjoying a morning breeze.

 

Spending time with the Geladas was one of the most peaceful things I have ever done. We were all alone with them, and after a while they did not mind us at all, and allowed us to mingle with them. What did they think of us? Were we part of the troop for them?

 

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Lynn did go to extremes to blend in:

 

 

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Edited by michael-ibk
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michael-ibk

Geladas are closely related to Baboons but not a species of Baboons - they are put in their own genus "Theropithecus" which means Man-Ape. Relics of cooler times in Africa they are now only found in the Ethiopian highlands.

 

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Lots of young ones among them - always a joy to watch.

 

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These slightly older three rascals were obviously up to no good.

 

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Grass is not very nutritious so they have to eat basically all the time - and they do:

 

 

 

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Their thick fur keeps them well insulated - but sometimes makes them look like hairy little blobs.

 

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michael-ibk

We´ll get back to the Geladas - but meanwhile, an interlude with another unexpected Guassa highlight. On the second day we were going to the hill we had seen the Wolves from, trying to locate them again. No luck. But Abiy, untiringly scanning with bincos and also his scope, found something equally interesting:

 

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A Serval! Really a testament to Abiy´s abilities as a guide, the local guide had never seen one, and also the Gelada researcher could not believe our luck - she only knew it from camera traps.

 

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The Serval was far off - many hundred metres, the other side of the swamp that was separating us from it. I asked Abiy if it would make sense to try to approach. He suggested to me to try it on my own but told me not to expect much - it would probably run very soon.

 

And so I went down, across the swamp, pretty breathless, it was difficult to walk on the bumpy ground. But so exciting - how cool was this, trying to get close to a Serval on foot?

 

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And I was lucky again - the Serval trusted in its camouflage and stayed put. As a matter of fact, even though I knew exactly where it was it was difficult for me to remember the spot. There were no distinguishing features here in the landscape, and everytime I looked away (which I had to because I had to watch where I was going) it was difficult to relocate it. It blended in perfectly.

 

The closer I got the more it crouched down, until I could only see its ears.

 

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Until it grudgingly came to the conclusion that hiding was not enough in this situation - and off it ran:

 

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After a while it stopped, hid again, and our game of cat and mouse started anew:

 

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But soon it retreated again, and I let it be - thrilled with my very own Serval hunt on foot!

 

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Edited by michael-ibk
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SafariChick

LOL at @Atravelynn eating with the Geladas - that is so Lynn!  Lynn, you perhaps should have let down your hair to blend in further ;)

 

We need a wow button in addition to a like because I wanted to say Wow! about the serval - so cool!!

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Game Warden

This is fantastic. Thanks @Atravelynn, @michael-ibk and @AndMic Njera, how can you not like that? With a spicy lamb stew? I dream about having a good plate of it to share with Lizzy. And some of those Gelada images remind me of myself, looking in the mirror :) Looking forward to more updates.

 

And I just wanted to reinforce what I've said recently, it really does fill me with pride and a sense of personal satisfaction that ST has brought people together in this manner. Thanks for making my Safaritalk dream come true.

 

Matt

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Major LOL at Lynn monkeying around.  What I'd give to photograph the Geladas.  

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