Bale Mountains National Park Ethiopia

Rising over 4,000 meters, the Afro-Alpine plateau of the Bale Mountains is the highest mountainous area in southern Ethiopia.The north side of the park is home to the Sanetti Plateau – a high altitude region of glacial lakes surrounded by high volcanic ridges.

In the south of the park, you’ll find the Harenna Forest, a thick, jungle-sequel region home to colobus monkeys, wild horses, forest hogs, warthogs, and even lions and leopards.

In the surrounding villages, makeshift bars serve Tej (honey wine) round the clock and in the surrounding forests, you can learn how that incredible Ethiopian coffee is produced.

The Bale Mountains are a place of beauty, in both nature and community.

If wildlife, scenery, and the great outdoors are high on your Ethiopia travel wish list – the Bale Mountains should not be missed.

The Bale Mountains are one of Ethiopia’s best wildlife destinations.

The endemic (and rather elusive) Ethiopian wolf is found in large numbers here. The wolf is the rarest canid in the world, and your best bet for spotting one is in the Sanetti Plateau of the Bale Mountains.

The conservation of the Ethiopian Wolf, as well as the endangered Mountain Nyala, was a leading reason for the establishment of the national park.

It’s not just the Wolf and Nyala – the Bale Mountains are home to 20 endemic mammals, not to mention dozens of reptiles and amphibians and hundreds of bird species.

Other wildlife often spotted in the park include the Menelik Bushbuck, grey duiker, warthog, African golden wolf, colobus monkey, and spotted hyena.

If you look to the trees, you’ll find countless bird species, monkeys, and chameleons.

The Bale Mountains are a great place to lace up your hiking boots and explore Ethiopia’s great outdoors on foot.

If you’re basing yourself at the Bale Mountains Lodge, you can take sorties in and out of the park via 4×4 and return to the lodge at the end of the day.

Thanks to its altitudinal range, the Bale Mountains can support a huge variety of plant life.

There are around 1,300 species of flowering plants in the mountains, of which 12% are endemic to Ethiopia and 14% endemic to the Bale Mountains alone.

The Helichrysum (‘everlasting’ flowers) is the most dominant flower in the park, their yellow flowers making for beautiful backdrops as you hike through the forests in search of wildlife.

Size of Bale Mountains National Park Ethiopia

Bale Mountains National Park is a national park in Ethiopia. The park encompasses an area of approximately 2,150 square kilometers in the Bale Mountains and Sanetti Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands

Location of Bale Mountains National Park

Geography Bale Mountains National Park is located in south-eastern Ethiopia, 400 km southeast of Addis Ababa, and 150 km east of Shashamene in the Oromia Region National State.

How to get to Bale Mountains National Park Ethiopia

Travelers can take a domestic flight into the nearby airport town of Robe.

From here, it is a 2-hour drive to the Bale Mountains Lodge. If you are basing yourself in the town of Dinsho, it is a slightly shorter drive from Robe.

One of the best ways to get to the Bale Mountains is via a road trip across the Rift valley. Often, you can learn much more about a country by driving through, rather than flying overhead.

A road trip from Addis down to the Bale Mountains is an awesome couple of days and well worth it if you have more time to weave into your itinerary.

Things to do in Bale Mountains National Park Ethiopia

The Bale Mountains is one of the most unique places to visit in Ethiopia and it offers a wide range of activities those include;

Trekking activities

For those looking for more adventure, it’s possible to arrange multi-day trips across the park. These treks range from 2-12 days with overnights at campsites located around the park. Horse riding is also possible in the park.

You can modify the routes and length of the treks to suit your fitness levels. Generally, hiking in the Bale Mountains is relatively easy if you are of average fitness.

Most visitors spend two nights in the Bale Mountains and will combine short hikes to the best viewpoints with road transfers to cover the longer distances.

Birding tours

Six different vegetation types are found within these two biomes. Despite the fact that highlands generally contain lower biodiversity than lowland habitats, over 320 bird species, including half of Ethiopia’s endemic birds and 90% of the highland biome, as well as several of the Somali-Masai biome species, are found in the birding route area. Furthermore, the route includes options to explore unique wildlife and nearby historical and cultural sites, providing you with an unforgettable experience.

Fishing safaris

Bale Mountains National Park is a fine place for anglers.  Fishing in an amazing River stream in the Bale Mountains Park is fascinating. The Danka, the Web, and the Shaya Rivers are the main fishing sites of the Park.

Wild coffee village tour

The southern part of the park is heavily forested with wild forest coffee (coffee Arabica) and medicinal plants like the Hagenia.

The most striking of all is the seemingly misshapen Juniper Trees, whose branches bend and contort to create a scene straight out of a Harry Potter film!

Honey harvesting tours

Ethiopia is the leading producer of honey in Africa and the tenth-largest producer in the world. Traditional beekeeping has been practiced for thousands of years in Ethiopia. The Harenna forest is known for its production of organic forest honey. The indigenous people of the area possess extensive knowledge of tree species and their value for beekeeping.

Walks at the park headquarters

The headquarters has a main loop trail that is easy to follow and will take you through the Hageniaand juniper forest. The trail begins at a small footbridge on the road between the entrance gate and the lodge. This is a gravel laid trail that leads you uphill and comes out at the main campsite. You can then follow the main road down from the campsite to the Dinsho lodge. Warthog, mountain nyala, Menelik’s bushbuck, and Bohor reedbuck are very common within the area as are many Ethiopian and Abyssinian endemic birds.

Gushuralle peak forest trail

Beginning at the Bale Mountain Lodge in the Katcha clearing, 7km south of Rira, this trail takes you through a dense bamboo forest. Wildlife you may come across includes Bale monkey, Menelik’s bushbuck, warthog, colobus monkey, mountain nyala, and giant forest hog.

Harenna bamboo and waterfall walk

The beautiful Bale mountains are nestled into the thickets of the Harenna Forest – is one of Ethiopia’s best boutique lodges. It’s the perfect place to return for sun-downers by the roaring fire after a day’s exploring.

Web valley walks

The Web valley hike starts from the park headquarters and takes about three and a half to four hours one-way. You’ll pass a waterfall (next to which there is a campsite) that flows heavily from June to November, and less so throughout the rest of the year. Wildlife along this route includes warthog, mountain nyala, Menelik’s bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, grey duiker, serval, spotted hyena, golden (common) jackal, black-and-white colobus monkey, rock hyrax, and Starck’s hare. Bird species include the black-winged lovebird, white-collared pigeon, Abyssinian longclaw, Tacazze sunbird, tawny and steppe eagles, African rook, black-headed siskin, Thekla lark, streaky seedeater, and many other

Gasuray gorge walk

Gasuray Gorge: Gasuray is a prominent feature in the Dinsho landscape, located southwest of the town. A hill, recognized by its cone-like shape and position on the Web River, stands between cultivated fields and the ridge running along the western edge of the Web valley. At its base, the Web River has cut through the rock to expose unique geological features and create beautiful scenery.

When to visit Bale Mountains National Park

Being a highland area, the Bale Mountains have a very different climate in many parts of southern Ethiopia. In fact, the mountains follow similar weather patterns to the high-altitude north of the country.

The Bale Mountains have a rainy season from June to September, so if you want to see the park at its most beautiful, September and October are fantastic months to visit if you don’t mind overcast skies and slightly colder temperatures.

The best time for hiking is between October and March during the dry season.

When you choose to go will depend on which other destinations you are visiting in Ethiopia – the size of the country means different regions have different weather patterns, so it’s important to plan ahead.

Where to stay in Bale Mountains National Park

By far the best option in the area is the Bale Mountains Lodge. Not only is it the best accommodation option in the park, but it’s one of the best lodges in Ethiopia.

Unfortunately, the Bale Mountains Lodge does not come cheap, so if you are on a budget you will need to stay at some of the basic hotels in Goba or Dinsho.

There’s no way around it, these hotels are not very good, which can detract from your experience of the mountains. If you can afford the Bale Mountains Lodge, it’s well worth it.

For those who want a proper outdoor adventure, there are a number of fly camps set up around the park. Seldom used, you won’t see any other trekkers around, and it’ll feel like you and your trekking team have the entire 2,200 square kilometer forest to yourselves.

Overview

Size & Location

How to get there

Activities

Areas of interest

When to visit

Where to stay

Overview

Size & Location

How to get there

Activities

Areas of interest

When to visit

Where to stay

Overview

Size & Location

How to get there

Activities

Areas of interest

When to visit

Where to stay

Overview

Size & Location

How to get there

Activities

Areas of interest

When to visit

Where to stay

Overview

Size & Location

How to get there

Activities

Areas of interest

When to visit

Where to stay

Overview

Size & Location

How to get there

Activities

Areas of interest

When to visit

Where to stay