Trekking in Bale Mountain -10 Days

With group members arriving during the afternoon and evening, today is a 'free' day for you to arrive, be transferred to the start hotel, and to shake off any travel fatigue before the start of your adventure in earnest, tomorrow. Your guide will be on hand to welcome you in the evening with an adventure briefing, and advice on where to grab a bite to eat. If you would like us to help you organize any free time you have today, then do just ask.

Our journey begins in Addis Ababa. Our adventure begins with a tour of the highlights of this liveliest city including the Ethnographic & Red Terror Museums, Cathedral and Merkato. We will have dinner at a culture house, watching traditional music and dancing.

Addis to Dinsho. Making an early start we will drive down to Dinsho through the incredible southern Ethiopian countryside. Our campsite is situated inside the Bale Mountains National Park, and affords beautiful views of the endemic mountain nyalas, huge warthogs and redback and bushback deer who all drop past to say hello, as well as an abundance of local birdlife for which the park is famous.

Begin Bale Mountain Trek. We will trek from Dinsho east along to Sodota Camp through the farmsteads and then vast plainlands. This is the natural habitat of the endemic Ethiopian red wolf, and we will keep a sharp eye out for either solitary hunters or small packs with their young here in their hunting grounds.

Sodotato Wasswma Camp (walking approx 5hrs). Today we climb right up onto the plateau through beautiful landscapes of silvery everlasting flower to camp near the base of the stunning Mt. Waaswma. From the plainlands we gain some real height and are rewarded with fantastic views of the pyramid mountain and also the sensation of being in a remote and magical place very few people have the opportunity of seeing.

Wassema to Rafu Camp (Walking approx 4hrs). A shorter day today across the rooftop of Africa will bring us to Rafu Camp, situated in the incredible mind-bending natural ‘stone forest’ of the plateau. Our camp is nestled in between the stones in this surreal and beautiful setting. For the more energetic there is the option to ascend a small peak from camp affording incredible views of the Harenna Forest to the south.

Rafu to Mt.  Tulu Dimtu(4377m) and Goba. Today we walk along the windswept plains with the option of a short hike up to the summit of Mt. Tulu Dimtu, Ethiopia’s second-highest mountain. The 360° views from the top are undoubtedly the highlight of the adventure before we are collected by our van and taken down to the mountain bamboo groves and lichen-covered Harenna Cloud Forest. We celebrate the day’s achievements with the first of a 2-night stay in the incredibly situated, picturesque and memorable camp site around Bale lodge.

Explore the Harenna Forest. This morning, we explore the forest on foot; we view the hidden natural waterfalls cascading down into rock pools as well as the exotic-looking colobus monkeys. In the afternoon, drive to Goba for an overnight stay.  

Goba to Addis Ababa. We have a long (around 9 hours) but scenic car journey back to Addis today, giving us the opportunity to absorb and commit to memory, more of the scenery of Africa. Being back in the hustle and bustle of Addis will offer a strong contrast to the incredible and natural experience we have just had in Bale Mountains National Park, but we make the most of it, taking our dinner as a group in a vibrant restaurant in town, before our final night in Ethiopia.

Why not to extend your holiday to other attractions, like or so8 Days Ethiopia Culture Tour to Omo Valley

We transfer you to the airport for flights out of Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa. Leaving the beauty of Ethiopia is going to feel all wrong but ‘normal life’ awaits you. It must be time to plan your next escape!