Bale Mountains trek

Route

What’s the plan?

Day 1: Drive to Dinsho(from Addis Ababa), Bale Mountains National Park Headquarter – Goba

Your trek starts in Addis Ababa. In the morning, you will drive to Dinsho, via Shashemene (410 Km from Addis). En route, you will make a stop on Awash River and Lake Ziway (best known for its birdlife) to visit aquatic birds. You will have lunch at Shashemene (250 Km from Addis). You will proceed driving and arrive in Dinsho in the afternoon. Upon arrival, you will do all the requirements for short easy trekking at the Bale Mountains National Park HQ. After a brief break, you will have time to make a short hike along the northern part of the park. Later late in the afternoon drive to Goba (40 Km from Dinsho) for overnight stay. On arrival, you will check into a hotel. In the evening, you will have dinner and stay the night at the hotel. Overnight stay in Wabe Shebelle Hotel, Goba.

SIGHTSEEING:
Lake Ziway and its birdlife
Mountain Nyala
Minilk Bush back

Day 2: Excursion/Day trip to Sanetti Plateau

In the morning, you will have breakfast and drive to the Sanetti Plateau (altitude of 4000 meter, with Afro-alpine Moorland, beautiful wild alpine scenery). Upon arrival in Goba, you will check into a hotel and rest. In the evening, you will have dinner and stay the night at the hotel. Overnight stay in Wabe Shebelle Hotel, Goba.

SIGHTSEEING:
Ethiopian wolf
Birdlife

Day 3: Dola Mena: Rift Valley, Camels, Coffee

Around 40km or so to the south, the pristine Harenna forest drops into the dry, dusty Rift Valley. A trip south from the Lodge to the small town of Dola Mena takes about an hour. En route one has a chance to see Giant Forest Hog and Vervet monkeys along with myriad butterflies that flutter through the shadows and sunlight. Small temporary camps may be seen, springing up where wild coffee is harvested from the forest; coffee said to amongst the best in the world. At certain times in the year, post rains, the wild coffee can be seen drying at the side of the road. Dolo Mena is a small town, where one can savour the coffee and locally collected wild honey. A camel market is frequently held along with a local market for other traders. Few tourists venture here, and so it is still unspoilt in its daily activities. Approximately 20 km further on from Dola Mena are the Welman River Falls and caves – home to a hermit – which have religious significance. Those able bodied enough can crawl through the caves and pass behind the waterfall onto the river bank opposite. The Rift Valley also offers an opportunity to spot birds which are indigenous to the dry conditions. Overnight stay in Wabe Shebelle Hotel, Goba.

SIGHTSEEING:
Harenna Forest
Vervet monkey
Coffee Farms

Day 4: Drive back to Addis Ababa via Bekoji, Asella & departure

After breakfast, you will be driving to Addis Ababa. You will stop for lunch at Asella. You will arrive in Addis Ababa late afternoon

What's included

Included:

√ Hotel pick up and drop off
We will pick you up at your hotel in Addis Ababa and we will take you back after the trek. If you need Airport transfers, that can be arranged too.

√ Transport
Your trek starts in Addis Ababa. Transport from and to Addis before and after the trek is included. You will be driven in a pivate Mini Van (4×4) with Air Conditioning.

√ Accommodation
During the trek you will be staying at the Wabe Shebelle Hotel in Goba, in shared rooms. You can have a single room for USD 45/EUR 40 extra.

√ Guide
You will be accompanied by a professional english-speaking guide at all times. A local guide will also join us when applicable.

√ Meals
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included in the price of the trek.

√ Porters
A porter will be arround (and so will the car) in case it is needed.

√ Taxes and Fees
All park entrance fees are included. All service Charge and Taxes are included as well.

√ Water
Mineral water will be available during the trek.

Excluded:

× Airfare
The plane tickets are not included. Getting to Ethiopia is your responsibility.

× Accommodation before and after the trek
Before and after the trek you have to take care of your own accommodation.

× Tips
Bare in mind that tips for guide, porter and drive are not included. Tipping is a very common practice in Ethiopia, be generous.

× Travel Insurance
Your international travel insurance is your own responsibility. Discuss your itinerary with the insurance company before you travel.

×Personal Expenses
All personal expenses such as alcoholic drinks, and other similar expenses are for your own account.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Best season:

High rainfall and periods of damp cloudy weather are characteristic of the Bale Mountains, which is quite typical of high-altitude mountainous regions. Luckily, periods of sunny weather and blue skies are also part of this area’s climate.

The climatic year can be divided into three seasons -the dry, early wet and wet season. The dry season lasts from November to February. During these months it rains very little and temperatures on a clear sunny day may rise up to 30° C. Since you are going to be trekking, this is the best period to visit the National Park.

The early wet season lasts from March to June and the wet season from July to October. Although it will be wetter during these months, you can still enjoy the area with adequate warm and weatherproof clothing.

Training

Although this trek is not a very demanding one, you will still be spending 4 days walking in the mountains.

One sure way to get fit for trekking and hiking in Ethiopia is to, you could have guessed it: hike more. Do you like walking, have you done trekking at an altitude before and do you sport twice a week on average? With a little extra training, you’ll soon be ready for this beautiful trekking in the Bale Mountains.

Is this the first time that you are trekking at altitude? Make sure you are well prepared. This is important for your safety, but also for that of your team. Make sure you start six months in advance with an hour’s hike twice a week.

Tipping

Tipping is more common in Ethiopia than in other East African countries. However, opinions on how much are divided. We advise to tip the guide around 7 or 8 USD per day of trek. Try to be generous, it will be appreciated.

Accommodation

Accommodation

During the trek you will be staying at the Wabe Shebelle Hotel in Goba, in shared rooms. You can have a single room for USD 45/EUR 40 extra. The hotel is a basic one, but it will have everything necessary for you to have a good night sleep and recover for your next day in the mountains. Don’t expect too much luxury.

Packing List

Packing List

Everything is arranged for your trek in Ethiopia, the only thing left is to pack your bags and get going. Now, what do you need? Here we have some recommendations for you:

First and foremost: Layers. Layers are great for when you get up high or the sun feels too strong. Let’s not forget that you will be trekking in the mountains and temperatures can get quite low when the sun sets, so warm clothes are also a must. We also suggest:

– Windstopper jacket
– Waterproof coat – useful for the sporadic rain showers you may experience
– Well worn-in walking boots
– Walking socks
– Sandals or flip-flops (nothing like airing your feet at the end of the day!)
– Sun hat
– Sunglasses
– Sun cream
– Walking poles (if you find them useful)
– First aid kit (bandages, pills, band-aids, disinfectants)

Simien Mountain Tours

Simien Mountain Tours

Welcome to My Ethiopia, The Land the time forget

Experience the special touch with Simien Mountains Tours, run by Alebachew Abebe (Alex for short). With a decade of experience we are able to organise a host of travel excursions focused around culture, historic circuits and adventure in the Danakil Depression and the Simien Mountains.

The business was established in 2006 by the owner Alex Abebe providing guided treks in the Simien Mountains. Nur’s experience has been recognized his recommendation in 2013 edition lonely planet travel book page 89. The Simien Mountains tour offers tailor –made trips and treks throughout Ethiopia, we always provide you some of the best customer service available in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has so much to offers visitors.

Natural: Simien Mountains , Bale Mountains and Danakile Depression perhaps the best known.
Cultural: Omo Valley and Island Monasteries are the best examples.
Historical: Axum Monument , Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibella and Royal enclosure of Gondar .

The Simien Mountains tour has provide you special interest guides e.g Bird watching and Horse trekking . Thank for visiting our site.!

Safety

Safety

Safety is of the utmost importance to us. That is why this is an area in which we simply do not compromise when it comes to keeping the cost of our trekkings low. Our guides have been selected on the basis of their technical competence, proven safety performance, impeccable judgment, friendly attitude and ability to provide useful and expert instructions. They are also very professional and well trained in first aid and personal protection equipment. First aid kits are available on all treks.

How To Book

How does it work?

On Bookatrekking.com you can find and compare the adventures of your dreams. Is this trekking adventure your match? In that case you can proceed to booking. At Bookatrekking.com you make a deposit of 15% of the total amount. You pay the remaining amount on location prior to the trek directly to the trekking company.

Bookatrekking.com uses only the safest payment methods. Once your booking has been received, your place is reserved, your place is safe and you can look forward to your chosen trekking.

After you have made your booking, you will receive an e-mail confirmation with all necessary information and the contact details of the trekking company. If you have any questions or if you want to clarify something, you can obtain information directly from the right person. Of course, you can also always ask us your question. Send us an e-mail on support@bookatrekking.com

The trekking company will also receive your details and can therefore always contact you and provide you with extra information.

Cancellation Policy

You wish you didn’t have to, but there is no other way: You find yourself having to cancel your plans. In this case, you lose your deposit, but since you haven’t paid the large sum yet, you at least save that. Please do let us know if you cannot make it. A no-show can be a small disaster for your trekking provider, who did its best to block your dates. View our complete cancellation policy here.