Forget the Big Five – visit Ethiopia’s wonderful wildlife instead

www.simplesharebuttons.com Share this post...

Encounter rare wolves, hyenas, beautiful birds and cheeky monkeys in the untouched wilds of Ethiopia, says Lonely Planet editor Helen Elfer

It’s a long drive from Addis Ababa to Bale Mountains National Park. Long, but absolutely glorious – past donkeys, sunny fields, hills, plateaus, red dirt paths and traditional circular houses painted in upbeat shades of purple, green and blue. It’s the kind of drive that lulls you into a trance as the sky slowly changes colour and the roads get rockier, until hours later, at the far reaches of the park, you stop at Bale Mountain Lodge.

A short stroll from the lodge and you’re quickly enveloped in a thick forest. Pick your way past the huge knarled trees, clumps of moss, and pink, bell-shaped flowers, gently pushing looped vines out of your path, until you suddenly find yourself in a wide clearing. And it’s here, if you’re lucky, you might just find some of the planet’s rarest creatures.

Here is a detail from the popular travel site at lonely planet