Super User 21 August 2023

Best Travel Guide To Bale Mountains National Park Wildlife in Ethiopia

The Bale Mountains are one of Ethiopia's most beautiful wilderness destinations. A verdant, jungle environment packed with endemic wildlife, staggering scenery, splendid lodges, and awesome hiking routes.

The Park is the most reliable place to encounter many of the sought-after Ethiopian endemics the Ethiopian wolf, Africa’s most endangered carnivore, and the graceful Mountain nyala. The wolves raise their pups communally, and watching the social interactions at a den site is a very special experience.

Primate lovers are in for a treat when visiting Harenna forest, covering the south of the park. You’re likely to see olive baboons and acrobatic guereza monkeys swinging between trees high in the canopy, and encounter the endemic Bale monkey, which lives in isolated bamboo patches, and was discovered as recently as 1902.

Location and Size of Bale Mountains National Park in Ethiopia:

The Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) is a protected area of approximately 2,200 km2 and is located 400 km southeast of Addis Ababa in Oromia National Regional State in southeastern Ethiopia. It belongs to the Bale-Arsi massif, which forms the western section of the southeastern Ethiopian highlands.

About Bale Mountains National Park:

Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) is a National Park in Ethiopia. The park encompasses an area of approximately 2,200 km2 in the Bale Mountains and Sanetti Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands.

The park's Afromontane habitats have one of the highest incidences of animal endemicity of any terrestrial habitat in the world. The park was nominated to the World Heritage Tentative List in 2009

Why Bale Mountains National Park is a special place to visit:

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-esque region home to colobus monkeys, wild horses, forest hogs, warthogs, and even lions and leopards.

The beautiful Bale Mountain Lodge - nestled into the thickets of the Harenna Forest - is one Ethiopi 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-esque region home to colobus monkeys, wild horses, forest hogs, warthogs, and even lions and leopards.

The beautiful Bale Mountain Lodge - nestled into the thickets of the Harenna Forest - is one of Ethiopia’s best boutique lodges. It's the perfect place to return for sundowners by the roaring fire after a day's exploring.

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.

Bale Mountains National Park Flora:

The forests of the Bale Mountains are important for genetic stocks of wild forest coffee (Coffea arabica) and for medicinal plants in Ethiopia. Three medicinal plant hotspots have been identified: two in the Gaysay area and one in the Angesu area, spanning the park boundary. The female flowers of Hagenia contain anthelmintic, which is used to treat tapeworms among the local populations.

Bale Mountains National Park Fauna:

The Bale Mountains National Park is an important area for several threatened Ethiopian endemic species. Additionally, the park holds 26% of Ethiopia's endemic species including one primate, one bovid, one hare, eight rodent species, and the entire global population of the bigheaded African mole rat. There are also several rare and endemic amphibians.

Bale Mountains National Park Wildlife:

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.

Birds:

The Bale Mountains are home to over 282 species of birds, including 9 of the 16 species endemic to Ethiopia. Furthermore, over 170 migratory birds have been recorded within the park. Bale Mountains National Park is home to almost every highland Abyssinian and Ethiopian endemic.

With over 863 species of birds recorded, representing approximately 9.5% of the world's bird diversity and 39% of the bird species in Africa, Ethiopia is often considered one of the most avifaunal-rich countries in Africa. Sixteen of Bale's bird species are endemic to Ethiopia. Due to the diversity and density of rodents, the Bale Mountains are also an extremely important area for residents as well as wintering and passing raptors. Ethiopian endemic birds in the Bale Mountains include the blue-winged goose, spot-breasted lapwing, yellow-fronted parrot, Abyssinian longclaw, Abyssinian catbird, Ethiopian siskin, fawn-breasted waxbill, and the Abyssinian owl

Bale Mountains National Park Reptiles:

Ethiopian rare endemic reptiles that are newly discovered in the Bale Mountains forested areas include the Ethiopian House snake, Ethiopian mountain adder, Bale two-horned chameleon, Harenna hornless chameleon, Beardless Ethiopian montane chameleon, and Wolfgang Böhme's Ethiopian Chameleon.

At least 7 species of endemic Amphibians are discovered in forested swampy areas and Bale Mountains National Park plateaus. Ethiopian burrowing tree frogs, Erlanger's Grassland frog, and Neumann's Grassland frog are commonly rare within these habitats. However, other amphibians species live within the areas of the Bale Mountains such as the Bale Mountain Frog, Ethiopian banana frog, Ragazzi's tree frog, Kouni Valley striped frog, Malcolm's Ethiopian toad, Osgood's Ethiopian toad, Bale Mountains tree frog are considered to be endangered because of habitat loss and deforestation.

Best Time to Visit Bale National Park:

Wildlife viewing in Bale Mountains National Park is good throughout the year. January to March (the middle and end of the Dry season) is perhaps the best time for seeing wildlife, but the scenery is most beautiful during and after the rains from May to December.

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 4x4 and return to the lodge at the end of the day.

For those looking for more adventure, it's possible to arrange multi-day treks across the park. These treks range from 2-12 days with overnights at campsites dotted 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.

Arrange with ultimate Wild Safaris for this great adventure in Bale National Park, Ethiopia.

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