Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Animals, birds and plants found nowhere else on the planet live in Bale Mountains National Park. Some animals only live here, including the giant mole rat and Bale Mountains monkey. Others, such as the Ethiopian wolf, have most of their population in this special area.

This unique place booms with amazing statistics, including:

UNESCO has calculated that more mammal species would go extinct than anywhere else of a similar size on Earth, were Bale Mountain habitats to be destroyed.
There is a greater density of rodents on the Sanetti Plateau than anywhere else in the world. Of the 18 species, half are found nowhere else including the giant mole rat and Blick's grass rat.
New species are constantly being found in the national park, most recently Wolfgang Böhme’s Ethiopian chameleon Trioceros wolfgangboehmei. The chameleon is around 15 centimeters (6 inches) long and has large spiny scales along its back and tail.

I loved this place and was constantly enthralled by its beauty and biodiversity, and the knowledge of the local people.

5 great reasons to visit Bale Mountains National Park

1. The animals

https://balemountains.org/animal-identification-large-andor-commonly-seen-mammals/

Much of the wildlife at the national park is endemic, meaning it is found only in Ethiopia. Some animals only live in Bale Mountains National Park including the Bale Mountains monkey and giant mole rat.

The Sanetti Plateau has many open spaces where animals are easily seen. The big drawcard, the Ethiopian wolf, has most of its population here, and if you have sharp eyes or a good guide, you can also see the giant mole rat and other endemic rodents such as Blick's grass rat.

You can also see herds of mountain nyala, an impressive endemic antelope that lives mostly in the Bale Mountains north of the national park, in the Gaysay Grasslands. Pretty Bohor reedbuck also live there.

The forest animals are harder to see although plants, birds and butterflies are plentiful. You will probably see warthogs and olive baboons and maybe the shy Menelik's bushbuck. There is also a chance to see rare black-maned lions and black leopards, probably on the road or around Bale Mountains Lodge, and even the Bale Mountains monkey.

Klipspringers and grey duikers also live in the forest.

Fun fact: The Bale Mountains is the only place in Africa where both males and females have horns

There is more information and footage in our video, and more details under 'Wildlife' below.

2. The birds

https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=ETor03&list=howardmoore

There are many endemic birds in the national park including the black-winged lovebird, Abyssinian oriole and blue-winged geese. The Bale Mountains are well-known for their varied birdlife and attract twitchers from all over the world.

The grounds of Bale Mountains Lodge are a great place to see the variable sunbird and Ruppell's robin chat, while the forest reveals many beautiful birds including the Abyssinian catbird and Tacazze sunbird. Raptors abound on Sanetti Plateau with tawny eagles, Augurs buzzards and lammergeiers common while just below in the heather layer you can spot the endemic Rouget's rail.

On the Gaysay Grasslands, we saw many birds including the montane white-eye and scarlet-tufted sunbird.

We have photos and footage of many Bale Mountains species in our video.

3. The landscapes

https://balemountains.org/the-park/parts-of-the-park/

The biodiversity in the national park is staggering, with each habitat supporting different animals and birds. There are the Gaysay Grasslands, with juniper and African redwood trees and many wildflowers in the north of the park with populations of mountain nyala and bohor reedbuck. The grasslands ascend from 3000 to 3500 metres.

The Sanetti Plateau is the 'roof' of the national park. It rises to over 4300 metres and includes grasses, giant lobelias and heathers in its sparse vegetation. There are many ponds and lakes where ducks, geese and other waterbirds live

Below the plateau are a tangle of flowering plants and the Erica forests of giant heather with their twisted trunks, bright green mosses and waving lichens. Our guide James called this place 'the enchanted forest'. It is really beautiful and a highly endangered ecological community. The endemic Menelik's bushbuck lives here.

Harenna Forest is the second largest forest in Ethiopia and the largest cloud forest in the country, stretching for 4,000 square kilometres and ranging from 2,000 to 3,200 metres. Tree species include mountain bamboo, fern pine and fig. Because trees grow close together, it is easy for the animals to remain hidden including the nocturnal species such as the spotted hyena and tree hyrax.

4. The walks

https://balemountains.org/tourism/trekking/

Trekking in Bale Mountains ranges from short walks to day walks to multi-day treks. Walks of several days' duration can be arranged by trekking companies in Addis Ababa or overseas, or Bale Mountains National Park authorities.

Bale Mountains Lodge can organise day walks with guides who will spot lots of wildlife and beauty spots for you. These include a walk to a lovely waterfall through Harenna Forest and a trip to Black Lake on Sanetti Plateau. Shorter strolls round the Bale Mountains Lodge grounds also reveal glimpses of warthogs, olive baboons, colobus monkeys and many birds.

Walks are great opportunities for seeing wildlife and smelling the flowers, learning about the flora and fauna of the area and just being part of the landscape. They were a highlight of my trip to the national park

5. The lodge and its people

Bale Mountains Lodge, run by Guy and Yvonne Levene, is in a beautiful clearing near a friendly village and the lower reaches of the Erica forest. The grounds are wonderful and attract wildlife.

The Levenes and the local guides they employ are an encyclopedia of knowledge about the area and will accompany you on your explorations.

The accommodation here is very comfortable. You have your own chalet with a verandah and eat all your meals in the main dining room. The food is excellent and wine and beer are included in the rate.

Staying at the lodge and interacting with the guides are great ways to meet local people and find out more about the wildlife. The lodge also attracts international researchers, many of whom are happy to tell you about and even let you join in their work. We found out how to ring a bird while we were at the lodge.

Getting there and around

There are a couple of ways to get to Bale Mountains and its national park. We hired a driver in Addis Ababa for the approximately nine-hour drive, with a break for lunch. Our driver, who was recommended by the Bale Mountains Lodge, was a lovely guy and very friendly and helpful.

The advantage of having a driver is that they are at your disposal while you are staying at the lodge and will drive you up to Sanetti Plateau or down to Harenna Forest. The lodge guides generally live in nearby villages and will not have their own transport so without a car you are restricted to the area around the lodge, which is still very interesting with some great walks. With a driver, however, you have more control over where you go and what you see and far more chance of seeing a wide range of birdlife and wildlife.

The Levenes will drive you if they are available but obviously are very busy running their business and with other commitments.

You can also fly from Addis Ababa to Robe Airport. It takes only one-and-a-half hours to drive to the lodge from the airport and if you arrange with the Bale Mountains Lodge in advance they can pick you up and drop you off.

About the wildlife

10 cool facts about the Ethiopian wolf

https://wildnet.org/wildlife-programs/ethiopian-wolf/

https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/ethiopian-wolf

https://www.earthtouchnews.com/conservation/endangered/the-last-wolves/

The Ethiopian wolf is the world's rarest canid and Africa's most threatened carnivore.
There are no captive populations so if the species vanishes from the wild, it will be extinct.
The wolf balances ecosystems by keeping rodent populations manageable - the wolf feeds mainly on rodents.
Living on the Ethiopian highlands, the wolf is threatened by loss of habitat and diseases carried by dogs such as rabies and canine distemper. As they are very social animals, disease can spread rapidly among populations.
Under the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program, people undertake actions such as planting grasses to attract prey species and vaccinating wolves against disease. See website at the top of this section.
Wolves hunt rodents by leaping into the air then plunging their legs and heads into a burrow to catch their prey. You can see wolves doing this on our video.
Wolves live in family packs of between 3 and 13 but generally hunt alone.
Packs mingle during breeding season when interactions are highly vocal.
Adult wolves help raise each other's pups, moving them from den to den as need be. Dens are connected by burrows and there are several different entrances, so the animals can move freely underground.
There are only around 500 wolves left. Over half of these live in the Bale Mountains.

10 cool facts about the giant mole rat

https://animalia.bio/big-headed-mole-rat

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21293/115161321#conservation-actions

The giant mole rat, also called the big-headed African mole rat, is endangered as the entire population lives in Bale Mountains National Park.
It is found in alpine grassland from 3000 to 4150 metres in elevation.
This species helps the ecosystem by aerating and turning over the soil.
Giant mole rats are threatened by loss of their habitat to livestock. They are also the favourite prey species of the Ethiopian wolf.
This mole rat eats grasses, herbs and roots.
Unlike other mole-related species, it forages above ground for up to an hour. Once it has exhausted food supplies around its burrow, it blocks the tunnel it has made to the surface from the inside and digs another tunnel.
This species lives alone in an underground burrow but males and females come together to mate. They breed year round but more commonly during the rainy season.
The main conservation action to save this species is to conserve and create habitat.
The giant mole rat is quite common in its restricted range, in densities of 2,000 to 4,800 animals per square kilometre.
These animals can breed when they are between four and six months old. They live for only 1-3 years.

10 cool facts about the mountain nyala

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tragelaphus_buxtoni/

https://www.britannica.com/animal/mountain-nyala

The mountain nyala lives between 3,000 and 4,500 metres in woodland, bush, heath, and grasslands.
It eats grass, herbs, seeds and fruits.
This shy species was only discovered in 1908.
These animals are large, weighing between 200 and 225 kilograms.
The males have impressive horns up to 188 centimetres long with 1.5 to 2 spirals.
Mountain nyalas are polygamous and breed once a year, often in December.
Females are responsible for minding their calves, who stay with their mothers for up to two years.
Herds of up to 13 mountain nyalas consist of females and their calves. Males are solitary but two or three young males will band together.
Their main predator is the leopard although they can be poached by humans.
Mountain nyalas live for 15-20 years.

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