The Bale Mountains are one of Ethiopia’s most beautiful wilderness destinations. A verdant, jungle environment packed with endemic wildlife, staggering vistas, boutique lodges and awesome hiking routes
What makes the Bale Mountains special? Rising over 4,000 metres, 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, forest hogs, warthogs, and even lions and leopards. 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
Fauna
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 includes the Menelik Bushbuck, grey duiker, warthog, African golden wolf, colobus monkey, and spotted hyena. If you look to the trees, you’ll find countless bird species, monkeys, and chameleons.
Flora
Thanks to its altitudinal range, the Bale Mountains can support a huge variety of plant life.
There are around 1,300 species of flowering plants in the mountains, of which 12% are endemic to Ethiopia and 14% endemic to the Bale Mountains alone. The Helichrysum (‘everlasting’ flowers) is the most dominant flower in the park, their yellow flowers making for beautiful backdrops as you hike through the forests in search of wildlife. The southern part of the park is heavily forested with wild forest coffee (coffee arabica) and medicinal plants like the hagenia. The most striking of all are the seemingly misshapen Juniper Trees, whose branches bend and contort to create a scene straight out of a Harry Potter film!
Trekking & Camping in the Bale Mountains
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 hotel, you can take sorties in and out of the park via 4×4 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. Most visitors spend two nights in the Bale Mountains and will combine short hikes to the best viewpoints with road transfers to cover the longer distances.
When to Visit
Being a highland area, the Bale Mountains have a very different climate to many parts of southern Ethiopia. In fact, the mountains follow similar weather patterns to the high-altitude north of the country. The Bale Mountains have a rainy season from June to September, so if you want to see the park at its most beautiful, September and October are fantastic months to visit if you don’t mind overcast skies and slightly colder temperatures. The best time to visit for hiking is between October and March during the dry season. When you choose to go will depend on which other destinations you are visiting in Ethiopia – the size of the country means different regions have different weather patterns, so it’s important to plan ahead.
