Everyone loves watching birds and listening to their songs. This page, however, targets bird enthusiasts that watch birds either as a serious hobbyist and/or as a professional.
Bird watching needs the instincts, patience and maneuvers of a hunter, as it is indeed hunting, where the camera replaces the rifle.
More than 850 bird species are found in Ethiopia, of which about 33 are endemic.

Ethiopia’s diverse habitats: highlands, lowland, forests, lakes, wetlands and river-line systems provide sites for wintering and migrating birds. Ethiopia therefore is truly an ornithological paradise that never disappoints bird lovers who travel thousands of miles just to see their beloved specimens.Press Ethiopia tours does not have professional bird guides, as bird-guide training is not given locally.
Nevertheless, through accumulated experiences, our guides are now in a position to lead bird-watchers to the specific bird sites and achieve successful sightings of most of the endemics.

Although luck plays some role, the chances of successful viewing are increased by taking various factors such as location, climate, time of day and local vegetation changes into consideration.

We have served quite a few professional bird-watchers that have toured round the globe in search of endemic birds. All of them have testified that their bird-watching experiences in Ethiopia rank among the best.

Note: Serious bird watchers such as those that would like to publish their sightings are advised to either bring a professional bird-guide with them or refer to the various documents published on the Internet on bird watching in Ethiopia. There are also a number of well-written and well-reviewed bird books available as references.

Bird Watching Itineraries

Most bird watching itineraries are in the south of the country. An itinerary in search of all of Ethiopia’s endemic birds would take a minimum of 3 weeks, but shorter tours of about 10-15 days could be set up which would guarantee seeing most of the endemics and several hundred other species.

Main Bird Sites

Important Bird Areas of Ethiopia, published by the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, provides a list of 69 sites, spread throughout the country, with much work in identifying and classifying new sites still to be done. Thus, for professionals studying birds, Ethiopia offers diverse habitats not yet explored and published.

Mixing Bird Watching with other Tours

Although your main focus is birding, it is cost effective to add visits to some of the historic and/or cultural sites.