Bale Mountains

Bale Mountains

Discover the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia's premier wildlife destination with endemic species and stunning landscapes.

Bale Mountains, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

The Bale Mountains National Park is Ethiopia's premier wildlife destination and one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in Africa. Located in the southern highlands, the park encompasses a stunning range of habitats, from lush forests to Afro-alpine moorlands, and is home to many endemic species.

The park's most famous resident is the Ethiopian wolf, the world's rarest canid, with more than half of the global population living in the Bale Mountains. Visitors have a good chance of spotting these elegant predators hunting rodents on the Sanetti Plateau.

Other wildlife includes the Mountain Nyala, a large antelope found only in Ethiopia, and the Giant Mole Rat, a key prey species for the wolves. The park is also a birdwatcher's paradise, with over 280 recorded species, including 16 endemics.

The Harenna Forest, a lush cloud forest on the southern slopes, is home to the Bale Monkey, a species found nowhere else on Earth, as well as numerous forest birds and the elusive Bale monkey. Trekking in the Bale Mountains offers a chance to experience this extraordinary biodiversity in a pristine, uncrowded environment.