Located 253 kilometers northeast of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley, Awash National Park is the destination of this short 3-Day Awash National Park Safari.
The park was designed as a leisure space by the royal family in 1966.
There are over 460 different species of birds in the Awash National Park, along with a few mammals such as the Olive Baboon, Hamadryads Baboon, Lesser Kudu, Beisa Oryx, Desert Warthog, Grivet’s Monkey, African Wildcat, Ard Wolf, Bat-eared Fox, Salts DikDik, Abyssinian Hare, and Spotted Hyena, as well as a few other rarely seen mammals.
Below are the highlights of this Ethiopia tour.
Highlights of the 3-Day Awash trip:
- Observe rare wildlife species
- Relax in hot springs
- Take a bird-watching excursion
- Take in the breathtaking scenery, which includes lakes and young volcanoes
Detailed Awash National Park 3-Day Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Addis Ababa, Awash National Park
Awash National Park, a section of Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley, is 230 km away.
Arrive there early. En-rooting allows you to see the DebreZeit Crater lakes.
After lunch, travel via the mountains and valleys created by volcanic eruptions to Awash National Park, making stops along the way to observe how the lava has altered the terrain on both sides of the road.
Later on, we’ll go the breathtaking Beseka Lake, which is inhabited by an array of birds, notably Wattled Ibis, African Fish Eagle, Saddled Stork, and Pink-winged Pelicans.
Massive herds of camels are brought in here to drink by the nomad Kereyu tribe.
We’ll travel to Awash National Park as the sun sets in order to witness the breathtaking Awash Falls and maybe go on an evening wildlife drive.
Animals such as oryx, warthogs, gazelles, larger and lesser kudu, baboons, and colobus monkeys will be encountered.
Much better luck would prevail if you saw other cats. Located in a breathtaking section of the park, your lodge today faces the Awash River waterfall.
Keep an overnight stay at the Awash National Park Hotel.
Day 2: Awash National Park, Ali Dege National Park
During our early morning game drive, we’ll travel through Awash National Park and the Ilala grassland, which is near the falls.
Not only can we expect to see a variety of local birds, but also plenty of Olive Baboons, Byssen Oryx, Bushbucks, and Waterbucks.
We’ll head to Doho Hot Springs, where Doho Lodge overlooks Doho Lake, which was formed by multiple hot springs in the area, after our early game drive.
Spend the rest of the morning napping or taking it easy at the hot springs.
It is here that we can also visit the nomadic Afar Villages.
Late afternoon is when we will cover the last 70 kilometers to Ali Dege.
The Kori Bustard and Arabian Bustard, Summering Gazelle, Gerenuk, and Graving Zebra, among many other wildlife species, may be spotted here.
Doho Lodge Sleeping
Day 3: Awash, Addis Ababa
Take the expressway and DebreZeit in the morning on your way back to Addis Ababa by car.
After visiting Addis Ababa, you can relax at one of DebreZeit’s gorgeous resorts.
Late afternoon is when we should arrive in Addis Ababa, to mark the end of your 3-Day Awash National Park Safari.