Awash National Park Safari: Wildlife & Bird Watching

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Free cancellation

1/15

Duration2d

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Awash Falls and 450 bird species across acacia woodland and volcanic ridges

A 2-day private safari from Addis Ababa to Awash National Park, Ethiopia's oldest wildlife reserve, with a driver and guide, accommodation, and all meals. You'll drive through the Rift Valley, stop at crater lakes and volcanic landmarks on the way, then spend two days exploring the park's grasslands, woodlands and riverbanks for oryx, hartebeest, baboons, crocodiles and endemic birds like the Verreaux's eagle and carmine bee-eater. The route includes Awash Falls, where the river cuts through a narrow gorge, and a morning game drive on day two when wildlife is most active.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Addis Ababa to Awash National Park

Drive from Addis to Awash via Bishoftu
Stop and walk at Lake Hora
Continue drive to Awash via Adama
Stop for coffee near Adama
Pass Fentale Mountain and Lake Beseka
Arrive at Awash National Park
Game drive and visit Awash Falls

Day 2 — Awash to Addis Ababa via Bishoftu

Morning exploration in Awash National Park
Drive back to Addis Ababa
Stop for lunch and visit Lake Bishoftu
Continue drive to Addis Ababa

The Experience

The drive east from Addis Ababa covers 225 kilometers through the Rift Valley, stopping first at Lake Hora near Bishoftu to walk the shoreline and watch cormorants, ibises, storks and pelicans. You'll pass through Adama for coffee, then approach Awash National Park via Fentale Mountain—a volcanic peak still releasing gas—and Lake Beseka, fed by the Awash River and bordered by Metehara, a town known for its sweet oranges. The landscape shifts as you move closer to the park, from farmland to the drier acacia woodland that defines the reserve.

On arrival, a game drive takes you across the park's 756 square kilometers of terrain, from grassy plains to volcanic ridges and riverine forests. Awash Falls is the centerpiece: the river cascades through a narrow gorge, and the surrounding banks hold crocodiles, olive baboons, bushbucks, warthogs and lesser kudu. The park hosts over 450 bird species, including the rare Abyssinian Roller, yellow-throated serin, and the majestic Verreaux's eagle. Swayne's hartebeest, a rare antelope found only in Ethiopia, roams the grasslands, and if conditions align, leopards or lions occasionally appear. You'll spend the night at Genet Hotel Awash.

Day two starts before dawn with a return to the park for a morning exploration, when birds and animals are most active and the air is cool. After breakfast you'll drive back toward Addis Ababa, stopping in Bishoftu to see Lake Bishoftu itself—a crater lake ringed by steep volcanic walls with deep blue water—and to have lunch before the final leg home. The entire trip includes the driver, air-conditioned vehicle, fuel, accommodation, breakfast, coffee or tea, park entrance fees and a scout fee.

What’s included

Driver and English-speaking guide.
air-conditioned vehicle and fuel.
accommodation at Genet Hotel Awash.
breakfast both mornings.
coffee or tea.
park entrance and scout fees.
bottled water.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availableInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Addis Ethiopia Tours

Is this one for you?This is a private tour, so you travel at your own pace with a dedicated driver and guide rather than joining a group—ideal if you want flexibility in where you stop and how long you linger at Awash Falls or during the morning game drive when wildlife is most active. The 2-day format gives you a full afternoon and an early morning in the park, which is what catches both the late-day and dawn feeding periods; a 1-day trip would cut the morning exploration entirely.