Bale Mountains National Park

This is a magnificent high-altitude plateau with numerous dramatic volcanic plugs, seasonal tiny alpine lakes and cascading mountain streams. Located about 400 kilometres from Addis Ababa, it stretches over an area of 2,000 square kilometres at an altitude ranging between 1,500m and 4,377m above sea level.

It is the largest Afro-alpine habitat park in Africa, and the range of country it covers - from the juniper woodland at Dinsho, up across the Sanetti Plateau, and down into the moss-draped Harenna cloud forest - is what makes a visit here unlike anywhere else in the highlands.

Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the park represents the largest contiguous Afro-alpine habitat on the African continent, safeguarding a critical biodiversity hotspot. The alpine plateau’s high-altitude moorlands are dominated by giant lobelias, red-hot pokers, and everlasting flowers, creating a dramatic landscape framed by ancient glacial tarns and volcanic ridges.

Beyond its botanical richness, the massif harbors more endemic terrestrial species per square kilometer than any other park in Africa. It serves as a vital sanctuary for rare wildlife including the endemic Giant Mole-Rat, Menelik’s Bushbuck, and the specialized Bale Monkey found within the southern bamboo thickets. Birdwatchers can also spot rare Ethiopian endemics such as the Blue-winged Goose, Rouget’s Rail, and Spot-breasted Lapwing across the wetlands.