Wildlife and Wilderness of Ethiopia

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 18 reviews.

Ter.ence Lee

WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS OF ETHIOPIA

Written November 2012
Excellant trip, saw 200 variety of birds, great scenery, and friendly people
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Seeing 8 ethiopian wolf, gelada baboon, and the kingfishers at lake awash
What did you think of your group leader?
very knowledgeable, and enthusiastic
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
accomadation not as good as most east african countries, but more than adequate
Is there anything else you would like to add?
.Great trip, I really enjoyed it, scenery one of the best in africa. The birdlife quite unique, with many endemic , .species. Seeing the kingfishers so close at .lake awash, was a highlight for me. You wont see big cats,elephant , etc, but these plenty of other animals. well worth a visit. I was more than pleased I went
Kevin Grimes

WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS OF ETHIOPIA

Written October 2012
Very disapointing trip. It is really Birding By Bus. Wildlife and Wilderness is very misleading as the tour is basically a bus tour, limited to roads with no real wilderness exerience other than the Bale mountains at the end of the trip.The bus has 17 seats with leg room. There were 18 of us which meant each day, one person had a very uncomfortable 7-8 hour bus ride. Limited windows that open meant bird/wildlife spotting was resticted with 18 people trying to get access to 6 windows!!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The highlight for me was seeing 9 Ethiopian Wolves in the Bale mountains despite being shrowded in low cloud and raining.
Seeing the locals going about their day to day activities in very harsh conditions..but you don't need this trip to see that as there are better trips available from Exodus.
What did you think of your group leader?
Not much. He refused to mange the group tipping of porters and guides etc so we had to do it individually. He didn't communicate clearly and was inaudible on the bus other than if you were sitting in the first few rows. He also just seamed to be interested in birds so we spent far too much time looking at a bird on telegraph pole or power line than was necessary. He didn't clarly communicate to the group, the iteinery, when we needed to be ready for the next days activites, or changes to the planned itinerary and needed constant quesitoning to get the information the group needed.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
This trip is really about viewing birds, most by the roadside. If you're not really a birder then you may want to concider a different trip. Other than birds, there is limited wildlife in Ethiopia that is accessible by bus.
We had 2 meetings with the tour company boss (day 2 and at the end of the trip) to discuss al the problems with this trip so hopefully, if the feedback is acted on, it will be improved but basically this is a Birding By Bus trip. 18 in a small bus (that only comforatble seats 17) is far too many. 10-12 is the maximums this should be, also due to limited viewing options on the bus. 6 windows on one side and 4 on the other.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
The Bus had squealing brakes so whenever any wildlife was spotted, the bus would brake, squealing to a halt, startling the wildlife we were stopping to see. Any that hadn't fled would then be subjected to the bus reversing alarms as it tried to reverse back so we could get a better view. Any remaining wildlife after all this noise would be either deaf, dead or a donkey:)

Most of the walks mentioned are really pitiful. Generally involved pulling to the side of the road and walking for a 30 minutes along scenic wilderness locations such as a farmers field to see Baboons, a motorway construction site to see a sleeping crocoiles, a semi-industrialised lake front shared with local farmers to see some waders. This last one was funny as a) we couldn't get to to lake front without walking over farmers crops and b) the bus tried to go off-road and became stuck in a puddle and needed to be towed out by a local tractor.

We had to abort the walk to the hot springs and the guide couldn't seem to find a way to get there that didn't involve walking across a scolding hot stream using 2 wobbly logs as a bridge. Many on this trip are quite elderly and that really wasn't going to happen !

The hotel at Lake langano is very run down and more resembles a ghostly holiday camp from Scooby-Doo movie. I liked it though, except it really is run down!

We didn't get to the Harar forests as the guide stated the bus wasn't up to making the trip due to the poor road quality.

Exodus Response
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for your feedback. We are already looking into some of the issues you have raised here. In particular it is clear that the leader did not deliver on the service we expect from our leaders. We have also been discussing the group size with our local partners in Ethiopia and will be reducing the group size of this trip as of 2013.
As some of the other reviews demonstrate this trip is very popular with many people but it is always useful to get feedback such as yours in order to tweak tours when necessary in order to improve them futher.
Kind Regards,
Tom

- Exodus Staff
Matt Caldwell

WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS OF ETHIOPIA

Written October 2012
Please read Kevin Grimes' review. It is very accurate.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Seeing the Wolves despite the weather!!
What did you think of your group leader?
Very poor - the worst guide/leader we have ever had in our many trips all over the world.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Think long and hard about this trip - it has potential to be good but not on the bus or with this guide.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I have raised all our concerns with Exodus and await a response.
Stephen Clark

WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS OF ETHIOPIA

Written October 2012
A great trip, and a good group. You do need a good lens for your camera for the bird photography. Coutryside was quite flat but clean and fantastic
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Wolves of the Bale Mountains, and the very colourfull birds.
What did you think of your group leader?
Good, we always new what time to meet the next day, ie, what time breakfast was and what time to be at the bus for departure, and where we were going that day. The leader was informmative, he new the history and geology of Ethiopia, and anwserd all the questions put to him.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Have a good time. Ethiopia is a beautiful country and the locals are freindly. Addis Ababa is a very busy place, and in places dirty, (a culture shock for those who have not been to places like Addis Ababa) but once out side Addis Ababa the roads are very good and a very clean countryside.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The brochure says leave your home comforts at home,at times places where you stay are very basic.----Every place we stayed at we had showers, no hot water sometimes but the water was always warm, / NO toilet seats on the toilet sometimes. / ALWAYS a power point in your rooms, so you could charge up your camera batteries with no problem,(Don't forget your two pin addapter). /CLEAN sheets every day. 98% is bird watching, we also spotted Oryinx, Kudu, Dik Diks (Antelope family), Jackal, Endemic Wolves in the Bale Mountains, Crockodiles.
jane stoddart

WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS OF ETHIOPIA

Written October 2012
Abundant wildlife and colourful markets.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Nine sightings of the endangered Ethiopian wolf in the Bale mountains.
What did you think of your group leader?
Zelly had excellent knowledge of the wildlife and could give you the name of every bird you saw (we spotted nearly 200 species).However he failed to communicate well with the group, not giving enough information about what the day would entail and times to meet up etc.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
There is no need to change too much money. There was little in the way of souvenirs to buy, the only meals you have to pay for are lunches and a few dinners and a coffee and beer will only cost you £1.The coffee was delicious but I wouldn't recommend the wine!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The only other criticism was lack of room for 18 people in the bus. It was uncomfortable when travelling and hard for everyone to get good photos from the windows. Don't let this put you off going on the trip - the wildlife was excellent and Exodus have said that they will be reducing the size of the group next year.
Marcin

WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS OF ETHIOPIA

Written February 2012
Unique and interesting trip worth to go. Nice wildlife and fantastic people.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
- Seeing hunting Ethiopian wolf in Bale Mountains and hyenas in Awash NP
- Visiting markets full of colours and life.

- All walks were very nice as well.
What did you think of your group leader?
Gebre was nice and obliging. I would expect from him some kind of short briefing before every day start. But, summary my opinion about him is very positive.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
- All described issue are true. But ‘Exodus’ does not hide something. Read attached PDF file.
- Additional, all essential information about Ethiopia can be found on internet. Such as, “One of the purest countries in the World”.
- Cost of dinner with drink is around 5-6 US dollars.
- The two banks on ADDIS ABABA airport can be closed. I exchanged rest of my money in free duty shop. Very low rate. Avoid this situation.
- Try some fruits and vegetables from local markets.
- Tell about your needs to guide instead expecting that he will know want you want to see. They can improve the trip if they know what you expect to see.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Trip which gives you opportunity to see part of real Ethiopia and its wildlife.
Merilyn Green

WILDLIFE & WILDERNESS OF ETHIOPIA

Written December 2011
Billed as a trip for the intrepid only, we wondered what we had let ourselves in for! But nearness not have worried, comfortable hotels and good food was found throughout. Once again we were blessed with an eclectic mix of fellow travellers and the beers oiled some fun meal times.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The country side was stunning, rolling fields golden with crops, mud hut villages and shanty settlements lining the long straight Tarmac roads and everywhere people walking. Stopping in seemingly in the middle of no where, within seconds there was always someone, running down the hillside or across a plan, just to wave , a traveler on horse upright and proud, or a crowd of giggling children hopeful of a few coins.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our leader an expert on birds, never failed to disappoint with his binocular finds, allowing us a plenty of time to stop the bus and watch wild life.