📞 +251-932-371-898 ✉ info@milanethiopiatours.com
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📞 +251-932-371-898 ✉ info@milanethiopiatours.com
Facebook | Instagram | Google | Tripadvisor
Three hours east of Addis Ababa, where the Ethiopian highlands drop toward the Afar Desert, the Awash River plunges over a spectacular escarpment into a deep gorge in a curtain of white water visible from kilometers away. This is Awash National Park — the most accessible wildlife area in Ethiopia and one of the Rift Valley’s great birding destinations, with over 450 recorded bird species.
Awash supports a diverse mammal community dominated by Beisa oryx — the elegant, straight-horned antelope of East Africa’s semi-arid zones — alongside greater kudu, Salt’s dik-dik, Soemmerring’s gazelle, warthog, baboon, and vervet monkey. Lions are present but rarely seen. Crocodiles inhabit the river below the falls. The Ilala Sala Plains, in the northern section of the park, offer the best game viewing — particularly in the early morning when oryx and gazelle are most active on the open grassland.
The Awash River drops 25 metres over a basalt escarpment into a gorge at Awash Falls — a dramatic natural spectacle framed by riverine forest on both banks. The viewpoint above the falls, with the river visible both upstream and as it disappears into the gorge below, is one of the most scenic spots in lowland Ethiopia. The surrounding forest supports excellent birding, including African fish eagle, herons, kingfishers, and the spectacular bateleur eagle.
With 450+ recorded species, Awash is one of Ethiopia’s premier birding destinations. The combination of Rift Valley grassland, riverine forest, rocky escarpments, and hot springs creates a diversity of habitats that supports species from multiple biomes. The endemic Sombre rock chat and the Abyssinian roller are among the highlights. The park is particularly rewarding for raptors — large numbers of eagles, buzzards, and falcons use the thermal columns above the escarpment.
Awash is most commonly combined with a visit to Harar in our 5-day Eastern Ethiopia tour — the two destinations complement each other perfectly, combining the wildlife of the Rift Valley lowlands with the ancient Islamic culture of the walled city of Harar.
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