Ethiopia walking and wildlife vacation

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION
Rather than sending one of our own 4WD vehicles from Addis Ababa, around 450 km each way, we hire a vehicle and driver from a local partner in Bale. That saves around 900 km of driving on every trip and keeps the income in the area. To avoid the internal flight to and from Bale, we can also offer the journey by road from Addis Ababa. It adds two days to the trip, and the drive is broken with an overnight stop at Lake Langano or Hawassa, so the journey becomes part of the trip.
Once the trek begins there is no support vehicle at all. It is entirely human and animal powered: we walk most days, horses carry the camping equipment, and we spend one day exploring the Rafu valley on horseback. That makes the trek itself very low carbon. Four of the five nights are spent camping, so there is no hotel energy use, and we cook on bottled gas rather than firewood.
Meals are prepared from Ethiopian produce bought locally before the trek. Vegetarian and vegan food is easy to provide every day, because the Orthodox fasting tradition makes plant-based dishes such as shiro, lentils, vegetables and injera everyday food.


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
The whole trip takes place inside Bale Mountains National Park, home to the largest population of the Ethiopian wolf, Africa’s most endangered carnivore. We pay full park fees on arrival at the park office, so the money goes directly to protecting the park.
Our guide has worked on wolf conservation projects in Bale for many years and is trained in conservation. He knows and loves the park’s ecosystem, from the wolves and the giant mole-rats they hunt to the birds, plants and herding communities who share the land. He knows how to watch the wolves without disturbing them: on foot, in small groups, at a respectful distance.
We carry a camping water filter so we can drink the park’s natural spring and stream water rather than bringing in bottled water. This cuts single-use plastic and also means fewer pack animals. Fewer animals means less grazing pressure and less erosion on the fragile Afro-alpine moorland. For the same reason, packed lunches go in reusable lunch boxes rather than tin foil.
We brief clients on keeping their impact low: carrying out all rubbish, keeping to paths, not disturbing wildlife or nesting birds, and taking no plants or rocks.
Tesfa Tours holds Travelife certification at its highest level, an independent check of our sustainability practices.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY
This trip is run entirely by a local team from the Bale area: driver, guide, cook and horse handlers. Our one hotel night is in a locally owned hotel in a town outside the park, bringing employment and income to the communities around Bale. Because we hire the vehicle and horses locally and buy food in local markets, most of what the trip spends on the ground stays in the area. We also encourage clients to spend locally, at roadside stalls, local restaurants and cafés.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
Everyone working on this trip is Ethiopian, and the whole crew comes from the Bale area.
This is a demanding high-altitude trek with camping above 4,000 m, so it is not suitable for people with limited mobility.