A protected area of over 2,400 square kilometres (almost twice the size of the more famous Simien Mountains National Park), Bale National Park is a remote wilderness area protecting a diversity of flora and fauna, including several rare or endemic species of mammal.
Most visits to Bale focus on the Sanetti Plateau, a high Alpine plateau that is more sparsely vegetated than the Simien Plateau but no less beautiful. Much of the plateau sits 3,000m+ above sea level, with several 4,000m+ peaks and volcanic cones, including Tullu Deemtu, the second highest mountain in Ethiopia. It is in fact the largest high-altitude plateau in Africa, and it is here that many of Bale's most distinctive species are found, including the mountain nyala, Ethiopian wolf (Simien fox), giant molerat, and the rare Bale monkey, amongst others.
At lower altitudes, Bale's forested foothills are home to leopard, spotted hyena, giant forest hogs, as well as small populations of lion and African wild dog, though sightings of these latter species are very rare.
Also of note are the 16 endemic bird species present in the Bale Mountains, including the Abyssinian longclaw, yellow-fronted parrot, and Abyssinian ground hornbill.
The rainy season (from May to September) is usually avoided, as weather in the mountain areas can be challenging.
In and around Bale Mountains, Ethiopia
Bale is most often explored on mixed walking and driven tours, with a number of proscribed tracks on the Sanetti Plateau that are accessible to 4x4s. The park has some reasonably well-defined walking routes, though camping expeditions are logistically more difficult to organise in this region than in the Simiens.
Due to the remoteness of the region, the Bale Mountains are more difficult to fit into most Ethiopia itineraries than the Simiens, but the region is well worth visiting if you can allow for the additional time and expense required to get there. The few visitors the region receive is only a reflection of its out of the way location (towards the south of the country, far removed from the main sites on the northern Historic Route).
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