Bale Mountains and Simien Mountains National Parks, Ethiopia - January 2019
This was an incredibly successful Natures Images trip run by Mark Sisson. Whilst we encountered other animals, we were there primarily to see Ethiopia's two most iconic creatures - both endemic to the country - the Gelada Monkey and the Ethiopian Wolf. Firstly, in the Simien Mountains we encountered herds comprising of hundreds of Gelada Monkeys. We could sit with them and photograph them at close quarters all around us. Then to the Bale Mountains, where over a five day period our guides took us to two dens - one with pups about four months old, the other with younger pups around two months old. Sitting in the vehicles at the two den sites, we could watch the wolves going about their daily routine - heading off on patrol, coming back to the den with food for the pups, guarding the pups, and also most endearingly, the pups playing together or with the adults. The Ethiopian Wolf is the world's rarest canid, with an estimated total of just 400 in the wild. We were lucky enough to see over 30 different wolves. It is particularly startling that this represents over 7% of the total population in the small area we visited.
At both locations we stayed in mobile tented camps, giving us superb close access to the Wolves and Monkeys.
A memorable trip, and a most excellent start to 2019!