Bale Mountain Lodge

Happy New Year and welcome to Adventure Fix, the newsletter that helps you discover extraordinary journeys and experiences across the globe. 

To kick off 2024 we’re heading to Rira, Ethiopia to…

Explore the Bale Mountains and search for the Ethiopian Wolf from the comfort of the Bale Mountain Lodge.

This family-run lodge sits at 7,800 ft (2,380 m) in a clearing in the Harenna cloud forest. With a backdrop of tree-blanketed peaks and a flowing river nearby, it’s the perfect base for trekking, horseback riding, and looking out for wildlife.

While many tourists head to the Simien Mountains in the north, if you’re looking for a more secluded, intimate experience then the Bale Mountains should be on your radar.

Bale Mountain Lodge

Made of thatch, stone, and wood, the lodge’s circular, slate-walled main building, and 11 guestrooms blend into the scenery of rolling hills, forest, and rock formations.

Guests gather in the main lodge for meals, taking in the view on the terrace and cozying up to the fireplace on cool evenings.

A resident naturalist is on hand in case you have any questions and guides lead daily excursions to the national park and other wilderness areas.

From hiking, birding, horseback riding, climbing, and wildlife spotting, there is so much to see and do.

After a long day of exploring, cool off in a splash pool beneath a natural waterfall then hop into the sauna.

Searching for the Ethiopian Wolf

As we said, there are many excursions you can go on from the lodge, but perhaps the most unique is searching for the elusive Ethiopian wolf.

This russet-colored, white-socked, coyote-type creature is the rarest canid in the world and Africa’s most threatened carnivore.

Nearly wiped out by habitat loss and infectious diseases carried by domestic dogs, there are now fewer than 500 wolves in the wild, stranded in a handful of isolated pockets in the mountains of Ethiopia.

The largest number of these rare wolves can be found in the Sanetti Plateau near the Bale Mountain Lodge.

Skilled local guides take visitors on treks through the windy, shrub-specked plain to try to spot the wolves.

There’s nothing quite like spotting a flash of burnt orange trotting across the horizon.

At dawn and dusk, search for wolf packs patrolling their boundaries, shooing away intruders, or gathering to hunt for tiny mountain nyala calves.

Explore More

If you would like to learn more, here are some links to check out for more information about the Bale Mountains.

• Bale Mountain Lodge (website)

• In search of the rare Ethiopian wolf on the rooftop of Africa (article)

How to Visit Bale Mountain Lodge

From Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, you'll need to head to Robe, the nearest town to Bale Mountains. There are domestic flights or you can opt for a 10-hour car ride.

Once in Robe, the lodge is approximately 2 to 3 hours away by road (depending on the weather and road conditions). You can arrange a transfer with the lodge in advance.

The lodge offers full board and is the perfect base for exploring the Bale Mountains National Park. Whether you're visiting the Sanetti Plateau, Harenna Forest, or horse-riding through the mountains, the lodge is a great place to relax after the day's adventures. 

The best time of the year to visit Bale Mountain is between November and March when the days are clear, warm, and dry. This is after the rainy season so the highlands will be lush and green, ideal for hiking.

We hope your travels take you in this direction very soon.