Background
This property protects a landscape mosaic of extraordinary beauty shaped by ancient lava outpourings, glaciation and the Great Rift Valley. UNESCO lists volcanic peaks and ridges, dramatic escarpments, sweeping valleys, glacial lakes, forests, gorges and waterfalls, with diverse and unique biodiversity; five major rivers rise in the park and support millions of people beyond it.
Wikipedia: the park covers about 2,150 km2 of the Bale Mountains and Sanetti Plateau, roughly 400 km south-east of Addis Ababa, with Africa's largest area of Afromontane habitat and one of the highest rates of animal endemism anywhere; Tullu Dimtu, at 4,385 m, is its summit. The Ethiopian wolf, mountain nyala and Bale vervet live here, and wild forest coffee grows in the Harenna Forest. Wikivoyage: the drive from Addis takes 6 to 7 hours.
- AncientLava outpourings build the massif; glaciers later carve the lakes
- 2009Nominated to the World Heritage Tentative List
- 2023Inscribed as World Heritage
- TodayFive major rivers rise in the park, supplying millions of people
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1Sanetti PlateauAfro-alpine meadows crossed by Africa's highest all-weather road.
- 2Harenna ForestOne of Ethiopia's last and largest natural forests, with wild coffee.
- 3Gaysay ValleyThe northern grasslands, the warmest part of the park.
- 4Ethiopian WolfThe endangered wolf of the high moorlands.
- 5Mountain NyalaThe antelope of these highlands, with the Bale vervet.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
Across the Sanetti Plateau
Not yet in a GoGo guide
- 07:00Gaysay Valley2 hrsGrassland near the headquarters for mountain nyala.
- 10:00Sanetti Plateau4 hrsThe high road, looking for Ethiopian wolves.
- 15:00Harenna Forest Edge2 hrsDown the escarpment into the forest.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: Jun, Dec–Feb. Rainy season Apr–May, Aug–Sep.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
