At an elevation of 2380 metes above sea level in the middle of the stunning evergreen Harenna Forest and fronted by a small river in Bale Mountains National Park, this lodge offers the finest accommodation in rural Ethiopia. There are eight newly built chalets with four attached to the main building and four more private rooms spaced further away.
The rooms are large yet cosy with flushing toilets in their en-suite bathrooms; hot and cold running showers and a wood- burning furnace to keep you warm during the cold nights. Design is impeccable, as is service. The main dining and bar areas also have welcoming fireplaces where guests can enjoy a drink before dinner. Meals are three course, set menus for lunch and dinner and breakfast on request. (Guests with special dietary requirements will be well catered for; be sure to advise us in advance so we can keep management informed).
The lodge's location means that it is about 20 - 30 minutes drive up a mountain pass to the Sanetti Plateau, where you can expect to see the rare and endemic Ethiopian Wolf. In the vast and very beautiful Harenna forest, day and night game drives are offered. There are various trails offering guests the chance to explore Harenna Forest. Mammals present in Harenna include lion, leopard, common jackal, Bale Mountains monkey (in bamboo groves), baboon, Menelik's bushbuck, duikers, bushpig and giant forest hog. Birding around the lodge is fantastic: sitting on your private verrandah in the early morning, you may easily see the likes of Narina trogon and Abysinnian catbird, the latter being Africa's finest songster.
Note: the lodge is closed annually from mid July to end August (rainy season)
A note concerning the altitude:
Bale Mountain Lodge sits at 2380m above sea level. The lodge is located below the High Altitude line of 2400m and as such there is little or
no risk of altitude sickness unless you travel up onto the plateau or have a particular susceptibility to Hypoxia. If altitude sickness is experienced on the Sanetti Plateau (3500m – 4377m) then guests are advised to take lots of fluids and to return to the lodge where the effects should rapidly subside.
