Package ID: 1006
Duration: 1 or 2 days
Season: January- December
Activities:
Brief Outline of the 2 Day Itinerary
Our first stop will be Debre Berhan, some 130 km from Addis Ababa on
the Asmara Road. The great Emperor Zera Yaqob (1434 - 1468) made his
imperial capital here, after seeing a “heavenly light” visitors also
see the church of Selassie which Emperor Menelik restored in 1906.
Proceed to the former imperial capital -Ankober, a little over 40 km
from Debre Berhan. Founded by King Amaha Iyesus, the old palace of
Emperor Menelik II ruins can still be seen, and two of the original
five churches (Mariam and Medhane Alem) are still used as places of
worship.
From the town of Anokober, there are marvelous views over the
escarpment, and for ornithologists there is the chance of seeing the
very rare Ankober Serin, and other species such as Smith’s
Francolin, Yellow Throated Serin, White billed Starling,
Black-winged Love Bird,
Lammergeyer, Mountain Buzzard, Peregrine, Red-breasted Sparrow Hawk,
Alpine Swift, Crag Martin and Blue Rock Thrush. Wildlife recorded in
the area includes: Leopard (rarely seen), Colobus and Vervet
Monkeys, Gelada Baboon, Menelik’s Bushbuck, Klipsringer and Rock
Hyrax, which despite its small size is a distant relative of the
elephant. Overnight Ankober Lodge.