Bale Mountain Lodge is a stunning wilderness lodge set deep in the Bale Mountains National Park of South central Ethiopia. It is the first lodge concession to be granted by the Ethiopian Government inside a National Park and, in conjunction with AWF, we have written new Conservation Covenants, Concession Documents and lease papers using best practice experience from across the African Continent, holding ourselves to exceptional standards of performance and behaviour in one of the most important bio-diversity sites in Africa. The Lodge is 100% eco-friendly, whilst being exceptionally comfortable, and we sponsor conservation research through our research facilities, co-ordinated by our Resident Naturalist.

Endemic wildlife and flora, virgin forest, multiple habitats, biodiversity 'hotspot', UNESCO tentative list status pending World Heritage Site accreditation. Also the lodge has its own 25Kw Micro-Hydro installation to sustainably generate all our power needs. Wood heating furnaces in all rooms use wood from sustainable plantation sources to create warm cosy rooms which are carbon neutral. Low energy heat pump water heating and light bulbs enable 70% reduced power requirement across lodge operations. All building materials were sourced from outside the Bale Mountains National Park so that there was no degradation of the National Park or to our ability to promote best conservation practice to our staff and the adjacent village. Our biogas plant decomposes kitchen waste to produce methane gas with which to create cooking gas for the service areas, greatly reducing our carbon footprint, and our water comes from the mountain stream and is subjected to slow sand filtration to produce drinking water from the taps. This reduces the use of plastic bottled water and ultimately we plan to eliminate all plastic. All of our waste water flows through soak aways and reed beds to recycle water back into the river courses on a ‘closed system’ approach to resources and long term sustainability.

The lodge has its own 25Kw Micro-Hydro installation to sustainably generate all our power needs. Wood heating furnaces in all rooms use wood from sustainable plantation sources to create warm cosy rooms which are carbon neutral. Low energy heat pump water heating and light bulbs enable 70% reduced power requirement across lodge operations. All building materials were sourced from outside the Bale Mountains National Park so that there was no degradation of the National Park or to our ability to promote best conservation practice to our staff and the adjacent village. Our biogas plant decomposes kitchen waste to produce methane gas with which to create cooking gas for the service areas, greatly reducing our carbon footprint, and our water comes from the mountain stream and is subjected to slow sand filtration to produce drinking water from the taps. This reduces the use of plastic bottled water and ultimately we plan to eliminate all plastic. All of our waste water flows through soak aways and reed beds to recycle water back into the river courses on a ‘closed system’ approach to resources and long term sustainability.

Activities are based around walking Safaris in and around the lodge, up into the surrounding mountains, out to spectacular waterfalls and through the virgin Harenna Forest. Vehicle and walking safaris also take you on the 4000m high Sanetti Plateau, the largest high Alpine plateau left in Africa. Horse safaris can be arranged on request. Highlights include the likelihood of seeing one of only 550 remaining Ethiopian Wolves, the world's rarest canid (100% of our guests have seen wolves this year). The park also contains magnificent bird life and the African Bird Club rates Bale as the 4th best birding site in Africa with some 320+ species including 14 endemics and numerous near endemics. In the forest you can track the endemic and 'vulnerable' Bale Monkey, plus Menelik's Bushbuck and Giant Forest Hogs whilst always having the possibility to see Black Maned Lions, Leopards, Servals, Genets and Civets.

13 endemic mammals (Ethiopian Wolves, Menelik's Bushbuck, Mountain Nyala, Starcks Hare, Bale Monkey, Giant Mole Rats, Bale Shrew etc.. etc..), numerous big cats (although rarely seen), 14 endemic bird species (Abyssinian Catbird, Yellow Fronted Parrot, Blue Winged Goose, Abyssinian Oriole, Black Headed Siskin and many more), 22 brand new species of butterfly and moth discovered by BML sponsored research, endemic amphibians, such as the Harenna Chameleon which is only found within 10km of the lodge, and new species being discovered and known range information being updated as we write.