Community Conservation · Northern Highlands
Guassa Plateau
A hundred square kilometres of Afro-alpine grassland in Menz, north-east of Addis Ababa, managed for more than four centuries under the Qero — an indigenous system of grazing and grass-cutting rules that ranks among the oldest community conservation arrangements in Africa.
Why We Go
Ethiopian wolves and geladas on highland moor a community has protected for four hundred years.
Under the Qero, two elected chiefs decided when the plateau could be grazed and when its grass could be cut for thatch and rope. The system held from the seventeenth century until the 1974 revolution nationalised the land; the communities of Menz have since rebuilt it, and in 2004 their work was recognised with the UN Development Programme's Equator Prize.
The result is a landscape that looks much as the highlands must have before farming reached them — and one of the most reliable places in the north to see the Ethiopian wolf, a species with fewer than five hundred animals left in the wild. With no national park infrastructure, sightings come on foot, walking the grassland at dawn with a community scout.
Guassa is genuinely remote. The community lodge near Mehal Meda is simple, with no mains electricity, and dry-season nights can fall to ten below freezing. We bring a cook and supplies, and pair it with the drive north toward Lalibela for guests who want wildlife without the long detour south to Bale.
Highlights
- 01Ethiopian wolves hunting rodents across the open grassland — six packs hold territory on the plateau
- 02Gelada troops grazing the moor and sleeping on the cliffs at its edge
- 03Giant lobelia up to twelve metres tall, erica heath, and the tussock guassa grass the area is named for
- 04Twelve endemic bird species, including the Ankober serin, blue-winged goose and wattled ibis
Best combined with a stay of 2 – 3 days, travelling October – May.
Journeys Including Guassa Plateau
Routes that pass through here
Plan This Destination
Build Guassa Plateau into your journey
Nothing here is fixed. Tell us how long you have and what else you want to see, and a designer will draw the route — including the flights, the guides and the hours that matter.
Speak With a Designer
Speak to someone who has been there this season
Our designers travel these routes themselves. Ask about road conditions, festival dates or which lodge has the better view — you will get a straight answer.
Or call us directly on +1909-450-7246