Walk Like an Egyptian
Despite being landlocked and at least 1/3 desert, Ethiopia still manages to be one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with well over 800 species of bird recorded. This is partly because it's way bigger than it looks on most maps (three times the size of Germany!), and partly because it also has an extremely varied geography that keeps species isolated from each other by mountains, valleys, rivers and deserts. Thus, while most birding circuits focus mainly on the central and southern parts of Ethiopia, where most of the endemic birds are found, western Ethiopia holds an almost completely different avifauna from anywhere else in the country. The best place to visit for seeing western Ethiopian birds is the town of Gambela , the capital of the eponymous region and apparently one of the most oppressively hot places in the country. However, it's extremely far from Addis, and is reputed to be essentially unnavigable in the rainy season, where all roads turn into mud.