Sangay Grassland and Park HQ Reserve

At the northern base of the Bale Mountains are the Gaysay Grasslands, a wide area of low shrub and grass, with rivers and pools of varying seasonal sizes and bush and woodlands on the hillsides above. Much of the year, they are verdant and full of life, from endemic mountain nyala to bushbuck and the ever-ridiculous warthog. Bird life is commensurately rich, and we saw egrets, ibis, blue-winged geese and coots by one small dry-season pool.

A wander through the grasslands is a delight, with a good chance if sightings of many of the resident beasts and birds in a fascinating and unusual setting.

But in dry season it is grey and empty, with most of the game having retreated to the bush. We were advised to focus on the enclosure (actually a small reserve) by the Park HQ - which is a delight at any time of year. You can walk here for an hour or more, through beautiful open woodland (magnificent specimen trees), and you are guaranteed a wealth of sightings of its beautiful (all right, not the warthogs) and un-shy wildlife. See Account of walking here.

See our Bale Mountains page for more general and practical information and photos.