Socialising with Geladas in Ethiopia's Simien Mountains

I relaxed to catch my breath in the high-altitude grasslands, as the equatorial sun warmed what had been a frosty morning in the Simien Mountains. Nearby was a stand of giant heather trees, heavy with pale yellow lichens hanging beard-like from their boughs like an enchanted forest. Ahead, a sheer cliff plummeted over a kilometre to the valley below, revealing lower flat-topped mountains beyond formed by ancient lava flows. Giant griffin vultures and augur buzzards circled the sky seeking casualties of the night. 

One by one, the Simien’s iconic geladas emerged from the precarious cliff-face ledges where they had chosen to sleep to avoid predation by animals, such as leopards, on the plateau. With leonine manes blowing in the breeze they began their day of grazing and socialising.

It was an extraordinary sight as the geladas, comprising many families, swelled to several hundred individuals. They were totally unperturbed by our presence and approached within a couple of metres from where we sat, as if accepting us as part of the troop.

These terrestrial, vegetarian monkeys have a curious gait, shuffling on their hind legs, adeptly plucking the grass and digging for roots with specially-adapted hands. They have bare expressive faces and their chests display a characteristic hourglass-shaped red patch. Geladas have astonishing vocalisations, thought to be almost as complex as human language, and are continually reaffirming bonds with sounds and delicate mutual grooming. It was comical to watch their antics and hear them seemingly enjoying the morning gossip. 

Often younger males would test the dominant male with a threat display – lifting their brows to flash pale eyelids and flipping their upper lips back over their nostrils to bare menacing pink skin and dagger-like canines – a fearsome sight! Retaliation would be swift, with an even more terrifying display, scream and chase by the larger male, with his enormous teeth and striking cape of fur making him seem indomitable, until the protagonist fled or submitted.

Despite the drama, all the while I felt as at ease with the geladas as they seemed to be with me. It was a unique encounter, only possible in Ethiopia. 

I spent four nights immersed in the spectacular scenery here, with other wildlife highlights including the endangered walia ibex, Simien wolf, jackal, klipspringer, bushbuck, Abyssinian catbird and an exceptional prevalence of raptors including the magnificent bone-breaking Lammergeier. 

Ethiopia is altogether a fascinating country with a surprising variety of superb sights to behold. If you are looking for a different and special kind of social encounter, I highly recommend incorporating time with geladas in your wildlife holiday to Ethiopia.

Spend time with geladas on our Unique Wonder group trip or a tailor-made Ethiopian Wildlife Extravaganza. To find out more, contact a member of our friendly team.