The lower Ankober escarpment is across the vast and arid Afar Plains all the way to the northern part of Awash National Park. Ankober is the epicenter of Eucalyptus plantation in Ethiopia, an environmental scourge and almost no native vegetation remains except on inaccessible cliff faces. Otoh, native vegetation appears only 1 km below the Palace hotel and its diversity increases many fold. Birds like Levaillants Cuckoo, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Yellow-throated Seedeater, Whitewinged Cliff Chat and a few White-backed Black-Tit, seen here.

Melka Ghebdu is an area located just east of the bottom of the escarpment holds excellent scrub and riparian acacia woodland that teems with birds. The main road can be used as an elevated vantage too. The Yellow-throated Seedeater, Yellow-breasted Barbet, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver (usually harder elsewhere), a fabulous Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Eastern Plantain-eater, African Grey, Von der Decken's and Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Black-billed Barbet, Red-bellied Parrot, Slate-colored Boubou, Yellow-vented Eremomela, Nile Valley and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, Little Weaver, Black Scrub Robin, Whitebellied Go-away-bird, Gabar Goshawk, Lesser Kestrel and the first Abyssinian Rollers are seen in this region.

Afar Plains is 850 meters above sea level is found towards Doho Lodge. A newly laid train track lies on the side of the road throughout the journey. This track, connecting Awash in the south to Mekelle in the north through dry scarcely inhabited landscape is believed to have reduced sightings of bustards. Have a picnic lunch at a stream crossing that seems to be birdy. Here you will see the Grey Wren-Warbler, Yellow-spotted Petronia, Black-throated Barbet, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Straw-tailed, Grey Kestrel, Whydah, Yellow-breasted Barbet and much of the same dry country birds.

Doho Lodge is located at the very edge of a massive forbidding looking swamp that apparently extends several hundreds of kilometers from the base of Mount Fentale in Awash National Park to well past the now non-operational Bilen Lodge. The vast swamp is an authentic oasis in this very arid region but it is also strangely lacking in bird diversity and numbers. The narrow palm forest at the edge of this swamp is frequented by many woodpeckers as evidenced by the numerous holes in almost every palm tree. Other birds seen in the swampy habitat include; Cardinal Woodpecker, Black-billed Wood-Hoopoe, Red-bellied Parrots, Slender-tailed Nightjar, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Grey-headed Batis, White-browed SparrowWeaver, White-rumped Shrike (White-crowned), Red-fronted Prinia (Warbler), Shining Sunbird, Greyish & Pale Flycatchers, the nomadic Wattled Starling, the diminutive Buff-bellied Warbler and many others.