South-western Ethiopia
Cloud forest around Bonga where Arabica coffee still grows wild, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Overview
Some of Ethiopia’s last montane cloud forest still stands in Kafa: wild fig and podocarp, damp shade loud with birds, and black-and-white colobus in the canopy. UNESCO named it a biosphere reserve in 2010, about 2,190 square kilometres.
Here Arabica is not a crop in rows but a wild shrub of the forest floor, in its centre of origin. In Mankira forest stands the tree locals call the mother of all coffee.
Highlights
Plan your visit
October to March, after the long rains
Fly to Jimma, then about 118 km west by road to Bonga.
On foot with a local forest guide.
Gallery
Photos: Unsplash
Journeys
Length 04 days
Kafa
Old cloud forest of wild fig and podocarp, a UNESCO biosphere where colobus move overhead and Arabica coffee still grows wild underfoot.
Keep exploring
South-western
Ethiopia’s least-visited national park, where elephants are tracked on foot with park scouts.
Central
Ethiopia’s capital: museums, markets and the birthplace of many a coffee ceremony.
Northern
Eleven medieval churches carved down into solid rock, and still in use today.
Plan with us
Tell us when you want to travel and what you love. A local specialist will reply with a suggested plan and a clear price.
