South-western
Chebera Churchura
Ethiopia’s least-visited national park, where elephants are tracked on foot with park scouts.
South-western Ethiopia
Kafa
Cloud forest around Bonga where Arabica coffee still grows wild, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Overview
About Kafa
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.
- Region
- South-western
- Best time
- October to March
Highlights
What makes it worth the journey
Highlights
- Wild coffee in the forest
- The mother coffee tree in Mankira
- Colobus monkeys
- Waterfalls in the reserve
Things to do
- Walk Mankira forest
- Visit the National Coffee Museum in Bonga
- Share a coffee ceremony with a farming family
Plan your visit
Before you go
Best time to visit
October to March, after the long rains
Getting there
Fly to Jimma, then about 118 km west by road to Bonga.
Getting around
On foot with a local forest guide.
Good to know
- Trails are muddy; waterproof shoes help.
- We confirm the road via Jimma before every booking.
Gallery
A look at Kafa
Photos: Unsplash
Keep exploring
More places to see
South-western
Central
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia’s capital: museums, markets and the birthplace of many a coffee ceremony.
Afar
Danakil Depression
Discover Danakil Depression.
Let us plan your Kafa trip
Tell us when you want to travel and what you love. A local specialist will reply with a suggested plan and a clear price.