Forest
Walking the wild coffee
With a guide from the forest villages, you walk among old trees and coffee shrubs growing without rows, fertiliser or sun. In season, families pick the ripe red cherries by hand and dry them at home.
Destination · The coffee forests · ከፋ እና ጅማ
Kaffa & Jimma
- Altitude
- 1,500 to 2,500 m
- Fly to
- Jimma, then 3 hours to Bonga
- Time needed
- 3 nights
- Best months
- November to February
- Season
- Coffee harvest Oct–Jan
On sale
Jimma and Keffa zones carry no regional warning. We fly Addis–Jimma; the West Shewa stretch of the A4/A5 road is not used. Checked 26 October 2026 against UK and US government advice.
01 · The place
ከፋ እና ጅማ
The montane forests of the south-west, where Coffea arabica still grows wild under the trees. Many people argue the drink takes its name from here.
Kaffa was an independent kingdom until 1897. Its forests, now protected as the Kafa Biosphere Reserve, are one of the last places where wild Arabica coffee grows as a forest plant, shaded by the canopy and picked by families who have harvested it for generations. Jimma, to the east, was the capital of another kingdom and grew rich on the coffee trade.
It rains a great deal here, which is why the forest exists. We go in the dry months, during the harvest, and walk with local forest guides. Read more on our coffee origin page.
- Wild Arabica
- Coffee here grows as a forest shrub, not in rows.
- UNESCO
- The Kafa Biosphere Reserve was designated in 2010.
- 1897
- The end of the Kaffa kingdom, absorbed into Menelik's empire.
02 · Kaffa & Jimma
What we do here
Bonga
Bonga and the forest villages
The small town of Bonga is the gateway to the reserve. We stay simply and close to the forest, and visit the places where Kafficho families keep honey, coffee and forest spices.
Jimma
A coffee kingdom's capital
Jimma's nineteenth-century kings traded coffee across the region. The wooden palace of Abba Jifar stands on a hill above the town; its condition varies, so we check before we go.
03 · When to go
Month by month, by the Ethiopian calendar
Read across the thirteen months. For exact dates and festivals during your trip, use the calendar converter.
መስከረምMeskerem
Good
Good
ጥቅምትTikimt
Good
Good
ኅዳርHidar
Best · harvest
Best · harvest
ታኅሣሥTahsas
Best · harvest
Best · harvest
ጥርTir
Best
Best
የካቲትYekatit
Best
Best
መጋቢትMegabit
Good
Good
ሚያዝያMiyazya
Rains
Rains
ግንቦትGinbot
Rains
Rains
ሰኔSene
Rains
Rains
ሐምሌHamle
Rains
Rains
ነሐሴNehase
Rains
Rains
ጳጉሜንPagume
Rains
Rains
BestGoodRains: possible, but harder
04 · Getting there
Getting there, and the advice
We fly Addis Ababa to Jimma (about an hour) and drive about three hours to Bonga. The long road from Addis passes through West Shewa, where the FCDO advises against all travel north of the A4, so we fly.
Accommodation in Bonga is simple and honest: clean rooms, hot water most of the time, and very good coffee.
Shaded by the UK FCDO zone list. Red: advised against all travel. Ochre: essential travel only.
05 · Sample journeys
Journeys that include Kaffa & Jimma
Before you write
Before you go
Can we buy coffee from the forest?
Yes, in small amounts for your own use, ideally through the cooperative or the family you visit. Check your home country's import rules for green or roasted coffee.
How wet is it?
Very, from June to September. Even in the dry season, expect a shower; the forest trails are muddy. Bring shoes you don't mind ruining.
Next destination
Rift Valley lakes