Kafa Biosphere Reserve

The Kafa reserve covers moist montane forest, wetland and farmland around Bonga in the southwest, and its significance is genetic: this is one of the areas where Coffea arabica grows wild in the forest understorey, the original stock from which every arabica plant elsewhere descends, which makes the surviving forest a genuine reservoir of coffee diversity. UNESCO designated it a biosphere reserve in 2010, a different programme from the World Heritage List. Beyond coffee the forest holds colobus, bushpig, and a strong bird list with Ethiopian endemics; wild honey is harvested from log hives in the canopy. Walking trails and community guiding operate from villages, and the forest is wet, mossy and often misty, unlike most of the country.

What you actually see

• Wild coffee - arabica growing in the forest understorey.
• Cloud forest - mossy wet montane woodland, unusual for Ethiopia.
• Log beehives - hives set high in the trees for wild honey.
• Endemic birds - highland forest species along the trails.

When to go

November to February is the driest window, though this is one of the wettest regions in the country and rain should be expected. Coffee harvest runs from October. Trails are muddy at any time.

Honest expectations

This is a biosphere reserve, not a World Heritage site, and there is little developed infrastructure: community guides, basic accommodation in Bonga and muddy forest paths. Rain and leeches are normal. Getting here is a long drive from Jimma or Addis Ababa.

Nearby

Bonga is the base; Jimma lies north.