You fly in to the remote western airstrip of Mizan Teferi — twin town to Aman, and the largest settlement in the newly formed South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region — and fly out from Jimma, once the seat of its own Kingdom and now one of the key towns of Oromia. Between the two lies deep forest, working coffee and tea land, hidden waterfalls, and a national park where elephant numbers are steadily climbing. This trip packs a great deal into a few days.

Highlights

Spend a day on a 250-hectare organic coffee farm, where coffee grows wild in the shade of tall forest trees, ferns hanging from their branches, and Colobus and De Brazza's monkeys move through the canopy overhead

See coffee cherries ripening on the bush (Aug–Dec), or catch the jasmine-scented white coffee blossom that drapes the bushes after harvest (especially Feb–April)

Watch pickers — mostly women — select only the ripest red cherries by hand, and see the raised mesh drying beds where the harvest is spread out to dry

Get involved yourself: plant a seedling, pick cherries, or turn a batch on the drying beds

Explore the farm's forest on foot or by bike, and learn how it works with neighbouring farmers — sharing seedlings, training, and picking rights — while leaving space for the wildlife, with bananas and avocado planted for the monkeys and shade trees and enset keeping the whole system well away from intensive farming

Cycle or hike through a tea estate, its bright green bushes rolling over red earth

Hike to a waterfall (worth the effort, though its flow depends on recent rain) and to God's Bridge, where a river has cut clean through a rock fissure — cross it and, but for the sound of water below your feet, you'd never know you were standing on a bridge at all

Visit the coffee museum in Bonga, the historic capital of the former Kingdom of Kaffa — the place coffee takes its name from — and see the bamboo cups still used to drink it here

Finish at Chebera Churchura National Park, 1,250km² of forest and savannah now home to a growing population of African bush elephant, likely over 1,000 strong, plus Cape buffalo, hippo in its lakes, and — harder to spot — lion and leopard, with hyena calling after dark

Watch for Colobus monkeys, De Brazza's monkeys, Olive baboon, Defassa waterbuck and warthog, and keep an eye out for the crimson-winged White-cheeked Turaco — one of our favourite birds in the park

Coffee cupping can be arranged for anyone who wants to go a step further.

Who it's for

This trip is for anyone drawn to coffee — no expertise needed, you'll pick plenty up along the way — as well as nature and wildlife. It's not suitable for young children, as the trip involves several longer drives, including a final stretch out to Jimma over roads that are in places rough going, though the scenery and stops for coffee and local food along the way make up for it.

Keen cyclists can take the biking version of this trip, with some excellent descents of 900m and more. Hikers will find several good walks built in. For those who'd rather take it easier, the walks to the waterfall and God's Bridge are both optional and can be kept short.

Accommodation

One night camping at the coffee farm, one night in a simple hotel (ensuite, hot water), two nights in a good-standard hotel, and one night in a safari lodge.

Extend your trip

This tour links well with the Gurage homestay trails, or on to Arba Minch, Konso, the Omo Valley and Omo National Park.