Kafa Biosphere Reserve

The Kafa Biosphere Reserves is the home of many coffee varieties (almost 5,000!) which grow wild throughout the region. Those wishing to pay their respects to the Mother Coffee Tree, the oldest of its type, can even complete the nine hour hike to see it for themselves.

The rainforests also yield other sustainable forest products such as cardamom, pepper, and honey. Guided Coffee Forest tours allow visitors to learn more about the reserve and observe its natural beauty, with the ‘God’s Bridge’ rock formation being an especially popular site.

Ethiopians actively appreciate the coffee that they grow. Coffee is central to life here and you will find coffee ceremonies happening everyday throughout the country where green grass is scattered across the ground, frankincense is lit, and coffee beans are roasted over a charcoal stove.

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a process that has been handed down through generations of Ethiopian women for centuries, and a cultural experience no visitor should leave Kafa (or Ethiopia) without having experienced.