The Kafa Biosphere Reserve is characterized by impressive natural scenery. Kafa harbours lush ancient forests, thriving wetlands, steep valleys alongside towering mountains, and gentle rolling plains. Fertile valleys link the forested mountains, creating an appeasing, yet exciting landscape. Kafa is part of the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, which is one of the 35 most biodiverse regions of the world. As the largest continuous mountain range in Africa, many people call the Ethiopian Highlands the ‘Roof of Africa’. In Kafa, these mountains reach between 500 to 3,300 meters above sea level. In the highest elevations, a complex vegetation structure of evergreen mountain forests and grasslands covers the area. Altitude levels below are dominated by Afromontane moist evergreen broadleaf forest, often referred to as ‘cloud forest’. In Kafa, this is the place where the wild coffee (Coffee Arabica) grows with an incredible variety of as many as 5,000 genetic varieties. In the lowlands of Kafa, one encounters wood-lands and moderate hills. Coffee plants are a part of the delicately balanced forest ecosystem in Kafa and have always been used by the local inhabitants, being picked both for personal use and for sale at local markets. The discovery of coffee in Ethiopia was sometime between the third and tenth century. Many rumors and tales exist about how coffee’s energizing properties were discovered.

Kafa Biosphere Reserve offers superb trekking and hiking opportunities in its enchanting environment. A combination of mountains and hills with varying altitudes provides options for both demanding and leisurely hiking. Relatively close to Bonga town and further afield, a wealth of forests, wetlands, waterfalls, and landscapes with an abundant wildlife exist. The remoteness of this region ensures grand mountain scenery, a personal experience with nature, and untold adventures with local communities. The coffee grows wild as a natural part of the ecosystem, most favorably under the cover of mountain rainforest trees. Wild coffee is unique worldwide with its distinctive, exotic flavor. Forest coffee makes up a small part of Ethiopian coffee production even though it is a desirable method. Forest coffee does not involve clearing trees or modifying the structure of the forest, and its sustainability is attested by the fact that it has been practiced and is still practiced in forested areas of Kafa for hundreds of years. Once a year, for the coffee harvest, the leaf litter and natural debris from the forest is cleared to facilitate access for the coffee collectors.