Sunlust Coffee Reality Tour
Sunlust Coffee Reality Tour - 12 Days/11 Nights
Sunlust Coffee Reality Tour
Duration: 12 days/11 nights
Day 1: Addis Ababa
Arrival in Addis in the morning at Bole Airport. Meet and greet at the airport by the driver and your local guide. Transfer to Hotel. Have a rest in the morning. After lunch, visit the Entoto Mountains, where Emperor Menelik founded in 1887 the capital Addis Ababa. Visit the Entoto Maryam Church and the Memorial Museum, and enjoy the panoramic view of Addis. On the way back, visit the oldest coffee house in Addis called Tomoca. Transfer to the hotel for a refresh. In the evening, a traditional dinner.
Day 2: Addis Ababa – Jimma (350 km)
After breakfast, leave Addis and drive to Jimma. Stop for a small cup of coffee in Woliso. From Abelti, at the bottom of the Omo River Gorge, you will climb into the hills and enjoy the beautiful scenery of granite out scopes and acacia woodland. Stops on the way to enjoy the landscape. Continue to Jimma and witness the Coffee Statue.
Day 3: Jimma –Limu Kossa – Jimma
After breakfast, visit the Limu Kossa Coffee Plantation. Sitting atop 2,000-metre-high mountains, workers at the 300-hectare Limu Kossa coffee plantation swing machetes at weeds between coffee bushes and apply an organic fertiliser to the soil. Visit the Harewa Gatira wet mill in the Limu Kossa region. In the afternoon, visit the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (Jarco) which is also the National Coffee Research Center. After the visit of Jarco, guided visit to the Aba Jiffar Palace and museum, which is a good example of traditional (wooden) Ethiopian architecture.
Day 4: Jimma – WushWush – Mizan Teferi – Bebeka
Jimma – Mizan Teferi: 225 km Mizan Teferi – Bebeka: 30 km After breakfast, leave Jimma and continue to WushWush Tea Estate. Visit the WushWush Tea Estate and tea factory. This estate grows black tea on 1249 ha at an altitude of 1900 m. From Wacha on you might see painted Bench (Konta-Sheko) houses along the road. Also, around Mizan en Bebeka there might be some painted houses. If time permits, have a first walk on the Bebeka coffee estate.
Day 5: Bebeka
Full day visit by car of the largest and oldest coffee estate in Ethiopia, recently taken over by the Midroc Group. Besides the big coffee plantation, which covers 5556 ha (more than half) of the 10.030 ha, you will also visit the honey farm and witness the spices grown as pepper, ginger, etc…. If time permits, visit some organic producers of coffee in the area.
Day 6: Bebeka – Jimma – Sheki – Chida – Waka – Sodo
Estimated distance: 450 km After breakfast, early start and leave the Kaffa region and drive to Jimma. After lunch, will travel to Chida. Cross different rivers and some mountains pass to Tercha Sodo. Then climb the Wakka mountain pass. After the top, you will see tukuls with bamboo fences. After Douro, you will start the descent to the Omo River Canyon. Have a stop around the bridge (50 km from Sodo) to enjoy the beautiful landscape and cross the only bridge on the Omo River before the town of Sodo.
Day 7: Sodo – Awassa (155 km)
Sodo – Shashemene: 130 km Shashemene – Awassa: 25 km After breakfast, leave Sodo and travel to Awassa by Shashemene. Stops on the way to witness beautiful Wolaita villages. In the afternoon relaxation and an optional boat trip on the Awassa Lake.
Day 8: Awassa – Sidamo coffee projects – Awassa
After breakfast visit the fish market 1 km, south of the Lewi Resort. Visit of Sidamo coffee region: Kolla washing station & Efico Foundation project (Ferro Cooperative) in Yirga Alem. Lunch in Yirga Alem or on the way.
Day 9: Awassa – Yirga Alem – Yirga Cheffe
Awassa – Yirga Alem: 37 km Yirga Alem – Yirga Cheffe: 82 km After breakfast you make a walk alongside the lake on the footpath starting at the old Midroc Zewed Village to witness some birdlife. Continue to Yirga Cheffe with stops on the way, where you can have lunch in the hotel. In the afternoon you visit the Yirga Cheffe Coffee Union project and the Kochere woreda (about 25 km south of Yirga Cheffe) famous for its Yirga Cheffe quality coffee.
Day 10: Yirga Cheffe-Addis (395 km)
Today we leave the coffee region behind us and drive back along the Ethiopia-Kenya highway to the north. Between Shashemene and Arsi Negele. After Shashemene has lunch in Ziway, where you can have – with fresh fish – from the lake. Stop on the lakeside to see waterbirds and continue to Addis. In Debre Zeit have a cup of coffee in Ethio Dreamland Hotel. On the terrace, you have a view of Bishoftu Lake, which is a crater lake.
Day 11: Addis Ababa
After breakfast, we drive to Kaliti, one of the sub-cities in the southern part of Addis and its most important industrial zone. Visit Dry Mills of Kuru Ethiopia Coffee Development PLC. In the afternoon visit the ECX (Ethiopia Commodity Exchange).
Day 12: Addis Ababa and flight to home country
Visit the National Museum and the Ethnographic Museum (Institute of Ethiopian Studies). Visit the Holy Trinity church where Haile Selassie is buried. Transfer to Bole International Airport in the evening.
End of Coffee Tour in Ethiopia
Sunlust Coffee Reality Tour - 10 days
Sunlust Coffee Reality Tour
10 Days
Coffee originates from Ethiopia. The word ‘coffee’ comes from the word ‘Kafa’; the green jungle region in the southwest of the country. Walking through the beautiful jungle with Colobus Monkeys swinging overhead, we will experience the beauty of its diverse flora, fauna, wildlife and local people; visiting the coffee plantations and villagers who work there, learning everything about the processes that allow the beans to be exported to the international market. January 7th is also the festival of ‘Genna’ [Ethiopian Christmas] which we will celebrate with the local people.
Visit beautiful wild coffee forests
Experience Genna festival & coffee ceremony
Ride horses, visit waterfalls, meet local people
Discover new coffee flavours through ‘cupping’
With group members arriving during the afternoon and evening, today is a free day for you to arrive, be transferred to the start hotel and to shake off any travel fatigue, before the start of your adventure, in earnest, tomorrow.
DAY 2
Starting off with the end product: Today we visit a local coffee company to see their coffee beans being washed and processed for export. The complex has a beautiful in-house coffee shop where we will experiment with creating different kinds of drinks. Following this we have an optional visit to the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis, run by the Charity, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia. Tonight we enjoy watching traditional musicians and dancers performing different tribal dances in a culture house.
DAY 3
Fly to Jimma, drive to Bonga, walk to a viewpoint. We will hop on a short national flight down to the city of Jimma, from where we will drive the two hours to Bonga in the Kaffa Biosphere Reserve, taking in the truly spectacular views along the way. We will stretch our legs by taking a walk up to the viewpoint above Bonga, to get our bearings, and absorb the beauty of the area we are about to explore. Our guest houses are located just outside of the town, amidst a beautifully maintained exotic garden, surrounded by acacia trees and jungle.
DAY 4
Tatmara Coffee Plantation The team at Tatmara Coffee Plantation welcome us today, introducing us to our first experience of the famous Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. We enjoy an al fresco lunch at the plantation and an interesting and educational walking tour of the facilities and processes that are completed here, all contributing to the packet of Ethiopian coffee we may enjoy at home.
DAY 5
Waterfall walk, Honey Producer & Tea Plantation Treat your senses today, and get under the skin of what the realities of farming are like in the area, with a visit to a passionate and knowledgeable local honey producer, and a Tea Plantation. We also enjoy a wonderful 2km leg stretch (round trip) to a stunning waterfall.
DAY 6Mankira Wild Coffee Farm Today we enjoy a beautiful 3hr (round trip) walk through lush and wild forest to the ‘Mother Tree’ in Mankira Wild Coffee Forest. It is a 40min drive from our guesthouse, and we return to Bonga for lunch and a fabulous visit to a family run Spice Farm. Our guide Bereket will translate for us so we can learn more about life for our welcoming hosts.
DAY 7
Visit Lemkaffa coffee plantation. An early start this morning is well worth the effort. Today we are truly exploring, with a 2-3hr drive into ‘Medicine Man’ country! The road is bumpy at times and we need 4x4s for this journey, but it is 100% worth it as this is some of the most stunning scenery that Ethiopia has to offer. We will see Colobus monkeys and incredible flora as well as an excellent tour of the plantation and a delicious lunch, before the return journey to Kafa.
DAY 8
Drive to Jimma, tour Jimma. In Jimma, a major nerve centre for coffee in the Oromia region, we will visit the palace and museum of Abba Jifar, King of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma. The largest and most powerful of the five kingdoms of Gibe, it was established around 1830, when silver Maria Theressa Dollars and bars of salt were the main circulation of currency. Jimma is a very lively town so we can explore the markets and later on some of the night spots from our hotel.
DAY 9
Fly back to Addis Ababa, City Tour. In the morning we will fly back to the capital. After freshening up in our rooms and lunch with a local guide we will take a short tour of the city, stopping off at the Red Terror and Ethnographic Museum to fill any gaps in our understanding of recent Ethiopian History and to help us frame all we have seen on our adventure. We enjoy a fabulous reminisce and reflect over dinner in one of the best restaurants in town.
DAY 10
Fly out of Addis Ababa.
Sunlust Coffee Reality Tour - 4 Days
Sunlust Coffee Reality Tour
4 Days Yirgalem and Yirgachefe
Day 1 : Addis Ababa- Yiregalem
On arrival we will meet you at Bole Int Airport then you will be drive to the southern part of Ethiopia to the town of Yiregalem (350 Km from Addis) on the way you will have a stop on Awash River and Lake Ziway to visit aquatic birds then drive to Awassa for Lunch after lunch drive to Aregash Lodge. You will have dinner and spend the night at the Aregash lodge. Overnight stay in Aregash Lodge.
Day 2 : Wondo and YirgaCheffe Coffee Plantation
This morning after breakfast, you will be drive to Alet Wondo to visit the Wottona Boltuma Coffee plantation . And the stela park around Aleta Wondo. You will have lunch in Aleta Wondo then Late in the afternoon drive back to Yiregalem. Overnight stay in Aregash Lodge.
Day 3 : Yirgalem- YirgaCheffe Coffee Plantation –Awassa
In the morning after breakfast you will be driven to Yirega Chiefe on the way you will have a chance to visit one of the interesting villages. In Yirega Chief & visit the coffee plantation then You will have lunch in Dilla.
In the afternoon you will be driving back to Awassa for a leisure stay in your resort.
Overnight Awassa
Day 4 : Awassa-Addis Ababa- Departure
In the morning, you will have a chance to see the fish market at lake Awassa then we will be driving back to Addis Ababa . In the evening attend a folkloric dinner where you will have a chance to taste several national dishes and watch dances of the various ethnic groups of Ethiopia. The traditional coffee ceremony will also be served. Later you will be transferred to the airport for your departure.