Still unknown by the tourism industry, this part of Ethiopia is very rich in natural beauty such as green rolling hills with dense forests teeming with wild animals and birds, the Omo river Canyon, waterfalls, coffee and tea plantations and fertile soil where fruits, crops and vegetables abundantly grow. In the far west the climate and landscape changes abruptly when you go down to the swampy lowlands with their hot, humid atmosphere .
The word “coffee” comes from the name of the former region “Kaffa“where coffee first was discovered by a herds boy as a stimulant and later was used as the black liquid which is so well known now all over the world. For ages the secret of coffee remained in Ethiopia. In the 16th century coffee was brought to Arabia by traders and cultivated there and in the 17th century it was introduced in Europe. The biggest coffee plantations of Ethiopia are still in the Kaffa region and coffee is still the biggest export product of Ethiopia. West Ethiopia is inhabited by the Oromo, Nuer and Anuak people and different smaller tribes. In Jimma and in Nekemte are interesting museums where you can learn more about the culture of these tribes.