<< Coffee Ceremony

12/14/19 - The Road to Harenna

From our base at Bale Mountain Lodge we drove down to the Harenna Forest, at 7,600 feet above sea level probably the lowest point during our trip to Ethiopia. Here the forest was even lusher. There were baboons wandering by the road. We stopped briefly, then headed on, continuing on our way down and south.

At one point, we stopped and our guide pointed out some of understory trees with dark leaves. There were much taller trees in the forest, but these trees with their almost black glossy leaves were different. They had berries, and when one peeled the husk off a berry, there was a green coffee bean inside. We were in land of wild coffee where the beans were first discovered and cultivated.


A sunny morning at Bale Mountain Lodge

Clouds gathering as we headed south

Roadside flowers

Roadside baboons

We stopped to watch

Tangled forest trees

A beehive - We were getting better at spotting them. The local honey was thick and delicious.

Some understory trees with dark glossy leaves

A close up

Even closer - Those are coffee berries.

Inside the husk, a coffee bean

The road, unsealed

More coffee trees

Banana trees, cultivated

Signs of civilization

Keywords: ethiopia