5-Day Ethiopia Coffee Tour: Yirgacheffe Plantations & Addis Ababa

Ethiopia is where coffee was first cultivated, and you'll taste it where it still grows wild in the highlands.

A 5-day tour of Ethiopia's coffee regions starting in Addis Ababa, visiting the National Museum and a working coffee processor before traveling south through the Great Rift Valley to Yirgacheffe. You'll walk coffee plantations and cooperatives around Yirgacheffe and Yirgalem, stay at a lodge surrounded by coffee plants and forest, and return to Addis Ababa for a farewell dinner with traditional music and dance. A professional guide leads the entire route. All transport, accommodation and entrance fees are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Addis Ababa city tour

• Arrive at Bole International Airport
• Transfer to hotel and rest
• Visit coffee processor and exporter
• Taste local coffee
• Visit National Museum
• See Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

Day 2: Addis Ababa to Hawassa

• Drive through Great Rift Valley to Awassa
• Overnight at hotel in Awassa

Day 3: Awassa to Yirga Alem via Yirgachefe

• Drive to Yirgachefe coffee plantations
• See coffee cooperatives and plantations
• Visit ancient grave stelae of Tutu Fela
• Arrive at Aregash Lodge
• Relax at lodge surrounded by coffee plants

Day 4: Coffee tours around Yirga Alem

• Tour coffee plantations and seedlings
• Overnight at same lodge

Day 5: Return to Addis Ababa

• Visit bustling fish market in morning
• Drive to Addis Ababa with lunch break in Debre Zeit
• Arrive in Addis Ababa
• Optional market visits or rest
• Farewell dinner with traditional dances and music

The experience

The tour opens in Addis Ababa with a visit to a coffee processor and exporter, where you'll learn what makes Ethiopian coffee distinct and taste a cup from the city's best roasters. From there you move through the capital's main sights: the National Museum, which holds the oldest known human bones called Lucy, and the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the largest Orthodox Church building in Ethiopia. You sleep in the city, then drive south the next morning through the Great Rift Valley toward Hawassa, your base for the Yirgacheffe leg.

Day three takes you to Yirgacheffe, where some of the world's most sought-after coffee is grown. The route follows the main road south toward Kenya, and coffee plantations line the way. You'll visit several coffee cooperatives with their own land, and stop near Dilla to see the ancient grave stelae of Tutu Fela, stone monuments from a regional death cult of past millennia. In the late afternoon you arrive at Aregash Lodge, set in green countryside surrounded by coffee plants, forests and wilderness: far enough from any town to feel remote.

Day four is another full day of coffee touring around Yirgalem and Yirgacheffe, walking the plantations and seeing how seedlings are grown. On the final morning you visit the fish market at Hawassa Lake before the drive back north. A short break in Debre Zeit, a town built around crater lakes, breaks up the journey. You reach Addis Ababa in the late afternoon with time to rest, visit markets for souvenirs, or explore further. The trip ends with a farewell dinner featuring traditional dances and music.

What’s included

• All entrance fees and permits.
• accommodation for five nights based on the itinerary.
• dinner on the final evening.
• a professional tour guide for the full route.
• 4WD vehicle and fuel for all transport.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (11 to 12 years) · Senior (13 to 14 years) · Youth (9 to 10 years) · Child (6 to 8 years) · Infant (under 6)

GroupUp to 4

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and German

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 6 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Enat Ethiopia Tours

Is this one for you?The tour picks you up from your Addis Ababa hotel, so you don't need a car or local knowledge to reach the coffee regions. All five days are guided and all transport is arranged, which means you move through the highlands and plantations without navigating or driving yourself.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and German.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (9 to 10 years); Child (6 to 8 years); Infant (under 6).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Yirgacheffe coffee and why is it famous?

Yirgacheffe is one of the most popular coffees in the world, grown in the highlands of southern Ethiopia where coffee plants still grow wild. The region's altitude and soil produce beans with distinctive flavor that coffee buyers seek globally, and the tour takes you to the cooperatives and plantations where it is cultivated and processed.

Will I visit actual coffee farms or just see them from the road?

You'll walk through several coffee cooperatives with their own plantations around Yirgacheffe and Yirgalem, and see both mature plants and seedlings being grown. Day four is devoted entirely to coffee touring in the area, so you spend real time on the land where the beans are raised.

Where do I stay during the tour?

You sleep in hotels in Addis Ababa and Hawassa, and at Aregash Lodge near Yirgalem, which sits in the countryside surrounded by coffee plants, forests and wilderness. All accommodation is included in the tour price.

What else is on the itinerary besides coffee?

The tour includes the National Museum in Addis Ababa, which houses Lucy, the oldest known human bones; the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Ethiopia's largest Orthodox Church; the ancient grave stelae of Tutu Fela near Dilla; and the fish market at Hawassa Lake. You also travel through the Great Rift Valley and the Ethiopian highlands.