Jimma

Short description of Jimma

Jimma was the seat of a kingdom that ran the trade of the southwest until it was absorbed at the end of the nineteenth century, and the wooden palace its last king built still stands on a hill outside town with its mosque, watchtower and family quarters. The museum down in the town keeps the royal regalia. This is coffee country in the original sense, since the word itself comes from Kaffa just to the south, where arabica grows wild in the forest. The harvest runs from October into December and is the reason to come here at all.

AI edited

Recommended length of stay

Travel seasons at a glance

Best time to visit: October – February

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

All highlights and sights

1. The palace of Abba Jifar on the Jiren hill
2. The coffee harvest and the washing stations (October - December)
3. The Jimma museum and its regalia
4. The central market
5. The wild coffee forest at Mankira in Kaffa(Day trip)
6. Bonga and the Kaffa biosphere reserve(Day trip)
7. A traditional Oromo coffee ceremony
8. Birding on the Boye wetlands
9. The plantations at Tepi and Bebeka(Multi-day trip)

Ways to get there and away

Airports nearby:

• JIM Jimma Airport (Jimma) · 1.8 km west(recommended)
• AWA Hawassa International Airport (Hawassa) · 184 km east
• AMH Arba Minch Airport (Arba Minch) · 199 km southeast

Map view

Distances

More travel destinations in Ethiopia

• Addis Ababa
• Aksum
• Lalibela
• Jinka
• Bahir Dar
• Gondar
• Simien Mountains
• Danakil Depression
• Harar
• Bale Mountains
• Arba Minch
• Bishoftu