Sidama Region

Coffee Country

Sidama is one of the most celebrated coffee names in the world, its washed arabica prized by roasters everywhere for bright, floral flavours. Smallholders tend neat gardens where coffee grows in the shade of towering enset, the false banana that anchors local life. A cup here, poured with ceremony and care, tastes of the very hills it came from.

Lakeside Hawassa

The regional capital, Hawassa, spreads along a sparkling Rift Valley lake famous for its birdlife and its lively fish market at dawn. Palm lined avenues, breezy lakeside cafes and a warm climate make it one of the most relaxed cities in the country. Marabou storks stalk the shallows while pelicans wheel overhead, and hippos surface just offshore.

Hills and Hot Springs

Just beyond the city, the forested hills of Wondo Genet hide steaming hot springs and lush botanical gardens, a favourite weekend escape. Higher still, the Sidama highlands roll away in a patchwork of coffee, enset and grazing land dotted with traditional bamboo homes. It is a green, gentle landscape made for slow travel and easy conversation.