Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tepi
POP 19,231 / ELEV 1238M
Tepi is famous for its state-owned coffee plantation. It's Ethiopia's second-largest, and
stretches over 6290 hectares. Just over 2000 hectares lies around Tepi while the re-
mainder, including Beshanwaka (a beautiful crater lake), is in the Gambela region about
30km away. The state-run plantation produces about 25,000kg of raw arabica coffee each
year.
It should be possible to arrange a tour of the plantation by requesting through the
Cof-
fee Plantation Development Enterprise
( 0118-962395/4)
in Addis Ababa or at the
plantation
(manager's office 0475-5560007/5561117)
itself, close to the Coffee Plant-
ation Guesthouse. Unfortunately, it's not possible to buy coffee here.
Sleeping & Eating
All of the places to stay only have cold-water bathrooms.
Coffee Plantation Guesthouse $
( 0475-560062; d Birr200)
The semidetached concrete bungalows vaunt bright-green
laminate floors, frilly bedspreads, small verandahs and clean washrooms with, as the per-
son showing us around so proudly pointed out, 'showers'. Unfortunately, when he turned
on the showers to show us how amazing they were, nothing happened… If you order
ahead, the 'workhouse club' can prepare meals and if not the cockroaches racing across
the ancient coffee machine can at least be considered a form of entertainment.
HOTEL
Genet Guest House $
( 0475-5562145; d with/without bathroom Birr115/80)
Four-hundred metres past the
main roundabout along the road to Jimma, this fairly new place has clean rooms with tiny
bathrooms built around a courtyard bar and garden with parking.
HOTEL
Getting There & Away
Three buses run daily to Masha (Birr39, three hours) and onward to Gore and occasionally
Gambela. From Gore there are frequent minibuses to Metu (Birr7, 35 minutes). One,
