Menagesha Suba was planted in the fifteenth century under Emperor Zara Yaqob, which makes it the oldest managed forest in Africa. It is also a very good day out.
Why this forest is different
Most forest you walk through in Ethiopia is either remnant or replanted in the last fifty years. Menagesha Suba has been actively conserved since the 1400s, and you can feel it in the size of the juniper.
The traverse
We do not loop — we cross. Starting at the forest office, the route climbs steadily through podocarpus and juniper for about three hours before the canopy breaks onto the Wechecha crater rim.
What you will see
Colobus monkeys are near-guaranteed. Menelik's bushbuck if you are lucky and quiet. The bird list runs to over a hundred species.
The hard part
Seventeen kilometres with 900 metres of ascent is a real day. The gradient is friendly and the shade is constant, but come having walked a bit beforehand.
