Kipkelion Monastery

Unusual Attractions in Kericho

Cistercian Kipkelion Monastery: Abandoned

Kipkelion monastery is located high up in the mountains, north of the landmark Mau Forest Reserve and south of the Nandi Hills. Kisumu City, which sits on the shores of Lake Victoria, is due east about a two hours drive. Obscure and little-travelled, the Cistercian Kipkelion Monastery, built in 1956 by the Dutch Abbey of Tilburg, is a reposeful and quiet place to unwind, reflect and meditate. It reflects a direct connection to the earth and its surroundings, creating and amplifies the sense of spiritual connection. For the avid off-road adventurers, a drive to Our Lady of Victories Kipkelion Monastery is a worthwhile challenge, especially over the rainy season when the dreaded 11 km all-weather road is near impassible.

Sadly, the resident Monks relocated to Uganda in 2008, following land disputes with the local authorities. Still, Kipkelion Monastery, sitting on 2,500-acres deep in the backwoods, is still a grand and majestic edifice. And so is their new abode, in Kijojo Uganda. The design focuses on the Cistercian tradition of creating purer environments for meditation and devotion, influenced by European culture and technology of the Middle Ages. It is an exquisite architectural designs from the Middle Ages. The complex – including a church, a novitiate, and a guesthouse – addresses the local context and complies with the building tradition of an order characterized by prayer, austerity and strict observance of contemplative life.


Around Kenya are a selection of natural landmarks, cultural shrines, architectural oddities, and technological installations that offer incredible, almost surreal experiences that can make you feel as if you’ve stepped into another world. Hauntingly beautiful to some, eerie sights for others, and still, for others, down right strange, these site provide unique experiences for adventurous travelers.


Located in southwestern part of Kenya within the former Rift Valley Province, Kericho County, a healthful highland, has innumerable picture-postcard tea-farm vistas. Kericho County is famous for its vast tea plantations. It is all around a tea-riffic countryside clutching traditions and culture with one hand and a forward-looking yen on the other. It is home to large forests, historic sites and resorts, too.

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What’s The Air Like In Kericho?

The annual mean temperature ranges between 29oC and 10oC. The central part of the county, where tea is grown, receives the highest rainfall.

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