Attractions in Kiambu County
11. Lakehouse Tigoni
The romantic Lakehouse Tigoni has everyone at hello. It is hard to depose the beauty of this charming place which is set-up on a variegated 8-acres property overlooking a thriving leafy grove of old trees, Tigoni Dam and the tea terraced slopes of Tigoni. The rustic lakehouse, which sleeps 11 in 4 rooms, overlooks the Dam. The whole experience here takes a modern twist on weekend outings. The riverine area is the star here, and the adventurous at heart can have a go at their swimmable lake or ride their floating restaurant with a fully functional kitchen that seats up to 40. It has a brill and dope organic farm too. Lakehouse Tigoni is set 31 kms from Nairobi near Limuru Country Club, along Kabuku-Tigoni Road.
12. Brown’s Cheese
Founded in 1979, Brown’s Cheese has since been producing 17 different brands of cheese wielding only traditional methods and ingredients and utilizing milk from 3,000 small scale farmers in the area as well as milk from their modest herd. Brown’s Cheese was voted as a “Top 100 small and mid-sized companies in 2016”. They have also earned international recognition and collected coveted awards in Africa and Europe. Brown’s natural cheeses are produced using only traditional methods and ingredients; no coloring, coating, or additives are used, with all their cheeses suitable for vegetarians. To popularize the culture of fine cheese in Kenya they operate intimate farm lunches – on appointment basis at reservations@brownscheese.com – for half a day of cheese tasting, lunch and tea walks and talks. Callers to the farm get to enjoy tasting of specialty high-quality artisan cheese, enjoy lunches at the farm, observe their cheese-making tour and demonstrations, and stroll through their brill and neat organic garden. “Charges are: Kids under 5 are free. 5+ are 500/-. Kids 12+ are 1,500/-. This includes pizza and ice cream for the kids as well as lunch if they would like”. Brown’s Cheese is located 30.5 kms from Nairobi along the Banana-Raini Road.
13. 100 Lights Farm
The fairyland of Tigoni, with lofty tea landcapes composing a pleasing scenery, is also a thriving farming region with plenty of farms dealing with other crops that are open for guests. It was during the colonial era that tea was farmed here over the motley collection of tea estates which forever changed its outlook, and where now one is glad of any excuse to take walks through the neat as a button farms. There have always been a number of subsistence farmers across the area both before and after the advent of tea and coffee including the small scale 100 Lights Farm found near Brown’s Cheese and Tigoni Tea Walks and Talks along Banana-Raini Road. Certainly organic farms have become a resounding success in modern times and a visit to this farm is easily combined with the traditional tea tours. It is a small farm producing traditional vegetables, kiyenyeji chicken, fruits and spices – all grown and produced organically. Right from the start the care and details of the process is rather indulging, invigorating, and wholesome.
8. All Saints, Limuru
The heart-warming ediface of All Saints Limuru, constructed in the late 1950’s, is arguably one of the most beautiful village Churches seen in Kenya. It is also one of the oldest Churches in Kiambu County still in service. All Saint Limuru epitomizes the traditional Victorian architecture and it excellently preserves the baroque details and dainty designs of the day. The first recorded service at this site dates back to 1910, which was overseen by Reverend P. Bennet in the initial Church building – which was a little timber and iron erection on stilts. Most of the wood used for the construction of the new Church was donated by Arnold B. McDonell, of the close by Kiambethu Farm. The edifice of the All Saints Limuru is also cherished for its superior workmanship and its esteem as a community project. The memories of its unifying construction are still lovingly recited here.
6. Kiambethu Farm
It’s always a perfect cuppa and it has been at the Kiambethu Farm since 1914, when it was established by British settler farmer Arnold B. McDonell. The long lived farm, now run by the 5th generation, gained popularity from hosting an enviable listicle of prominent world figures to include Jimmy Carter, former US President. Their long-standing tea-tours include exploring their tea farms, tea breaks, lunches, and round table talks of the chronicles of tea in Kiambu. At the outset, this 350-acres tea sanctuary was one of the first commercial tea farms in Kenya. Over the years, it was reduced in size and today it covers only 35-acres. Although Kiambethu Farm is much smaller now, it is salutatory to reflect that their tea tours have been ongoing since 1960. The magic and charm live on. It is situated 33 kms from Nairobi CBD, in Tigoni, nearby St. Thomas School Tigoni.
It was bought and farmed by AB McDonell in 1910. He was a pioneer in the tea industry being one of the first to make and sell tea commercially in Kenya – now one of Kenya’s largest exports. Five generations have lived on Kiambethu and it is currently run by his granddaughter Fiona Vernon.
7. Waterfalls Inn, Tigoni
The number of hangouts and good eateries around the Limuru-Tigoni area has steadily increased since 2012, to almost 20 in mid-2018, fueling a propinquity and similitude from residents of Nairobi and its environs who like to enjoy a long day out of the city, and for a weekend staycation. The principle of many of these destinations is to provide restful hidey-holes where guests can unbend and unwind away from the hither and thither of the bustling city life. Just two decades ago, there used to be long debates over where and what to see in this area, but today the appreciation goes deeper. In the wake of numerous spots, catering to different kind of guests, the number of people visiting the area each weekend in now in the hundreds. One of the popular and inexpensive spots in Tigoni, within pretty tea-landscapes and as salubrious a countryside as can be enjoyed in the highlands of Africa, is Waterfalls Inn, Tigoni – near Kiambethu Tea Farm. As the name suggests, the waterfalls is quite an attraction. It is most liked as a picnic site after which guests can stroll to the falls or wander through the surrounding tea farms backdropped by the skyline of Nairobi. A restaurant is also available. There are no lodging facilities. A cover charge of Shs. 300 (pp).
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