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Tigoni is a farming area in Limuru, about 30 km north-west of Nairobi. There are no big-ticket attractions here. What you get is tea country, farm food, forest paths and cool air, and most of the best things to do involve being outside. Here are twelve ways to spend your time, with notes on what needs booking.
1. Walk through a working tea farm
Tea is the reason Tigoni looks the way it does, and walking between the rows is the best way to understand it. On a guided walk you will see how the bushes are pruned into a flat 'plucking table', how pickers take the top two leaves and a bud, and how the leaf is collected and weighed before going to the factory.
Our tea farm tour costs KSh 4,500 per person. Kiambethu Tea Farm and Teagoni also run their own pre-booked visits.
2. Visit Kiambethu Tea Farm
Kiambethu was bought by A.B. McDonell in 1910, and the family describe him as one of the first people to grow and sell tea commercially in Kenya. Five generations later the family still runs it. Visits are pre-booked and usually include a talk on the history of tea in Kenya, a walk through the farm and its patch of indigenous forest, and lunch in the garden.
3. Ride the farm roads on an e-bike
An e-bike lets you cover more of the tea country than walking, and the motor takes the effort out of the hills. Our two-hour guided ride costs KSh 3,500 per person, runs in groups of up to six, and starts at 9:00, 12:00 or 15:00.
4. Hike farm tracks and forest paths
Tigoni is criss-crossed with red-earth farm tracks, shaded lanes and footpaths through eucalyptus and indigenous trees. A guided hike lets you use paths that cross private farms without getting lost. The local Tigoni Trail Run uses many of the same tracks, which gives you an idea of how much ground there is to cover.
5. Have a cheese lunch at Brown's
Brown's makes cheese in Tigoni and hosts farm lunches with a look at how the cheese is made and a tasting of their range. Visits are popular, especially at weekends, so book a couple of weeks ahead for a group.
6. Walk the forest at Brackenhurst
Brackenhurst is a retreat and conference centre on the edge of Tigoni. Since 2001 it has been replanting indigenous forest on land that was once eucalyptus and farmland, and there are walking trails through it. The Muna Tree Café there is a good stop for coffee or lunch.
7. Play golf at Limuru Country Club
Limuru Country Club was founded in 1926 and has an 18-hole course set among the tea. It is a private members' club, so visitors need to book a round in advance.
8. Sit by Lake Tigoni
Lake Tigoni is a small, quiet lake ringed by forest near Limuru. It is not a developed attraction, and access is informal, so ask locally about the best way in. On a still morning the reflections are worth the detour.
9. Shop for farm produce
The Limuru area grows a lot of Nairobi's vegetables, and roadside stalls sell potatoes, carrots, leafy greens and fruit straight from the farm. Farm shops and delis such as The Fig & Olive sell dairy, bread and preserves. Carry some cash.
10. Stop at the Rift Valley viewpoints
West of Limuru, the old Nairobi–Naivasha road drops down the Rift Valley escarpment towards Mai Mahiu. The roadside viewpoints look across the valley floor to Mount Longonot. It is an easy add-on on the way to or from Tigoni if you are driving.
11. Zip-line at Kereita Forest
Kereita Forest in the southern Aberdares has a zip-line course of about 2.2 km, plus guided forest walks. It is roughly an hour or more from Nairobi, so it suits a full day out rather than a quick stop.
12. Plan a private day
For birthdays, anniversaries, family visits or team days, it is often easier to combine an activity, lunch and transport into one plan. Our custom days do that and are quoted per group.
How to fit it into one day
Most people try to do too much. A good day in Tigoni is one morning activity, a long lunch and an unhurried drive back. Leave Nairobi before 8:00, start your walk or ride by 9:00, have lunch at a farm or café around 13:00, and head home by 16:00 to avoid the evening traffic.
