Kiambethu Tea Farm Tour Review – Nairobi Kenya

If you’re looking for a fun day trip from Nairobi, Kenya that doesn’t involve safaris, you might want to take a tour of a local tea farm — even if you’re like me and don’t even like tea.

The Kiambethu tea farm is one of the oldest tea farms in Kenya, predating the country’s massive commercial tea industry, and it’s one of the most popular tea farms that you can tour in the area. Kenya is now the third-largest tea producer in the world, and it all started with small farms like this one.

If you’re wondering if visiting the Kiambethu Tea Farm plantation in Kenya is worth your time, read on to find out!

Kiambethu Tea Farm – Details

Hours: Tours are available Thursday through Sunday, at 11am. You will need to check their website for availability. The tour lasts until about 2:30-3:00pm. This tour must be booked in advance!

Cost: $4,700 Kenyan Schillings per person. Roughly $36 USD. IMO, this is a steal!

Location: The Kiambethu Tea farm is located about 40 minutes from Nairbo in Limuru, Kenya.

Transportation: How do you get to the Kiambethu tea farm? Chances are, you’re probably not renting a car while you’re in Nairobi. So how, exactly do you get here?

You can hire a driver to take you out here — and the driver will need to wait for you while you do the tour. This is a very common ‘ask’ when you hire drivers in Nairobi, but make sure to confirm the details when hiring. You can find drivers via your hotel by asking staff, or the Trip Advisor forums are great for finding reliable drivers for the day, too.

While Uber is available in Nairobi, you won’t want to do this – Limuru is a rural area and you might have trouble finding a driver to come take you back.

What we did: Because my husband was in Nairobi for work, his office arranged a driver for us.

One other way would be to arrange this tour through your safari tour company. If your safari is starting from Nairobi, the companies will often be able to do add-ons like the tea farm to your booking. That way, you’ll have a driver already lined up via your tour.

What to Except on the tour

Arriving at the tea farm feels like stepping into another time and place — it was honestly hard to believe we were still so close to Nairobi! The property was originally established by Arnold Butler in 1910. He was one of the first farmers to grow tea commercially in Kenya. The farm is still run by his descendants, with Fiona Vernon (Mr. Butler’s granddaughter) as your guide.

The tour begins at 11am, but should you arrive earlier, you are free to walk around the gardens. We arrived about 30 minutes prior to the tour and wandered around the gardens – they are stunning!

Tea / Coffee tasting + History Lesson

At 11am, it’s time to start the tour! You’re rounded up and lead inside the house for a cup of tea or coffee, with some cookies. All cookies are labeled for any dietary concerns. Then, take your tea or coffee + biscuits into the next room and you’ll be seated as Fiona gives you a run down of the history of the plantation, as well as a lesson on tea making process. You’ll be shown different tea leaves, some of which will be passed around.

Tea Farm Fields

After the history talk, it’s time to explore the farm. The guided tour takes you out to the tea fields, where you get to see the entire tea-growing process up close. You’ll learn how the plants are cultivated, the different types of tea leaves, and the interesting method that goes into growing and harvesting tea and what happens to it when it goes for final processing at the local tea factory. It was very interesting and Fiona is an engaging speaker.

While the main business of this tea plantation today is agri-tourism, you might see tea pickers out working in the field — except on Sundays which is their day off. Sunday happened to be the day we did our tour so instead, we had a demonstration from a guide on how the picking process works — and the farm dog joined in too.

Indigenous Forest Walk + Animals

Then, it’s time for a short walk through the forest on the property. Before you reach the forest, you’ll be shown the farm animals – mainly chickens, ducks and cows (the amazing ice cream you’ll eat for dessert later came from these cows!) This small forested area is home to Colobus monkeys, tall indigenous trees, and a variety of birds. Unfortunately, we did not see any monkeys or birds on our visit. We did see plenty of large black termite mounds on the top of the trees though – that was really interesting. Your guide, who is a local Kikuyu elder, shares fascinating insights about the medicinal plants found here in this forest.

Buffet Lunch

The highlight of the tour is the 3 course buffet lunch. All of the food is made using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, with an emphasis on organic produce grown right on the farm — it’s a true farm-to-table homecooked meal. This is mostly Western dishes, from fruits and vegetables to various chicken and beef dishes. This was probably the best meal we had on our 3 weeks in East Africa — the meals we had on safari were, to put it bluntly, terrible, so this was a nice respite!

Depending on weather conditions, you might be seated outside or inside the colonial farmhouse. We had pleasant weather during our visit, so tables were set up outside

In addition to the food, you’ll have plenty of choices for drinks, such as soft drinks, tea (of course!), and various alcoholic drinks including Tusker beers.

There are a few different desserts to choose from including a mousse, a lemon cream dessert, but the highlight is the homemade ice cream. They’ll have chocolate and vanilla flavors and it’s nothing short of amazing.

This is a very filling meal – even the pickiest eaters won’t leave hungry. You definitely want to come with your appetite!

Tips for Visiting Kiambethu Tea Farm

Before you go, here are a few practical tips:

• Book in Advance: Kiambethu is a popular spot, and spaces fill up quickly. Reservations are required. You can’t just show up here and get on the tour.
• Dress Comfortably: Limuru sits at 7,000 ft in elevation so it’s cooler than Nairobi – bring a hoodie or a light jacket. Comfortable walking shoes are also recommended.
• Bring a Camera: The gardens and surrounding scenery is stunning!
• Come Hungry: The food is fantastic, so make sure you arrive with an appetite.

Final Verdict – was it worth it?

I’m not a tea connoisseur – in fact, I really don’t even like tea, but this was such a pleasant experience and the food was amazing. It was fun to do an activity in Nairobi that didn’t involve viewing animals, so this was a nice break from all the safari antics we had on our trip. It was educational, the farm’s setting was beautiful (the immaculate gardens and rolling hills of tea felt a world away from Nairobi!) and the homemade ice cream was to-die-for! I still think about it to this day!

So, if you happen to be in Nairobi and need a break from the city and/or safari and take a trip to Kiambethu tea farm! This is an excellent day trip from Nairobi!