Kiambethu Tea Farm Day Tour: Tea Fields & Forest Walk, Nairobi

Walk through tea fields and a forest full of Colobus monkeys, then lunch on the verandah overlooking the Ngong Hills

A day tour from Nairobi to Kiambethu Tea Farm in Limuru combines a guided walk through working tea fields and indigenous forest with lunch on a historic settler farm. The guide identifies plants and wildlife—including Colobus monkeys—while you move through the landscape; a three-course buffet lunch uses vegetables grown on the property and cream from the farm's own herd. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Nairobi CBD are included, along with drinks and all transport.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Kiambethu Tea Farm and Gardens

• Pickup at Nairobi hotel at 9:45am
• Drive to Limuru, arrive at 11am
• Tea or coffee and farm history talk
• See tea in the field
• Walk in indigenous forest with guide
• Spot Colobus monkeys and explore gardens
• Pre-lunch drink on verandah
• Enjoy three-course buffet lunch
• Return to Nairobi hotel

The Experience

How do you get a real sense of Kenya's tea industry without spending days on a plantation? Kiambethu Farm sits at 7,200 feet in Limuru, a short drive from central Nairobi, and has been growing and processing tea since 1910—the first commercial tea operation in the country. The farm is still run by the founder's granddaughter, Fiona Vernon, across five generations of the same family. A driver picks you up at your hotel in Nairobi CBD at 9:45am and brings you to the farm by 11am, where you start with tea or coffee while someone explains the farm's history and how tea is made, then walk out to see the plants growing in the field.

The walk itself moves through two landscapes. Your resident Kenyan guide takes you into the indigenous forest that borders the tea, pointing out plants and explaining their traditional uses; this is where you'll spot Colobus monkeys up close, along with the variety of birds and flowers that live in the gardens around the house. The pace is unhurried—you're moving through the property on foot, not covering distance—and the guide's knowledge shapes what you notice. After the walk, you return to the farmhouse verandah, which overlooks the tea fields stretching toward the Ngong Hills, for a drink before lunch.

Lunch is a three-course buffet from a set menu, built around vegetables harvested from the farm's garden and desserts topped with cream from the farm's herd of Channel Island cows. The meal sits at the heart of the day—it's not a quick refuel but a proper meal in a place with views. After lunch, the driver returns you to your hotel or residence in Nairobi CBD. The whole day runs about eight hours from pickup to drop-off.

What’s included

• Hotel or residence pickup and drop-off within Nairobi CBD.
• tea or coffee on arrival.
• a guided walk through the tea fields and indigenous forest with a resident Kenyan guide.
• drinks at the farm.
• a three-course buffet lunch prepared with vegetables from the farm's garden.
• all transport.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Perfect Safaris

Is this one for you?The morning departure from Nairobi means you arrive at the farm by mid-morning and have the full afternoon to walk, rest and eat without rushing—the sequence lets you move at the pace the landscape asks for instead of fitting it into a half-day slot.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

26 verified traveler reviews

5 ★26

4 ★0

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What exactly do you do on the walk through the tea farm?

You walk through the working tea fields to see the plants growing, then move into the indigenous forest with your guide, who identifies plants and their traditional uses and points out wildlife like Colobus monkeys, birds and flowers. The pace is relaxed and the guide shapes what you notice along the way.

Is the farm still actually growing and selling tea?

Kiambethu has been a working tea farm since 1910, when AB McDonell became the first person to grow, make and sell tea commercially in Kenya. The farm is still operated by his granddaughter Fiona Vernon and remains a functioning tea operation across five generations of the family.

What's included in the lunch?

Lunch is a three-course buffet meal prepared from vegetables grown in the farm's garden, with desserts topped with cream from the farm's own herd of Channel Island cows. Drinks at the farm and all transport from Nairobi are included in the price.

Do I need to be fit to do the forest walk?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. The walk through the tea fields and forest is at a relaxed pace, and you return to the house for lunch and rest before the drive back to Nairobi.

Can I bring young children?

Children are welcome from age 3. Specialized infant seats are available if you need them, and the farm's gardens and wildlife—especially the Colobus monkeys—appeal to families with kids.

How long does the whole day take?

The tour runs about eight hours from hotel pickup in Nairobi at 9:45am through to drop-off back at your hotel or residence in Nairobi CBD. The drive each way takes roughly an hour, with the rest of the time spent at the farm walking, having drinks, and eating lunch.