Nairobi, the bustling hub of Kenyan culture and commerce, became a trading center during the first decade of the 1900s, when the British Colonial government constructed a railroad from the coastline to the interior. Today’s traveler can devote a day to a mini-safari, dropping in at the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage southeast of the city, or watch live performers introduce tribal customs at the nearby Bomas of Kenya. But for a more serene, historical jaunt, consider an outing that takes you northwest, into the lush highlands where British settlers established their early plantations.
8 a.m.
Call to set up an 11 a.m. appointment at the Kiambethu Tea Farm (telephone: 0729 290894 or 0733 769976), the first to grow tea commercially. (Tip: Calling before the day-of is advised, but don’t let last-minute planning deter you.) The owner of this family-managed plantation, Fiona Vernon, offers a walking tour of the tea farm followed by lunch (roughly US$30). If you don’t have a rental car, ask your hotel to arrange for a taxi — a full day of service goes for around US$100.
8:30 a.m.
Explain to your driver that you are heading to the Kiambethu Tea Farm in Limuru, but ask to travel via the Banana Hill Road. An hour will put you up on the highlands, where you’ll see whole slopes planted in thigh-high tea bushes. If you delay your breakfast, you can eat at the quaint Kentmere Club along the way, which opened in 1927 when Baroness Karen von Blixen was still managing a farm and living the life that would become her widely read memoir, Out of Africa. Breakfast is served until 10:30 a.m., offering a classic English spread: eggs and sausage, an array of local fruits (pineapple, papaya and watermelon), plus a cheeseboard with toast and croissants.
11 a.m.
Park at Kiambethu Farm (only six kilometers, nearly four miles, from the Kentmere Club) and join the walking tour, which includes not only background on tea production but also a visit to an indigenous forest and tidbits of local history. You’ll see how pickers harvest selected leaves and learn about the famous anthropologist and archaeologist Louis Leakey, who is buried nearby in the Limuru Church, built by the ancestor of the current Kiambethu owner. For lunch, relax on a green expanse of lawn looking out to the Ngong Hills while enjoying tea and a full English buffet, including such comforting dishes as soup made from locally grown garden vegetables, roast beef and homemade ice cream topped with cream from the farm’s own Channel Island cows.
2:30 p.m.
Push on to Limuru Country Club, founded by British expatriates in 1945. Consider lawn bowling as an alternative to golf; access to the bowling green and vintage clubhouse, plus a deposit for drinks and snacks, goes for roughly US$15. If you ask, you might even get a free coaching session from John Gicihango, who has represented Kenya at the Commonwealth Games. Beware, though: John is likely to curl his last bowl around yours, easing up to the white jack and snatching away the points you thought you had secured. Or, if you’d like to forego lawn bowling, another option is to seek out a bartering experience at one of the Maasai markets northwest of downtown Nairobi — open three days a week. On Tuesdays, local traders display their wares (including jade jewelry, soapstone figurines, antique masks and batik cloth) behind the Westgate Mall. On Fridays, they can be found under a tent roof at an open-air mall called The Village Market and on Saturdays at the parking lot across from the Hilton. Regardless of the price you negotiate, you’re sure to come away with both a prized possession and a fond memory.
6 p.m.
Head back toward downtown Nairobi, stopping at the Muthaiga Shopping Center to eat at Anghiti Restaurant, known for its exquisite Indian cuisine. Many East Asians came to Kenya before the English, arriving in Mombasa on wooden sailing dhows, where they started trading posts. Indian coolies did most of the physical labor on the railroad built from Mombasa to Nairobi, and upon arrival they became well-established merchants. It is only fitting, then, to eat at least one good Indian meal in the capital city. Order the crunchy papad masala (crisp flatbread) as an appetizer, and consider either dal makhani (savory lentils) or the richly gravied butter chicken as a main course.
8 p.m.
Enough! After your driver battles into the city center, dodging careening piki-pikis (motorcycles), you’ll be happy to retreat into the calm, green sanctuary of the Fairview Hotel. The Fairview, which has been owned by the same European-Kenyan family since 1946, is known as “the country hotel in the city” — and once you get through the gate, you’ll know why. All the commotion of the street recedes behind a delightful berm of boulders and native trees. Fan-like Traveler’s Palms screen off skyscrapers, and a series of small cascades diminishes traffic noise. You can order dessert on the patio, savoring passion fruit sherbet under a lacy acacia, or retreat into the glass-roofed courtyard for a drink. A night’s stay includes access to a delightful elevated pool, allowing for an evening dip. Call it a day and retreat to your room.
“Karibu,” as they say in Swahili. You are welcome.
