Full-Day Kiambethu Farm Tea Plantation Tour from Nairobi with Lunch

Today you will be picked and driven to Kiambethu Estate, located at an altitude of 7000 feet above sea level, in a truly magnificent garden with views of the spectacular Mount Kilimanjaro and the Ngong hills and has lush acres of tea plantations that seem to vanish in the horizon. Two English families, Mitchell & McDonnell in the early 1900's, built the Estate. These families are said to be the first to have ventured into the tea business. On arrival at the Estate at 11am enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, with the history of the farm and process of making tea is informally explained. Then take a walk in the indigenous forest with a resident Kenyan guide who will identify the plants and explain how they are traditionally used. Look out for the Colobus monkeys close up and wander in the gardens which are home to a wide variety of birds and flowers.

Return to the house to enjoy a pre-lunch drink on the verandah with sweeping views across the tea fields to the Ngong Hills. Enjoy your three course buffet lunch from a set menu prepared with vegetables from the garden and desserts are topped with cream from the herd of Channel Island cows. In the afternoon, a walk through the tea plantations will display the conditions needed for the growth of tea.The lecture on growth of tea is a good learning experience-you will then see tea pickers on the farm plucking the top two leaves and bud from each plantation. Tea needs good rainfall, which is plenty in the region so tea is picked all year round.After the tea is picked, they are sent to the factories to be processed and sold to local and export markets. Kenya is the third largest producer of tea after Sri Lanka and India. Return to your city hotel in the late afternoon.