Below are the best tea and coffee plantations to visit around Nairobi. Kenya is the third-largest producer of tea and the fifteenth-largest producer of coffee in the world. The bulk of Kenyan tea and coffee farms are situated at elevations of 6,000 feet or more, producing teas with low bitterness and highly powerful flavors as well as coffees with fruity, spicy, and more acidic flavor notes. Thankfully, a lot of the top Kenyan coffee and tea estates with tours are close to Nairobi, making it simple for visitors to stop by for a half-day.
1.Kiambethu Tea Farm, Limuru
The serene Kiambethu Farm in Limuru offers a window into life on a settler farm. Every week, from Thursday through Sunday, they start giving tours at 11 a.m. Join Fiona for a tour of the farm during noon. Arrive at 11 am for a casual explanation of the farm’s history and the manufacturing of tea, followed by a chance to observe tea being grown in the field. The resident Kenyan guide will then lead you on a stroll to a nearby indigenous forest while pointing out plants and discussing their traditional uses. You might have an opportunity to see the local Colobus monkeys, who walk around the grounds. Backtrack a little to the house and enjoy a pre-lunch drink on the veranda with a wide view across the tea fields to the Ngong Hills. Three-course lunch menu prepared from produce coming from the garden.
2. Fairview Coffee Estate, Limuru
Fairview Estates is one of the most well-known farms producing Kenyan coffee. One of the closest trips to Kenyan coffee is located around 25 minutes outside of Nairobi. Tours run around two hours, are available twice daily at 10 am and 2 pm, and include a post-tour taste of a selection of the most well-liked blends. Although it’s also possible to order a packed lunch in advance, visitors are advised to bring snacks or lunch for a picnic on the grounds. Tour reservations are advised but not required.
3. Purple Tea Farm
The first purple tea farm in Kenya, Gatura Greens, provides more than just a tea tour. Before choosing their tea leaves, visitors receive instruction on how to choose tea by hand. They will then learn how to prepare and brew the tea. Nearly all of the uncommon purple tea that exists comes from Kenya. As one of the first Kenyans authorized to cultivate the plant, the creator of Gatura Green established his first tea plant in 1959. His son, the current owner, collaborated with a public/private co-op to extract the genes for purple tea, which was subsequently planted on the majority of the farm by his father. His children are now living on the farm, which has a rental country house, camping space, and a trail leading to a sizable waterfall and swimming hole. Tours are an all-day affair, starting at 9:30 AM with the tea-picking lessons before moving to the main house to roll and pack the teas. Once the day warms up, it’s off for a quick hike to the waterfall for a leisurely swim before returning to the farm for a three-course lunch. After lunch, it’s time for a tea tasting, after which guests can stay as long as they like, right up through the evening bonfire.
4. Karunguru coffee estate
In 1928, British immigrants planted the first coffee trees on the property that would eventually become the Karunguru Coffee Estate. However, the Kariithi family, who currently owns and administers the Kenyan coffee farm, bought it in 1978. Karunguru currently produces solely Arabica single-origin coffee on 500 acres. Everything from drying and roasting to grinding and packaging the finished product is done on-site. Except on Sundays and Mondays, tours are available every day from 11 am to 4 pm. A picnic lunch with locally grown vegetables is served in the farm gardens, and there is a coffee tasting following lunch. The tour experience also includes a brief introduction to coffee-making.
5. Tigoni Tea Farm
Enjoy the serenity of the stunning tea sector in the Tigoni district on the outskirts of Nairobi. Tigoni tea farms provide breathtaking views of the Kenyan tea on both sides of the road, from dusty, little communities to boundless fields of brilliant green tea leaves as far as the eye can see. Enjoy a never-ending vista of breathtaking scenery. Other activities available in the area include short treks and romantic strolls through tea estates while taking in the area’s artificial lakes.
6. Tatu City Coffee Estate
About 30 minutes from Nairobi, in Kiambu, is where you’ll find this coffee estate. One of Kenya’s biggest coffee farms, it produces a range of premium coffee beans. It is a part of the broader Tatu City development, a planned mixed-use urban development situated about 15 kilometers northeast of Nairobi, and has a total size of about 4,000 acres. To create premium coffee for export, the Tatu City Coffee Estate was founded in 2015. The estate cultivates a variety of coffee varieties, including Arabica and Robusta, and uses sustainable agricultural techniques to guarantee the highest quality coffee. Visitors can visit the estate, discover how coffee is made, and sample the estate’s coffee.
