Explore Western Kenya
Kericho, named after the early English tea planter John Kerich, is Kenya’s tea capital, a fact that – with much hype from the tourism machine embellished by the presence of the Tea Hotel – is not likely to escape you. Its equable climate and famously reliable, year-round afternoon rain showers make it the most important tea-growing area in Africa. While many of the European estates have been divided and reallocated to small farmers since independence, the area is still dominated by giant tea plantations.
This is tea country: Kenya is the world’s third-largest producer after India and Sri Lanka, and the biggest exporter to Britain. As you gaze across the dark green hills, you might pause to consider that the land, now covered in vast regimented swathes of tea bushes, was, until not much more than a century ago, virgin rainforest, only a tiny part of which, the Kakamega Forest, survives. The estates were first set up after World War I with tea bushes imported from India and China.
Read More-
Tea country guided tours
Tea country guided tours
It is possible to visit the tea estates on a guided tour (enquire in the lobby of the Tea Hotel). The Tea Hotel’s guide can also be hired for birding excursions in the neighbourhood at Chagaik Arboretum, and to Lelartet Cliff, which is also home to a large number of red colobus and black-and-white colobus monkeys. There’s no fixed price for these trips; just tip as you see fit.
A curious sight amid the closely cropped tea bushes, the graceful Chagaik Arboretum consists of acres of beautiful trees from across the tropics and subtropics, tumbling steeply down through well-tended lawns to a lily-covered lake. Inside the arboretum, a plaque reads “Founded by Tom Grumbley, Tea Planter 1946–75”. Don’t miss the magnificent stands of bamboo on the banks. Entry to this haven of landscaped tranquillity is unrestricted and you can picnic or rest up as long as you like, though there are gardeners around who won’t let you camp. It gets quite popular at weekends and holidays when families come out here to enjoy the space and air. Across the lake, thick jungle drops to the water’s edge. Mysterious splashes and rustles, prolific bird and insect life, and at least one troop of colobus monkeys are a surprising testament to the tenacity of wildlife in an environment hemmed in on all sides by the alien ranks of the tea bushes.
