Kiambu Road is being dualled: allow extra time

Fourteen Falls on the Athi River near Thika is named by Kenya's tourism ministry among Kiambu's natural sights, but upstream pollution has hurt the water, so go for the scenery and not for a swim. Informal guides may ask for money as you arrive, so decline politely or agree any fee before you start walking. Visit…

Brackenhurst, named by the Cane family after their home area in England, is now a conference and retreat centre in the Limuru hills, about 30 minutes from Nairobi. Rooms and cottages with a kitchenette and fireplace sit among a botanic garden and an indigenous forest being restored since 2001. Eat at the main…

Tea estates line the road from Kiambu through Ndumberi to Limuru, and local press in 2025 described it as a growing stop for visitors who watch tea being plucked by hand and by machine. Many farms are private, so ask at the gate before walking between the rows. Go in the morning for softer light, and ask pluckers…

Mathore View Point sits beside the Nairobi to Nakuru highway and opens wide views over the Great Rift Valley, with ridges, lakes and volcanoes on the valley floor. It makes an easy photo stop on the drive to Naivasha, best on a clear morning. Pull fully off the road before you stop, and bring water and snacks, because…

The Kijabe Forest Trust protects about 6,000 hectares of upland forest on the Rift Valley escarpment, and its community rangers have guided day hikes there. Contact the Trust through its website about a guided walk instead of going alone, since the rangers know the forest. Kijabe is reached by turning onto Kijabe Road…

Brown's Cheese farm in Tigoni, among the tea plantations, does not take walk-ins, so reserve a tour and lunch online before you set out. The visit covers the dairy and cheese caves, the bakery and stoneground mill, the biodynamic garden and a three-course shamba lunch that changes with the season. Go with a driver or…