Nairobi’s Best Kept Secret

The former African home of Danish author Karen Blixen, famous for her book Out of Africa
which chronicles life at the estate. The Karen Blixen Museum is located half a kilometer from Karen Blixen Coffee Garden & Cottages. It is open every day between 0930 and 1800hrs, including on weekends and public holidays. The grounds of the museum are available to rent for weddings,
corporate functions, and other events. Visitors have the opportunity to take part in guided tours, which features rooms designed in both the original decor and with props from the 1985 film. The grounds which feature original equipment from the coffee farm, are also available for touring.

Kazuri Bead Factory is situated 500mts and approximately 10 minutes walk from Karen Blixen Coffee Garden & Cottages –“a stones-throw away” from Karen Blixen Museum. Originally founded by the late Lady Susan Wood in 1975, she created employment for struggling single mothers in the community. Kazuri Beads Factory is still located in its’ original setting in Karen. So far the workshop has now employed over 300 local women. Kazuri Beads specialize on Hand Made Ceramic Beads, Pottery and Genuine Leather Bags.

Opening Hours: Sundays: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The House of Treasures is filled with unusual and exotic goods from around the globe. Antique and modern furniture, architectural pieces, innovative fashion & jewelery, African artifacts, children’s toys and eclectic homeware – all gathered in a striking double-storey gallery set in mature gardens in Karen, mother and daughter team, Janet Hurt and Sasha Horner, have devoted the last few years to travelling the world in search of stock. They have trawled the markets of Timbuktu, the souks of Samarkand and the bazaars of Bali to assemble a collection that delights travelers and designers alike.
From intricately worked kitchen spoons to beaded armchairs from the Ivory Coast and China Dynasty Balinese cart-wheels, the pair have an eye for the unusual to suit any pocket. It is located within Karen and a 5 minutes drive from Karen Blixen Coffee Garden & Cottages.

Founded in 1987 by Denis Mathews, MATBRONZE is a fine art foundry using the “lost wax” process, which is a precision casting method that allows almost total freedom of design and creativity. Every piece is cast using a precise mixture of Bronze blended on site specifically for bronze art. The art foundry and gallery are situated 20 minutes from Karen Blixen Coffee Garden & Cottages in historic area of Karen. The gallery is open 7 days a week and visitors are welcome.

Utamaduni Crafts Centre is located on Bogani East Road andis open from 10am-6pm daily. It is situated 10 minutes drive from Karen Blixen Coffee Garden & Cottages. There are about 18 individual Craft Shops in one large house offering a wealth of Kenyan Culture. It is the best way to buy gifts. The
shops include:
Kisii Soapstone
African Fabrics
Men’s Boutique
Beaded Glassware
An African coffee table book shop
Antique African silver & gold jewelry
Crafts made by ex-Nairobi street children
A variety of beautiful Kenyan Kiondos (Baskets)
Masai design shop offering Masai Items

Kiambethu tea farm is about an hour’s drive away from Nairobi, therefore this makes an unforgettable one-day trip from the capital city for both adults and children. Situated 15 Kilometers from Nairobi, it has been the family home of one of the earliest tea growers in Kenya. You will be picked at 10:00 am from your place within Nairobi and driven to Kiambethu tea farm, upon arrival at 11:00 a.m. your host will offer you a cup of tea or coffee, as he/she explains the process of making tea and the history of the farm. Then continue with a walk to a nearby indigenous forest with a knowledgeable resident Kenyan guide who will be pointing out the plants and explaining how they are used traditionally. Colobus monkeys live in this place and they wander in the gardens, so you might have a chance to see them. Take a stroll back 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.

Brown’s Cheese is located in the Limuru Highlands around Tigoni. The drive offers amazing sceneries of tea and flower farms. It is a recommend tour for families, couples and groups. Brown’s natural cheeses are made using traditional methods and ingredients; no colorings, coatings, or additives are used
and are suitable for vegetarians. Launched in 1979, Brown’s Cheese still follows the path David and Sue took years ago – crafting natural cheeses using the utmost care and passion for cheese. Based in Limuru, they produce seventeen different varieties of cheese using milk from over 3,000 small hold farmers in the area as well as milk from their own small herd. Brown’s Cheese has earned worldwide recognition, including winning seven awards at the South Africa Dairy Championships as well as an award at the 2002 Nantwich Cheese show in the U.K.

Tasting Options: There are two different tasting sessions,

1. Option 1: The first at USD 45 per person (minimum of 4 attendees) which takes an hour, includes: tour of the factory; tasting 5 cheeses with the breads and chutneys and a glass of wine, beer or juice and the opportunity to buy the cheese at factory price.
2. Option 2: The second at USD 55 per person (minimum 6 attendees) you get a private tasting session; discover flavour differences and cheese families with 8 different cheeses; a tour of the factory and overview of how cheese is made; all topped off with a 3 course lunch made with 100% homegrown ingredients; set in green and tranquil surroundings of the farm.\
3. Extra charges include: milking of cows possible for kids if interested, a short walk in the forest often inhabited by Colobus monkeys, or Mozzarella making for groups that are interested.

What if you just want to get away from the urban rat race without leaving the city altogether and yet have a wild experience? Nairobi National Park is one of Kenya’s most popular attractions and for a good reason – not only is it full of wildlife but it’s the only National Park next to a capital city in the world. With some of the best views in the world, photos look like they are straight out of a magazine. Your short wildlife safari is in the comfort of a private 4×4 jeep with a pop up roof. Arriving in this special park, you’ll quickly notice how unique this special park is. With a backdrop of the city’s skyline you can spot lions, rhinos, buffaloes, hyenas, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, impalas and much more. Even though downtown Nairobi is a few miles away, this is no city zoo or theme park. Despite this being the oldest (1946) and one of its smallest parks in Kenya, sightings of lions and hyenas are regular.

It boasts of over 400 species of birds including the majestic Ostrich. Kifaru is Swahili for rhinoceros – the park supports the largest population of endangered black rhinos in Kenya. Appropriately, the park has earned the nickname Kifaru Ark. As the population of rhinos here continues to grow, the park has become a source of the endangered species, supplying them to other parks around the country. A special must-visit site within the park is the Ivory Burning Monument. On this historic spot, tonnes of ivory seized from poachers have been publicly burned to protest the ivory trade and as a commitment to protect the country’s elephants. A nation’s culture residing in the heart and soul of its capital.

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS
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Black Rhinoceros
Diverse birdlife
Large predators- lion, leopard, hyena, and cheetah.
Aggregations of large herbivores- eland, buffalo, zebra, and wildebeest
Ivory Burning Site Monument
Walking trails at hippo pools
Nairobi Safari Walk & the Orphanage.