I was fortunate enough to have a chance to visit a botanical garden resort, Kaptagat Farm Resort, which is at the edge of a forest, 25km from Eldoret Town. A couple of years ago, Kenya and the world said goodbye to the last White Rhino, Sudan, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The Kakamega Forest is Kenya’s only tropical rainforest, which is believed to be the last part of the remnant ancient Guinea-Congolian forest. The late Wangari Maathai, an environmental activist, Nobel prize winner, global icon, and founder of the Green Belt Movement, also hails from Kenya.
Kaptagat Farm Resort is a beacon of hope for the country when it comes to environmental conversation, considering its catapult-speed urbanization of rural areas, real estate, infrastructure, and commercial agricultural development, which is fast threatening its natural green spaces.
Nairobi, once famous for its green spaces, is also slowly turning into a concrete jungle. Recently, iconic greenery on one of its major city roads was uprooted to give way to a major expressway, aiming to ease congestion in and out of the city. While the city is working hard to save its green spaces with impressive sustainable projects like Michuki Park, rapid urbanization and real estate are posing a threat to the environment.
Kaptagat Farm Resort: A Review
The Kaptagat Farm Resort is next to the road, driving from Eldoret town via Kaptagat road. It’s approximately 25 km from A104 Eldoret-Nakuru road. It earned a spot in this blog due to one thing: environmental conservation and sustainability. The owners have a knack for botany and gardening. Their spaces simply spark up because of the plant life. There’s zero effort trying to artificially modify the place with marble floors, illusionary lighting, or modern finishes – Kaptagat Farm resort is a simple natural marvel full of natural color, diverse birdlife, and nectar-foraging insects.
Its iconic decagon-shaped structures, neatly nestled behind lush gardens, give you a sense of peace and tranquility. Yoga enthusiasts will give anything for a morning or late evening session at their picnic areas. It’s a wonder why training marathon athletes spend their afternoons at this location.
My full-day experience at Kaptagat Farm Resort is geared towards conference facilities, Wedding and events packages, Team building and recreational facilities, small gatherings, family outings, and seminars. While they offer walk-in-like restaurant services by order, their services are not focused on individual patron services. Walk-in patrons looking for a fast-food restaurant experience will be thoroughly disappointed since food is prepared from scratch by order.
Kaptagat Farm Resort Garden
Perhaps the most iconic feature of this property is the amount of time and effort invested in gardening. The garden work is mind-blowing. There’s a mix of common garden flowers, from Gazania, Star of Bethlehem (Agapanthus), Euphorbia, and Peace lilies to the Giant Egyptian Papyrus. Their garden is something to marvel at and is full of activity from the diverse birdlife and insects it attracts. The natural sounds inside the premises have a tropical jungle-like acoustic feel.
The garden spaces are divided, with unique spaces, surrounded by hedges and well-thought-out sitting areas, perfect for meditation and relaxation. The Resort has a terrace design that drops down to a majestic river at the edge of the picnic area. The river is not accessible to visitors (for reasons best known to owners), but there’s a decent view from the sitting areas. The picnic area is dominated by Acacia Trees that offer an authentic African Safari shade picnic experience. I have never really enjoyed a cup of tea under a tree as I did here – I must admit the tea here is to die for (It needs an entire page review).
It’s hard to miss a unique recycling-gardening technique, where ground plants are fused on logs, hedges, walls, and trees, bonding and blossoming like parasitic plants would in a tropical jungle. At the center of the garden, and perhaps as a master-piece showcase, there’s a giant tree that’s been completely covered by vines to the top.
Ponds and Cottages
Kaptagat Farm Resort has a couple of bush-stoned cottages with a unique decagon design and full-view windows that run from the ground to the roof frame, offering residents 360 views. It’s a honeymoon experience ideal for couples looking for a bush gateway experience in nature.
One of the cottages is constructed right in the middle of a pond, with one side neatly covered by papyrus and a trail that runs around, surrounded by flowers. It would be a marvel to be here after the rainy season when the flowers are in full bloom. Unfortunately, a couple of ponds over the property were dry due to no rain. However, they are cleverly situated near sitting areas, hidden in between trails that run throughout the compound.
Bar and Restaurant
The Resort is designed for outside dining. There’s an iconic bar, “The Mill Bar,” right at the center of the garden, with the same decagon design, with a huge flat-screen TV for sports fans and sitting areas for patrons. Considering the full-view window design, the bar is poorly lit, probably due to the dark color choices and the fact that there’s a lot to see outside, of course. There’s a conference room on a storied decagon design cottage, with drapes and decent space for a sizable gathering. This space is ideal for team building for corporate organizations.
On the far end of the property, there are concrete-type ‘bandas’ with a bush stone design, ideal for large gatherings and private dining, and approximately six sit in a U-design. There’s also a separate bar on this side that’s probably only functional on occasion.
Accommodation
The single cottages are amazing from the outside; I could only guess how they look inside (I am sure they are fancy, considering they were all booked). Kaptagat Farm Resort also has standard rooms in a one-story building. Twin beds for two-person sharing and a double-sized bed, both with the same dimensions, nothing fancy (just a room with a bed and a separate space for a bathroom with a hot shower).
There are two rows of these style rooms, with the bottom one under renovation. These rooms are ideal for seminars, corporate training, and team building. They have no view, apart from the one you get on a shared balcony that overlooks a canopy of river flowers with huge leaves below.
My Take
Kaptagat Farm Resort is a great place to visit, especially if you are looking for an out-of-town, in-tune-with-nature experience. Its botanical gardens are unlike anything I have seen before, with a collection of diverse plant species uniquely planted in between. There’s no doubt that the owners are well-read and experienced in beautifying spaces.
It’s my opinion that the owners take advantage of the river that flows on the edge of the property. While they have tried to incorporate a canal system all around, there’s an untapped potential the river offers. It would be great to see a pebble beach since the river flows shallowly. It would give patrons something else to marvel at in their visit. The management should also seriously consider creating a package for love birds, road-trippers, and local honeymooners. This space appeals to them and would be beneficial in a time when local tourism is booming.
All in all, my visit to Kapatagat Farm Resort was epic. I would do it again and again and again.
Note: This is an unpaid review. All the data was gathered by the author and expressed in their logic and opinion.