Roho Ya Chui, Swahili for "soul of leopard", your partner for innovative training solutions in combination with safari packages and wildlife photography.
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M a s a i M a r a & W e s t e r n K e n ya W E s T E R N H I g H l a N D s M a s a i M a r a & W e s t e r n K e n ya I N F o R M a T I o N M a s a i M a r a & W e s t e r n K e n ya K a K a M E g a Sunshine Upper Hill Hotel HoTEl $$ (% 0721700358; www.sunshinehotel.co.ke; s Ksh4000-5000, d Ksh5000-6000; p W ) This large hotel block, consisting of modern new rooms overlooking the town park, is where biusness types settle in to do important stuff in Kericho. The rooms have comfortable beds, vast bathrooms and in-room wi-fi. Tea Hotel HoTEl $$ (% 0714510824; Moi Hwy; camping Ksh700, s/d Us$70/95; p W s ) This grand property was built in the 1950s by the Brooke Bond com- pany and still has a lot of (very faded) peri- od charm. The hotel's most notable features are the vast hallways and dining rooms full of mounted animal heads, and its beauti- ful gardens with their tea-bush backdrops. Many of the rooms, though, are literally falling to pieces. Litny's Restaurant KENyaN $ (Temple Rd; mains Ksh250-400; h 5.30am-8pm) Along with New Sunshine Hotel, this is regarded as one of the better restaurants in town, though in truth the fried chicken and chips here was no different to the fried chicken and chips we ate elsewhere. 8 Information Barclays Bank (Moi Hwy) With aTM that accepts Visa and occasionally Mastercard. Mynet Cyber (off Tengecha Rd; per hr Ksh45; h 8am-8pm) Down a little covered alley, this is one of several internet places in town. Post Office (Moi Hwy) 8 Getting There & Away Most buses and matatus operate from the main stand in the town's northwest corner, while those heading south and west (such as to Kisii and Kisumu) leave from the Total petrol station on Moi Hwy. Matatus to Kisumu (Ksh300, 1½ hours), Kisii (Ksh300, two hours), Eldoret (Ksh400 to Ksh500, 3½ hours) and Nakuru (Ksh300, two hours) are frequent. The odd Peugeot also serves these destinations, but costs about 25% more. Easy Coach offers the best buses, but its office, and departure point, is inconveniently located out of town, opposite the Tea Hotel and inside the libya petrol station. It has buses to Nairobi (Ksh1100) throughout the day, as well as frequent buses to Nakuru (Ksh550) and Kisumu (Ksh500). Kakamega P OP 100,000 There is no real reason to stay in this agri- cultural town, but if you arrive late in the day it can be convenient to sleep over and stock up with supplies before heading to nearby Kakamega Forest Reserve. KEEP The Kakamega Environmental Education Programme, KEEP (% 0704851701), is a local initiative that aims to educate the local community and visitors to the wonders of the Kakamega Fore and the threats it's under. The organisation runs various community and conservation programmes and has been credited with much of the sucess in slowing the pace of de ruction of the fore . In recognition of its work it was awarded 2013 Ecot- ourism Enterprise of the Year by Eco Tourism Kenya. The group has an office by the KEEP bandas (thatched huts; p138) and will be happy to answer any que ions on the fore . KEEP also offers guided fore walks (though many of its guides are interchangeable with those of the Kakamega Rainfore Tour Guides Association). A two-hour walk co s KSh500 and a half-day walk, KSh1000. ANYONE FOR TEA? Kenya is one of the world's large tea exporters, along with the likes of India and Sri Lanka, with tea accounting for 28% of the country's export income. It's unique in that up to 80% of its tea is produced by small landholders. Tea picking is a great source of em- ployment around Kericho, with mature bushes picked every 17 days and the same worker continually picking the same patch. Good pickers collect their own body weight in tea each day! Despite Kericho producing some of the planet's be black tea, you will have trouble finding a cup of the fine blends here – mo of it's exported. 1 3 5