Mchele
Mchele means rice.
The county grows much of Kenya's rice and guards the southern forests of Mount Kenya, a mountain sacred to the Kikuyu.
Kirinyaga runs from the summit of Mount Kenya down to the warm Mwea plains. Its name is the Kikuyu name for the mountain. Snowmelt rivers cross it, with around two dozen waterfalls.
The county grows much of Kenya's rice and guards the southern forests of Mount Kenya, a mountain sacred to the Kikuyu.
The Mwea Irrigation Scheme makes Kirinyaga Kenya's rice basket. Coffee, tea, macadamia and horticulture grow on the cooler slopes.
A quiet southern route onto the mountain.
A 1910 stone house in the forest, with walks, birding and trout fishing.
A natural rock arch over the Nyamindi River, once a Mau Mau hideout.
Wide green paddies fed by the Thiba River.
Central Kenya's whitewater rafting hub, with bungee jumping nearby.
A riverside spot for swimming, picnics and camping.
Thatched huts recreating pre-colonial Mount Kenya life.
Communities with a historic home in Kirinyaga. Today people from every part of Kenya live and work here.
Bars play mugithi and Kikuyu benga, and Thingira serves traditional mukimo and muthokoi. Local Mwea rice is a must.
January to March and July to October for mountain treks and rafting.
Kirinyaga and its neighbours. Tap a county or a place to read about it.
Hover a county or a dot. Click to open it. Locations are approximate.
January to March and July to October for mountain treks and rafting.
The county grows much of Kenya's rice and guards the southern forests of Mount Kenya, a mountain sacred to the Kikuyu.
Kirinyaga runs from the summit of Mount Kenya down to the warm Mwea plains. Its name is the Kikuyu name for the mountain. Snowmelt rivers cross it, with around two dozen waterfalls. The county capital is Kerugoya (county offices at Kutus), and the 2019 census counted 610,411 people across about 1,478 square kilometres.
ShambaKiambu CountyFounding President Jomo Kenyatta's ancestral home is at Ichaweri. The 1953 Lari massacre was one of the darkest episodes of the Mau Mau war.
NyumbaniMurang'a CountyKikuyu tradition holds that the community began at Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga. Wangu wa Makeri, the only female Kikuyu headman of colonial times, served here.
KahawaNyeri CountyMau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi was born here. Nyeri is also home to former President Mwai Kibaki and Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, and Scouting founder Lord Baden-Powell is buried here.
A Kenya specialist replies within two business days with dates, lodges and flights from the USA.
Book a trip