This is a list of the best places to visit in Bomet County. Bomet County is renowned as a major tea producer and exporter, and visitors can now immerse themselves in the world of tea tourism. From the tea farms to the factories, you can experience the entire process and history of tea production.
Bomet County also serves as a convenient transit route to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. It’s strategically positioned as a stopover for visitors en route to this world-famous wildlife destination. In no particular order, here are the top and best places to visit in Bomet County.
Best Places To Visit In Bomet County
1. Tenwek Falls
The Tenwek waterfall is situated in the pristine countryside of Tenwek in Bomet Central constituency, Bomet County, approximately two and a half kilometres off the Bomet-Silibwet road. The stunning fourteen-metre fall is located on River Nyongores, which flows through the eastern edge of the Tenwek Mission Hospital’s compound.
The sight of the waterfall is breathtaking, with clear water cascading and creating a marvellous roaring sound effect. The gushing water forms the seven colours of the rainbow, locally referred to as Chepkinabor by the Kipsigi people. It is the largest and first waterfall in the South Rift to be used for power generation.
2. The Willis Hotel
The Willis Hotel is conveniently located along the Sotik-Narok Highway, providing easy access to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve as well as the culture-filled Kalenjin and Maasai communities. It is an ideal choice for both business and leisure travellers, offering 4-star accommodation with a garden, terrace, and restaurant.
The hotel features family rooms, a children’s playground, room service, a 24-hour front desk, and luggage storage. All guest rooms are equipped with a flat-screen TV, satellite channels, a kettle, a shower, free toiletries, and a desk. They also include a private bathroom and slippers, and some units have a balcony. Additionally, there are safety deposit boxes in all units.
Guests can enjoy a daily breakfast with buffet, continental, or full English/Irish options. The hotel also provides laundry service and business facilities such as photocopying.
3. Tegat Athletics Camp
Bomet County proudly hosts a high-altitude training camp in Tegat, Bomet East, capable of accommodating up to 96 athletes and coaches, making it an ideal spot for sports tourism and attracting athletes and enthusiasts from around the globe.
4. Iria Maina Waterfalls
The Iria Maina waterfalls on Itare River in Konoin, Bomet County, are a hidden gem. They feature a 100-metre-long ancient cave that offers a unique and historical experience for tourists. Downstream, the river has several waterfalls and caves on its banks, making the Iria Maina area a potential tourist attraction in the Western region circuit.
Iria Maina means a shield or shelter, offering visitors a chance to experience nature in its purest form. Additionally, there are rare species of bats that reside in these caves. The site has been drawing visitors from surrounding primary and secondary schools, who visit the area during holidays to enjoy its beauty.
The caves were formed by residents digging the river bank to extract saline stones for their livestock. Inside the caves, there are several pools of water supported by natural pillars. Residents believe that visitors’ torches go off when entering the caves, and only lit wooden splinters can work.
5. Brevan Hotel and Conference Centre
This hotel offers various amenities, including a restaurant, a 24-hour fitness centre, and a bar and lounge. Guests can enjoy complimentary continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and free self-parking. Additionally, the hotel features a 24-hour business centre, a conference centre, and 24-hour room service. Each of the 15 rooms provides free WiFi, 24-hour room service, and flat-screen TVs with cable channels. Guests will also find rainfall showerheads, complimentary bottled water, and fans in the rooms.
Brevan Hotel and Conference Centre offers 15 accommodations with complimentary bottled water and slippers. The 32-inch flat-screen televisions come with cable channels. The bathrooms include showers with rainfall showerheads and complimentary toiletries. The hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Housekeeping services are offered daily, and irons and ironing boards can be requested. The hotel’s recreational amenities include a 24-hour fitness centre and a children’s pool.
6. Sierra Springs Hotels and Resorts
With a stay at Sierra Springs Hotels and Resorts in Bomet, you’ll be just a 4-minute walk from Bomet County Government HQ and a 10-minute walk from New Bomet Stadium. The hotel offers amenities such as dry cleaning and laundry services, a 24-hour front desk, and luggage storage. Free self parking is available on-site.
7. Sahara Gardens Bomet
Sahara Gardens Bomet is situated along the Kaplong-Narok-Maai road in Mutarakwa ward, just 7 kilometres from Bomet town. It is set on beautiful grounds with a children’s playground. The property offers nine spacious accommodations with LCD televisions, bathroom amenities, and queen-sized beds. Additionally, there is a conference facility with a maximum capacity of 80 people. The conference hall can seat up to 80 people theatre-style, while the boardroom can accommodate 20 people comfortably.
The on-site restaurant serves local delicacies and continental cuisine. Guests can also enjoy the bar, which features large LED television screens for live sports and a wide selection of music for entertainment. Outside catering services are available upon request. Sahara Gardens Bomet also features a garden, terrace, restaurant, and bar. Guests can take advantage of the concierge service, children’s playground, 24-hour front desk, airport transfers, room service, and free WiFi.
8. Famous gate Accommodation
Famous Gate Accommodation in Kericho offers garden views and is located 1.4 km from Kericho Golf Club and 3.7 km from Kenya Highlands University. The property features a balcony, free private parking, and free WiFi. The apartment includes 1 bedroom, a fully equipped kitchen, and 2 bathrooms. It also comes with a flat-screen TV.
9. Fair Hills Hotel
Fair Hills Hotel is located 9 km before Bomet town, accessible via the B3 Narok-Bomet-Kisii Road, which is a scenic 3-hour drive from Nairobi. The hotel gets its name from the beautiful low-lying hills that surround it. The hotel offers 3-star accommodation with ten different room layouts, all providing stunning views of the countryside.
Situated in the heart of tea country, the hotel offers panoramic views of the thriving tea farmlands. Its neo-African design is complemented by a large man-made lake and well-maintained gardens, providing a peaceful retreat from city life. Fair Hills Hotel, which opened on May 13th, 2016, offers modern amenities including a full restaurant, bar, lounges, dinettes, gazebos, and bedrooms.
10. Kipsegon Hot springs
The historical Kipsegon hot springs in Bomet County are a community-owned and jealously protected ecosystem. It’s home to a variety of birds, snakes, frogs, turtles, and fish species that have harmoniously lived with the residents for years.
The ecosystem, with both hot and cold springs, is dotted with various species of indigenous trees and plants, most of them of medicinal value. Over the years, it has attracted researchers and locals, making it a tourist attraction. Several huge black mambas are usually spotted hanging on trees, especially in the midmorning and late evening as they bask in the sun. Women and children wade through the reptile-infested canopy of trees to draw clean, fresh water from the hot springs at the centre of the ecosystem, located in Nyangores Ward, Chepalungu Constituency.
A cave where residents claim lightning—ilet—lived before migrating to an unknown destination in the 1960s is still intact. Myth has it that lightning was a cockerel-like living creature, and would turn green and shiny when one got close to it. Four rivers—Kerundut, Kimuta, Kakawet, and Ainab Werik—converge at the tail end of the ecosystem, which empties its waters into Nyangores River, a tributary of the Mara River, which also drains its waters into Lake Victoria.
11. Motigo Hills
Motigo Hills is a well-known destination hidden in the remote villages of Merigi in Bomet County. Tourists mainly visit this area to witness the beautiful sunrise and sunset from the top of the hill. In the mornings, the site provides a peaceful environment for those who wish to say their prayers. Many people prefer to pray in this serene location, feeling close to God. As early as 4 am, pilgrims gather to say their prayers before dawn, so as not to be overheard by the sun. Visitors also enjoy watching the first rays of the sun and the sunset behind the hills on the horizon.
During weekends, tourists spend their days exploring the nearby towns and landscapes while enjoying the fresh air. This village getaway has consistently attracted nature enthusiasts. From Motigo Hills, one can enjoy breathtaking views of the expansive Mau Forest and the beautiful local farming landscape. During Christmas and public holidays, families often come together at the hill, finding it to be a safe and peaceful setting for gatherings.
12. Mau Forest Complex
The Mau Forest Complex is located about 170 kilometres northwest of Nairobi. It was declared a Crown Land in the 1930s and made a National Reserve in 1945, then finally gazetted in 1954 as a Forest Reserve under the Forest Act.
Covering over 400,000 hectares, it is the largest indigenous forest in Kenya and the largest closed-canopy forest ecosystem. Bordering Kericho County to the west, Narok to the south, Nakuru to the north, and Bomet to the southwest, the complex is divided into seven blocs: South-West Mau (Tinet), East Mau, Oldonyo Purro, Transmara, Maasai Mau, Western Mau, and Southern Mau.
Being the catchment source for Lake Victoria and the White Nile, the Mau Forest Complex is a crucial upper water catchment area. The rivers originating from it play a vital role in supporting agriculture, hydropower, urban water supply, tourism, and wildlife habitat throughout much of Kenya, from Lake Turkana in the north to Lake Natron in the south.
The Eastern Mau Forest, serving as the headwaters for Njoro River, which empties into Lake Nakuru, is home to rare indigenous trees and medicinal plants, alongside exotic commercial trees like cypress, pine, and eucalyptus planted by the Kenya Forest Department.
The complex also hosts a diverse selection of wildlife, although their numbers have significantly decreased due to human encroachment and deforestation. Despite this, the original inhabitants of the forest, the Ogiek, continue to call the complex their home, having lived there for hundreds of years as predominantly hunters and gatherers, sustaining their livelihood from the forest.
