Paradise Lost
On a coffee farm just off Kiambu Road, Paradise Lost packs a lot into one outing: a waterfall, a cave you can walk behind, a lake with rowing boats, pony rides, camel rides and shaded picnic spots. It's relaxed and uncommercial, with enough variety to fill a half-day for kids of mixed ages. Birdlife around the lake is a bonus for older children.
Good to know: Bring a change of clothes — the boat rides and waterfall mean someone always gets wet.
How a family visit works
- 1Turn off Kiambu Road into the coffee farm and pay at the farm gate. This is not a mall car park; the road in is part of the countryside feel.
- 2Do the cave and waterfall while legs are fresh. You can walk behind the falls — that is the photograph, and it is also why someone gets wet.
- 3Then the lake: rowing boats. Agree who is rowing before you untie. Birdlife around the water occupies older kids if they refuse a boat.
- 4Pony or camel rides last, then picnic in the shade. Do not start with rides and hope they still want the cave.
What kids actually do here
- Walk behind the waterfall and through the cave
- Row on the lake — expect splashing
- Try a pony or camel ride if that is still exciting after the water
- Picnic under trees on a working coffee farm at the edge of the city
- Watch birds around the lake if the older child is done with rides
- Fill a mixed-age half-day without a rigid timetable
Before you go
Let your child save up for Paradise Lost
Entry here is under KES 500 a child (our estimate). In Tija, kids earn coins for chores you set and put them toward a goal they pick, like this outing, then watch it fill up as the chores get done.
Free to download on Android. On a computer, Google Play can send it straight to your phone.
What to pack
- A full change of clothes and a towel — the boat and the waterfall guarantee a wet child
- A picnic unless you want to rely on whatever is cooking on site
- Closed shoes that can get muddy, plus sliders for after the water
- Sunhats; the lake edge is open
Parent questions
- Are the boats and rides included in entry?
- Treat entry as the grounds; boats, ponies and camels are often extra. Confirm at the gate so you are not bargaining on the jetty with a queue behind you. The listing is under KES 500 for the visit band — get today's breakdown on site.
- Good for a toddler and a twelve-year-old together?
- Yes, if you split: cave and picnic for the small one, boats and a longer walk for the older. Open daily; still ask hours at the gate before you drive up Kiambu Road.
Hours, tickets and activity rules change. Confirm the current details on the official site or at the gate before you travel.
Next outing, let them chip in
Set a few chores in Tija, your kids earn coins, and the coins go into a savings goal for the next day out. Built for Kenyan families, priced in shillings.
More for families: Holiday outing planner · Savings Challenge · Parent guides · Tija for Schools
