Tranquil relaxation at Lang'ata Botanical Gardens

Just a few metres off the Lang'ata South Road is a serene arboretum where one can enjoy a nature walk or a quiet meeting, writes JECKONIA OTIENO

Apart from the Nairobi National Park and the Nairobi Arboretum, few places have expansive grounds with lush vegetation and gardens fit for nature walks. One such place is Lang’ata Botanical Gardens in Karen-Hardy along the Lang’ata South Road.

The big banner that welcomes a visitor at the gate offers a sneak preview of what is to be expected inside.

The paved road branches into the garden and the first point that attracts a visitor is the open yard with green grass, surrounded by trees and a well-manicured hedge of short flowers. Visitors can relax here and enjoy the serenity and calmness of the surrounding.

Nature trail

For those planning a quiet and exclusive wedding reception, team building activities, picnics and even a love proposal, this is a perfect place. But lovers of nature will enjoy a visit to Lang’ata Botanical Gardens the most.

The flora on display is very prominent and intoxicatingly inviting while the array of flowers along the edge of the open field make the place perfect for leisure and pleasure. The mixed-coloured flowers are well trimmed and made appealing by the lucidly green grass.

I take my time to venture into the deep of the gardens. I note the beauty with which the boughs hang to offer shade from the scalding sun that marks the first quarter of every year. Further on are exotic trees and flowers alongside the indigenous ones. This is where the nature trail begins.

The Lang’ata Botanical Gardens is actually a small arboretum with lots of vegetation and trees. The many birds try to outdo themselves as they chirp and dart from tree to tree. Most of them are small, but they still give the place the wild feeling a nature walk should have.

The paths are covered with gravel, which crunch with every foot movement, scaring the birds into flight. All along, the wind blows and offers a breeze that sways the leaves of the trees in this tranquil place overlooking Rongai. Over the paths are canopies that offer shade and the coolness desired for a nature venture.

In between the trees, the African touch is maintained in the wooden seats that dot the garden. The benches made from eucalyptus off cuts are strategically placed within the garden to offer a view and quietude that keeps the heart guessing. People who want privacy to discuss matters of importance can venture out here and sit under the trees.

The creepers of this garden grow wildly, creating the experience of a vast forest. They intertwine and wrap around the trees as they seek the sunshine up above the trees.

Wooden bridges

The walkways are lined with huge boulders and logs of wood, which are also used for seating. This blends well with the brown of the wooden bridges that pass over the stream that traverses the garden. The railings that safeguard the bridge are painted green in tandem with the greenness of vegetation around.

A miniature bamboo forest stands within the gardens, reminiscent of river vegetation. The arboretum has different species of trees that fill the air with fragrance. The most captivating aroma is that of the blue gum. It captures the mood of the quiet atmosphere and a solitude broken only by the birds in flight.

The trees are marked with their scientific names. I take time to note a few such as Filicium decipiens also known as fern leaf tree, the Thika Palm also locally called kamiti and Ficus natalensis known in local languages as mugumo, simotwet, ol-endeti or the back cloth fig.

Also found in the gardens are wooden lounges where visitors can enjoy their meals or hold meetings.

Garden restaurant

A rocky path then leads down towards the far end of the garden where there is a huge pond that was initially a quarry. One your way to the pond, a number of crawling animals such as geckos and lizards crisscross the path as they look for insects to feed on. They can scare as they shuffle the dry leaves in under the trees.

We’re told the pond was fenced because some locals drowned in it as a few years ago as they tried to fetch water. It is now a fishpond. Several weaverbird nests overhang the water on the towering blue gum trees that stand beside the pond. There are sports fishermen who are trying their hand to make a catch.

The main type of fish found in the pond is tilapia and it is mostly the small ones that are caught because the big ones keep to the far end of the quarry where people do not venture.

One end of the pond is a mass of rock safeguarded by a fence, which is meant to avoid fatal falls. The pond, however, is underutilised because it could offer a very thrilling boating experience.

On the way back, a visitor can enjoy a number of delicacies at the gardens’ restaurant.