Rondo Retreat Centre Kakamega Rainforest Lodge

Rondo Retreat Centre is a quiet, 3.5-star getaway set in a serene location within the lush Kakamega Rainforest in Western Kenya. Originally built in 1948 by a sawmiller at his wife’s request, the house was situated at the base of what was thought to be the forest’s largest Elgon Olive tree. Today, the property is run by the Trinity Fellowship as a Christian sanctuary, offering a peaceful space for those seeking to immerse themselves in nature, contemplate, and fill their senses with Kenya’s captivating scenery.

The retreat complex itself is a delightful and colorful surprise. Country houses and quaint cottages are lovingly and tastefully decorated with family furniture, pictures, and memorabilia. The original main house serves as the hub of the retreat, featuring classical Colonial architecture, a cozy fireplace, a library, and large verandahs.

Surrounded by well-manicured lawns and vibrant flowerbeds that transition seamlessly into the forest, Rondo provides an enchanting environment where visitors can spot dancing butterflies and frolicking monkeys right from their patios.

Location & Accessibility

Rondo Retreat Center is ideally situated along the Kakamega, Shinyalu road, approximately 18 km from Kakamega town, deep within the Kakamega Rainforest of western Kenya.

By Road

✓ Conditions: The main roads are in fairly good condition, though traffic can be heavy. The final 9 km stretch is a murram (dirt) road leading through the dense forest canopy
✓ Scenic Route: To avoid heavy traffic, travelers can take the B4 toward Eldama Ravine (C55), rejoining the Nakuru-Eldoret road at Makutano, before following the standard directions from Nabkoi.
✓ Direct Route: The drive from Nairobi takes just under 6 hours and 45 minutes, heading through Nakuru and up the Eldoret Road. Turn left at the Nabkoi (formerly Burnt Forest) junction onto the Lessos road (C36), proceed through Kapsabet to the Chepsonoi police post, and take the 9 km murram road directly through the forest to the retreat

By Air

✓ Flights: Visitors can opt for a short, one-hour domestic flight from Nairobi to Kisumu
✓ Transfer: From Kisumu, a taxi transfer can be arranged, taking approximately 1.5 hours on well-maintained roads to reach the retreat

Accommodation

Rondo Retreat features 6 distinct cottages and houses, accommodating up to 37 guests. There are 15 en-suite double rooms and 3 double rooms with shared bathrooms. Each cottage has a unique profile in terms of size, furnishings, and decor.

Turtons / Main House

The historical core of the retreat offers classical colonial charm.

✓ Rooms: Contains three comfortable en-suite bedrooms
✓ Features: Houses a cozy fireplace, a library, two lounges, and a large verandah for relaxing

The Guest Cottages

Apart from the Founders’ cottage, all guest cottages feature incredibly spacious, artistically decorated sitting rooms.

✓ Founders Cottage: A smaller, intimate cottage with two en-suite rooms and beautiful views of the surroundings
✓ Nandi Cottage: Named for the indigenous people of the eastern forest, featuring three en-suite bedrooms, a spacious sitting room, and several verandahs
✓ Colobus Cottage: Named after the playful monkeys that frequently visit to entertain guests. Features two en-suite bedrooms, a spacious sitting room, and a verandah
✓ Turaco Cottage: Features five en-suite bedrooms scattered with beautiful imagery of the Great Blue Turaco. Includes a spacious sitting room and a relaxing verandah
✓ Isukha Cottage: Inspired by the local Isukha people, this four-bedroom cottage features en-suite rooms, a spacious sitting room, individual verandahs, and its own secluded garden

Room Features & Amenities

✓ Work desks and cupboards
✓ En-suite bathrooms (in 15 of the rooms)
✓ Spacious sitting rooms (in most cottages)
✓ Unique, individualized decor with family furniture and memorabilia
✓ Private or shared verandahs looking out to flower beds and the forest

Dining & Culinary Experience

Dining at Rondo is a tranquil and hearty experience. The light and airy dining rooms open up onto views of the gardens and the forest beyond, where guests are often treated to the sight of monkeys enjoying the surrounding trees.

Dining Settings

✓ Verandah & Lounge: Perfect spots for enjoying the daily 4:00 PM afternoon tea
✓ Main Dining Halls: Two charming dining rooms serving meals in a peaceful, elegant ambiance

Culinary Highlights:

✓ Candlelit Dinners: Evening meals are served by candlelight, adding a touch of rustic romance to the rainforest setting
✓ Dietary Requirements: The kitchen gladly accommodates vegetarians and other dietary needs with prior notice at the front desk
✓ Beverages: While Rondo is not licensed to sell alcohol, guests are welcome to bring their own alcoholic beverages to enjoy during their stay
✓ Menu: The retreat offers a fixed menu featuring hearty, home-cooked Western cuisine, including sustaining lunches and classic English breakfasts

Lounge & Common Areas

✓ Main House Lounges: Two cozy indoor lounges complete with a classical fireplace and a library for quiet reading
✓ The Gardens: Well-manicured rolling lawns and vibrant flower beds featuring a fish pond and dappled rainforest light

Experiences & Activities

Rondo Retreat is the ultimate basecamp for exploring the unique flora and fauna of the Kakamega Rainforest.

Included / On-Site Activities:

✓ Hiking Lirhanda Hill: Climb “Smiling Bald Peter” for stunning, panoramic vistas of the forest canopy and the surrounding countryside
✓ Primate & Fauna Spotting: Watch Blue Sykes, Red Tailed, and Black and White Colobus monkeys cavorting in the canopies, alongside a massive variety of forest butterflies
✓ Nature Trails: Step right out of the gardens and onto trails that run down to the Yala River, offering a chance to walk in intriguing silence or amidst the cacophony of the jungle
✓ Birdwatching: A true birder’s haven with 367 recorded species, including 36 found nowhere else in Kenya. Look out for the Great Blue Turaco, African Crowned Eagle, Emerald Cuckoo, and Black and White-casqued Hornbills

Optional / Nearby Excursions:

✓ Natural Wonders: Take a short trip to see the famous Crying Stone or the beautiful Isiukhu Falls
✓ Cultural & Historical Sites: Visit the Nabongo Cultural Center, Ilesi Pottery Center, or the Rosterman Mines

Facilities & Guest Services

✓ Connectivity: Limited Wi-Fi connection available
✓ Convenience: Laundry services and ample secure parking
✓ Business Services: A boardroom is available for retreats and meetings
✓ Guides: Knowledgeable guides available to lead nature circuits and forest walks

Highlights of Rondo Retreat Centre

✓ Prime Birding: Unmatched access to Kakamega’s 367 bird species
✓ Unique Primate Viewing: Daily visits from Colobus and Blue Sykes monkeys right in the lodge gardens
✓ Tranquil Sanctuary: A Christian retreat offering a deeply peaceful, alcohol-free environment focused on nature and contemplation
✓ Rich Heritage: A historical 1948 property with ties to early sawmilling, the filming of The Kitchen Toto, and significant forest conservation research

2026 Rondo Retreat Centre Lodge Non-Residents Accommodation Rates

Notes

* Picnic Lunches – 15 US Dollars
* Rooms must be vacated by 1000 Hours
* Children between 0 – 2.99 years stay for Free
* The above rates are subject to change without notice
* Rondo Retreat Centre has a surcharge of 10% for 1-night stays
* No Single Supplement For Children Under 12 Years – Must Share
* Children aged 12 years & above requiring their own room pay US Dollars
* For the Christmas season, there will be a surcharge of 20 US Dollars per person
* For the Christmas season, there will be a surcharge of 1,500 Kenya Shillings per person
* Rondo Retreat Centre Kakamega Rainforest Lodge prices are inclusive of Value Added Tax and Catering levy

Children Policy

* Children between 0 – 2.99 years stay for Free
* No Single Supplement For Children Under 12 Years – Must Share
* The Management reserves the right to admit children or not to admit children
* Children between 3-11 years –  100 US Dollars per person per night, sharing
* Children between 12 & UP Years – 130 US Dollars per person per night sharing

2026 Rondo Retreat Centre Lodge Residents’ Accommodation Rates

Notes

* Picnic Lunches – 15 US Dollars
* Rooms must be vacated by 1000 Hours
* Children between 0 – 2.99 years stay for Free
* The above rates are subject to change without notice
* Rondo Retreat Centre has a surcharge of 10% for 1-night stays
* No Single Supplement For Children Under 12 Years – Must Share
* Children aged 12 years & above requiring their own room pay US Dollars
* For the Christmas season, there will be a surcharge of 2,000 Kenya Shillings per person
* Residents will have to verify their status on arrival by presenting their Driving License or other ID
* Rondo Retreat Centre Kakamega Rainforest Lodge prices are inclusive of Value Added Tax and Catering levy

Children Policy

* Children between 0 – 2.99 years stay for Free
* No Single Supplement For Children Under 12 Years – Must Share
* The Management reserves the right to admit children or not to admit children
* Children between 3-11 years –  6,500 Kenya Shillings per person per night, sharing
* Children between 12 & UP Years – 8,500 Kenya Shillings per person per night sharing
* Children between 12 & UP Years requiring own room – Full Board – 12,500 Kenya Shillings,  Half Board – 12,000 Kenya Shillings

Rondo Retreat Centre attractions include Kakamega Bullfighting Matches, a traditional Bullfighting activity practised among the Luhya community and a good choice for a cultural safari. The crying stone is a rock resembling a human head, with water oozing from its ‘head’.

Other attractions include the Kakamega Rainforest, which is in a class of its own in Kenya. This forest has over 300 species of birds and Butterflies, Primates, Snakes, Trees, and small game. On your vacation to Kakamega, Rondo Retreat Centre should be your ultimate choice!

Today, this peaceful place has been “opened to the public” and is run by the Reverend and Mrs Godfrey and Elisabeth Dawkins. They invite you to take time away from the rush of your busy life to contemplate nature, yourself, the world, and the work of God.

Funds and personnel permitting, Rondo-related projects will include Community Outreach, Environmental Education, Eco-Tourism, and Regenerative Agro-Forestry.

Rondo Homestead consists of the main house of clapboard and colonial-era corrugated iron, and five cottages in the same old style, whose proximity to the forest makes for delightful accommodation. There are fifteen en-suite double rooms, plus three more double rooms that share the large original bathroom in the main house. No two rooms are the same.

The bedrooms, sitting rooms, and dining room have all been decorated and furnished with flair, using both “old and new” items, antique prints and photographs, and local paintings, crafts, and fabrics.

The chapel perched on the edge of the garden above a dramatic drop into the forest, and set apart from the other houses for solitude, is ideal for individual prayer and congregational services, meetings, seminars, and small conferences.

Rondo Retreat Centre Walking & Hiking Experience In Kakamega Rain Forest

Starting with the rolling lawns and flowerbeds of Rondo’s upper garden, already alive with animals and birds. Descending in the dappled light to the fish pond and paths of the lower garden with dancing butterflies before and behind.

And leading out into the forest proper, accompanied by a piercing cacophony, or left alone in intriguing silence, never knowing what one might see around the next corner. This is one of Rondo’s very own trails that run right down to and along the Yala River.

Out in the sunshine again, you can climb Lirhanda Hill (Smiling Bald Peter we call him), which rises above the forest canopy with stunning vistas of the forest and surrounding countryside.

Rondo Retreat Centre Flora & Fauna Of Kakamega Rain Forest Experience

Rondo Retreat Trees: Trees of tremendous height, great girth, and massive buttresses hanging with lianas. A mix of lowland and highland species gives Kakamega Forest a unique variety of flora and fauna.

Rondo Retreat Flowers: 60 species of orchids, 9 of which are endemic (found only in Kakamega Forest). Rondo is proud to have some in its own garden. Then there are many species of herbs and ferns.

Rondo Retreat Birds: The forest is best known for its sheer abundance and diversity of bird life. Some 367 species have been recorded. 36 of the species that occur in and around Kakamega Forest are found nowhere else in Kenya. Kakamega Forest is a “must” for any serious bird watcher.

Rondo Retreat Butterflies: There are representatives from every African butterfly family. Some of these include the Regal and Broad Green-banded Swallowtails, the Black-tipped Diadem, the Forest Mother of Pearl, and Hobart’s Red Glider, the only scarlet butterfly in the Forest.

Plus, the genus Charaxes contains the fastest-flying butterflies in Africa. Other interesting insects are the Goliath Beetle, Stick Insects, and Fire Flies

Rondo Retreat Animals: Monkeys seen in the forest include the blue Sykes, the red-tailed, the common black and white Colobus, and the rare debrazza’s. There are Giant forests and Flying Squirrels, mongooses, civets, servals, genets, smaller antelope such as duikers, and numerous species of bats.

The Hammer-headed Fruit Bat is endemic to Kakamega Forest and is the largest bat on the African continent, with a wing span of almost one meter and a huge head.

Rondo Retreat Centre Kakamega Rainforest Lodge is a Christian Centre set in the Kakamega rainforest, 418 km from Kenya’s capital, Nairobi (approximately a 5 ½ – 6-hour drive).

The transfer from Kisumu to the lodge takes approximately 1½–2 hours. Kapsabet is about 28 km from the retreat. Rondo has a total of 5 cottages, and the Main House comprises 20 double rooms, with en-suite bathrooms. The cottages have their own sitting room and veranda with lovely views of the garden and the forest beyond.

Rondo Retreat serves primarily Western cuisine, in the charming dining rooms, from hearty English breakfasts to lighter lunches and candlelit 3-course dinners in the evening, not forgetting afternoon tea and cake served on the verandas.

It offers a set menu; however, with advance notice, we can accommodate other dietary requirements. Rondo Retreat is not licensed to serve alcohol, but does have a good selection of non-alcoholic beverages. Should our guests want to have wine with their dinner, they may bring their own, and we will be happy to serve it.

Rondo Retreat Centre Kakamega Rainforest Lodge does not have a swimming pool or TV, as this is not in keeping with the ambience of the Retreat and the Forest; however, there is a lovely little gift shop for guests to peruse.

The cottages have limited phone network coverage, so making or receiving calls is sometimes possible! The limited network enhances the Centre’s tranquillity, enabling its guests to escape the hustle and bustle of life.

Activities in Rondo Retreat Centre, Kakamega Rainforest, Kakamega, include hiking and nature walks, taking in soaring sights of birds, flowers, butterflies, animals, and trees of tremendous height, great girth, and massive buttresses.

Rondo Retreat Centre Kakamega Rainforest walks include sunrise walks, which start at 0530 Hours, and sunset walks, which start at 1530 Hours. The long walks last 3 to 5 hours while the short walks last 2 to 3 Hours.

1. What is the purpose of the Rondo Retreat Centre?

Rondo Retreat Centre is a 3.5-star guesthouse that offers a space for individuals and groups to retreat from their daily lives and engage in activities that foster spiritual growth, self-reflection, and personal development. The centre offers various programs, workshops, and retreats that cater to different interests and needs.

2. Where is Rondo Retreat Centre located?

Rondo Retreat Centre is situated in the picturesque Rondo Valley in western Kenya. Rondo Retreat Centre is approximately 18 km from Kakamega town and is ideally situated along the Kakamega – Shinyalu road.

3. What types of accommodations are available at Rondo Retreat Centre?

Rondo Retreat Centre offers 19 accommodation options to suit different preferences and budgets. Visitors can choose from private cottages, shared rooms, or camping facilities. Each accommodation option is designed to provide comfort and tranquillity during the stay.

4. What facilities are available at Rondo Retreat Centre?

The retreat centre provides a range of facilities to enhance visitors’ overall experience. These include a chapel for prayer and meditation, a dining hall that serves nutritious meals, conference rooms for group activities or workshops, gardens for leisurely walks or quiet contemplation, and recreational areas for sports or relaxation.

5. What kind of programs and activities are offered at Rondo Retreat Centre?

Rondo Retreat Centre offers a diverse range of programs and activities to cater to the needs of different individuals and groups. These may include guided meditation sessions, yoga classes, spiritual retreats, workshops on personal development, nature walks, and cultural immersion experiences. The centre also hosts special events and guest speakers from time to time.

6. Can I bring my own food to Rondo Retreat Centre?

Rondo Retreat Centre provides meals for its guests as part of the accommodation package. However, if you have specific dietary requirements or preferences, it is advisable to inform the centre in advance so that they can make the necessary arrangements.

7. Is Rondo Retreat Centre open to people of all faiths?

Yes, Rondo Retreat Centre welcomes individuals from all religious backgrounds or those who do not identify with any particular faith. The centre promotes inclusivity and encourages people to explore their spirituality in a non-denominational and open-minded environment.

8. How can I make a reservation at Rondo Retreat Centre?

To make a reservation at Rondo Retreat Centre, you can contact the number Mobile: +254-721-242-711 OR Email: [email protected]. The website (https://africanspicesafaris.com/tour/rondo-retreat-centre-kakamega-rainforest-lodge/) provides detailed information about available programs, accommodation options, and reservation procedures.

Mobile: +254-721-242-711
WhatsApp: +254-721-242-711
Reservations: +254 718-179-967
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://africanspicesafaris.com