Meet me by the river – Nokras Riverine

Nailantei Norari

Sondela is playing… no, a band is playing live, and they are doing quite a good job too.

We slowly walk past the band and head down to River Tana to see if we will spot a crocodile, though the guards clearly tell us that there are no crocodiles here as the water moves too fast.

We are at Nokras Riverine, a hotel located on the Sagana-Murangá Road. Hungry for both food and adventure, I had managed to harass my team to make a detour and stopover at Nokras for replenishment.

The gardens here are beautifully landscaped with sculptures of zebras and giraffes placed in strategic places in the lawns.

The pool is so huge that I am tempted to get in the day’s exercise; four laps would mean less punishment from my instructor come Monday.

I instead simply order some fresh juice and food via Antony, and as he processes the orders, we proceed to see the river as the gate that opens to it is locked at 6pm.

On this day, they only have cocktail juice. It is fresh and has lots of fruits including cucumber, beetroot and kiwi.

I had never tasted kiwi in a juice before. We order a full chicken to share, half a kilo of goat, some roast potatoes, chips, some rice to share and an extra plate of rice and beef. The latter is solely for me.

The chicken is kienyenji, but it’s soft, yet with some tag. They did a good job of boiling it before stewing, I imagine. The goat and beef are equally good. My only bone of contention is with the roast potatoes.

They are cold and hard inside! So like a good foodie, I eat them like a rat, gnawing on the cooked brown top parts and leaving the core untouched. Next time you are on your way to Nyeri or Murang’a, feel free to stop over here and order the kienyenji chicken with rice.

With that, you cannot go wrong. Carry your swimming costume too. You can get a dip in the river or the pool. Talk about being spoilt for choice!