It is back to the Agikuyu cultural roots at River Gura

 Lucy Maruhi of Shelter Tours and Gura River Nature Paradise explains the traditional process of making coffee. [Jephitha Mwai, The Standard]

During the marking of this year's World Tourism Day, I found myself in Nyeri. Nyeri tourism stakeholders were marking the day by celebrating River Gura, and part of the activities were cultural performances and traditional activities.

The last time I visited, Nyeri I thought that a one-day schedule was more than enough for a road trip and a three-hour hike for the three-kilometre stretch of trekking along the Gura River. A day was enough for me to tick this bucket list out and be back in Nairobi in good time. This time around I took a more leisurely pace.

First on the itinerary was a bounty-traditional breakfast served at a spectacular site along the river with an amazing background. This was followed by a hike.

During the guided hike, we got to learn several things about Tetu and Nyeri and the highlights of tourism attractions which included Gura, Mt Kenya, historical monuments such as the Mau Mau caves, the Aberdare, Sister Nyaaga monument, the Scout memorial monument and the famous but now closed Tree Hotel where the late Queen Elizabeth became a queen.

Later, we ended our hike at a spot set aside by the county government and the Tetu community. There are traditional huts and a viewing platform has been set up.

The community’s participation was necessary to promote the conservation of Gura River and its surrounding environment.

After the hike, guests have a choice of a special massage by the riverside as they listen to the natural flow of the river and other nature sounds from birds, trees, and insects chirping that act as “cool musical sounds”.

Other sessions included a demonstration on the process of making traditional coffee, pottery, and the code of dressing for different occasions for the Agikuyu men, women, the youth and girls and boys and how to weave baskets and traditional beds and household cookware, how to construct a hut for both women and women and how the huts were partitioned.

Part of the day’s activities included folklore, traditional coffee brewing demonstrations and lessons on the need to conserve River Gura.

The background was set by soft music from traditional songs sang by a team of traditional women and men as they went on with their “traditional activities” such as basket weaving, knife and spear sharpening (men) and mock coffee and honey harvesting activities.

The cultural conversations happen against this background of the traditional setting, with the participants in traditional attire.

Margaret Gathigiwa, 84, spoke about the way of life of the traditional Agikuyu community.

She says she is always prepared to teach the younger generations the importance of utamaduni (culture) and the value of traditional foods such as uji. The uji she explains is made from millet, wheat and sorghum.