The Kenyan Rift Valley
Stretching across Africa like a huge wound, the Rift Valley is more than 6,430 km long and only 1,520 meters deep. It runs from Jordan to Mozambique and, when viewed from space, is apparently the most recognizable geographic site on the face of the planet.
intense volcanic eruptions
Geologists believe it is the result of intense subterranean tectonic pressures that essentially tore the Earth’s crust apart, causing huge chunks of land to sink between parallel fault lines. The rock was then forced to the surface in a series of volcanic eruptions.
Basically, over 40 million years ago, Africa started to split along these massive fault lines. The intervening lands slid downward, creating the unique Rift Valley appearance. This process called rupture is still going on with steaming hot springs and hissing from hot spring vents.
These millions of years of intense volcanic and tectonic activity have essentially torn the land apart, which split the Rift into 2 different branches. The largest and longest of these is the Eastern Rift, which divides Kenya from north to south in a series of fault lines that give rise to the magnificent shape of this landscape.
Eastern Rift Valley of Kenya
In Kenya, this Eastern Rift has splendid cliffs, volcanic cones, lava flows, and some lakes. This part of the Rift is up to 100 km in length and reaches its narrowest point just north of Nairobi, where it is approximately 45 km in length.
The valley is shallower near Lake Turkana in the far north of Kenya, where there is virtually no difference between the Great Rift and the desert that borders it.
Fissure valley lakes in kenya
Further south, the valley walls form extremely high cliffs rising to 1,800 meters where Lake Naivasha meets. It is the highest lake in the Rift system. It is also one of the few freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley. South of Naivasha, the Rift drops once more to 580m at the Tanzanian border.
Boiling geysers can be seen spewing steam throughout the Great Rift. You’ll find them populated around many of the lakes that are dotted with the slender, pink-feathered bodies of countless flamingos.
If you are adventurous enough to visit Lake Magadi in the southern part of the Kenyan Rift, you will witness a remarkable yet hellishly hot climate where virtually no living thing except the hardiest of Kenyan tribes can endure.
Lakes – Nakuru, Naivasha, Baringo and Bogoria
Climate and conditions are much easier at Lake Nakuru, where the alkaline-rich waters develop an environment for special algae and small shrimp-like animals, which is why flamingos are drawn to these refreshment lakes in the first place. . Lake Nakuru is among the country’s favorite wildlife preserves, teeming with rhinos and large predators.
Of the lakes in the Kenyan Rift Valley, Naivasha and Nakuru are the easiest to reach. Along with Lake Baringo, this is a great loop and can be done in a couple of days, starting from Nairobi.
Eerie and mesmerizing Lake Bogoria, with its surface crowned by a flotilla of eager-looking flamingos and its apocalyptic-looking shorelines dotted with steaming hot springs and boiling geysers, is a fairly easy drive from Baringo.
Lake Magadi lies just south of the capital Nairobi, which is also a short drive from Tanzania’s Lake Natron.
Northern Rift Valley and Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana, in the far north of the nation, is also part of the Rift Valley system and lies in the middle of one of the most inhospitable regions in East Africa. It can only be described as a tortured desert landscape that is constantly punished by extreme heat and very high winds.
Exploring the Great Rift Valley
The best bet is to use a 4 wheel drive jeep and driver (an experienced local guide and driver). The Rift Valley and lakes of Kenya can be toured as a round trip from Nairobi.
Spend a night or two on Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru and finish with several enjoyable days among the remote islands of Lake Baringo. From there you can drive or fly back to Nairobi over this magnificent landscape.
And if you can travel to Northern Kenya with a visit to the town of Lodwar and a couple of nights at Eliye Spring on Lake Turkana with its beautiful warm waters, then you will always say, “My heart is in Turkana.”