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| The Great Rift Valley |
| Rift Valley Lakes |
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Some 20 million years ago the earth's crust weakened and tore itself apart creating a jagged rift, thousands of kilometers long, across the African continent. This geological phenomena, dubbed the Great Rift Valley by the Scottish explorer John Walter Gregory, divides Kenya neatly down the length of the country. The valley floor is at its lowest near...
...Lake Turkana where there is virtually no distinction between the Great Rift and the surrounding desert.
This string of alkaline lakes and boiling springs Northwest of Nairobi are unique because their water is highly concentrated in sodium carbonate. Several species of fish, tilapia in particular, thrive in this environment. As a result, millions of birds flock to these soda lakes to feast on the abundant food supply of algae and fish.
Lake Naivasha
Whilst not a National park or Reserve itself, Lake Naivasha Basin holds two small National Parks: the first, the Mount Longonot National Park, the second park, instead, is Hell's Gate National Park. Game to view includes hyrax, buffalos, giraffes, elands, hartebeests, lions and leopards.
Lake Nakuru
Heading further Northwest, Lake Nakuru, originally created to protect its stunning flocks of Lesser Flamingo, which literally turn the lakeshore pink in colour. Notable game within the lake area are hippo and a diverse bird life.
Lake Bogoria
Lake Bogoria is still volcanically active and the Western shore is lined with spouting geysers, spurting steam and bubbling geothermal pools. As does Lake Nakuru, Bogoria waters grow rich blue-green algae which seasonally attract thousands of Lesser Famingos so the lake is often carpeted with pink.
Lake Baringo
The second largest is Lake Baringo which lies in the solitude of a semi-desert, a haven of peace and beauty in harsh, rugged but majestic surroundings. Hippos and crocodiles are plentiful, the latter considered harmless by the local people, the Njemps, who
fish standing in water up to their shoulders, whilst crocodiles bent on the same mission, swim quietly by. Game is far from plentiful but strangely this is the most likely place in Kenya where visitors can find and photograph the Greater Kudu.
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