About twenty million years ago, the length of Africa was cleaved by great subterranean forces, the result being The Great Rift Valley. The most wonderful viewpoints are along the roadside heading north out of Nairobi, close to Nakuru.

Great Rift Valley

About twenty million years ago, the length of Africa was cleaved by great subterranean forces, the result being The Great Rift Valley. This fault line, some 5,600km (3,500 miles) long, cuts a swathe north to south from Ethiopia's Red Sea through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. In some places it left a string of very large deep lakes such as Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi. In others there is a necklace of small shallow ones such as Kenya's Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria.

Viewpoints

Kenya is the best place to view the Rift Valley, because it is at its narrowest here between the Mau Escarpment and the Aberdare mountains - only about 45km (31 miles) across. The most wonderful viewpoints are along the roadside heading north out of Nairobi, close to Nakuru. The other unmissable feature of the Rift Valley lakes in Kenya, are the huge flocks of vivid pink flamingoes.