Great Rift Valley Lakes
The
Rift Valley is one of the wonders of the world, stretching from the Middle
East, down through Africa, reaching as far as Mozambique. The staggering view,
as you approach from Nairobi, Kenya is quite unbelievable. The ground suddenly
disappears from under you to show the huge expanse of the great rift,
stretching for thousands of miles in either direction.
The
first lake approached is the beautiful, deep-green Lake Naivasha.Lake Naivasha
Basin holds two small National Parks, both of which are well worth a visit,ie
Mount Longonot National Park is based around a young volcano, which rises up to
2,776 meters and Hell's Gate National Park. Famous for its natural hot geysers,
eagle and vulture breeding grounds, obsidian deposits and extinct volcanoes, it
is possible to walk, game drive, camp, cycle and rock climb within the park.
Beautiful rock gorges and natural steam vents add to the beauty of this tiny,
68 square km. Park. Game to view includes hyrax, buffalo, giraffe, eland, Hartebeest,
lion and leopard. As with all of the Rift Valley Parks, Hell's Gate is also an
ornithologist's dream. The cliffs of Hell's Gate are the breeding grounds for
vultures, Verreaux Eagles, Auger Buzzards and thousands of swifts.
Heading
further northwest, Lake Nakuru is the next stop. This world famous Park was
created to protect its stunning flocks of lesser flamingo, which literally turn
the lake shore pink in color. The park spans an attractive range of wooded and
bush grassland around the lake, offering a wide range of Eco-diversity. Notable
game within the lake area is hippo and the diverse bird life. Both black and
white rhino are now resident in the sanctuary and Rothschild giraffe, buffalo,
impala, eland, warthog, Mountain Reedbuck, klipspringers and Black and White
Colobus Monkeys are all plentiful. This park is world-renowned and is a beacon
for ornithologists, scientists and wildlife filmmakers.
The
next lake jewel scattered along the Rift Valley floor is Lake Bogoria. Most of
this reserve is covered by the lake itself, which is a spectacular sight,
reflecting searing blue skies and the rose pink of flamingo. With over 135
species of bird recorded, the area is of significant ornithological interest.
As does Lake Nakuru, Bogoria waters grow rich blue-green algae, which
seasonally attracts thousands of flamingos. The surrounding bushed grasslands
are home to a number of animals, most notably the very rare Greater Kudu
antelope.
The
tiny Lake Kamnarok Reserve is the last stop on this circuit. Lake Kamnarok has
a diverse landscape centred around a 4,000-foot deep valley with semi-tropical
vegetation on the sides contrasting with the dry thorn bush at its base. Here
you can find bush pigs, waterbuck, buffalo, elephant, pelicans and grebes.
As
you travel through this small section of the entire Rift Valley with the rising
Mau Escarpment on one side, and the Aberdare Mountains on the other, the lush,
green forests of these mountain ranges frame the arid landscape of the Valley
floor.
With
a huge variety of landscapes, activities, accommodation and wildlife, the Rift
Valley Lakes area is an excellent part of any safari holiday.
