Tourists Attractions Sites in Naivasha Rift Valley

Naivasha

Naivasha is a town located in the Great Rift Valley region of Kenya, known for its beautiful scenery, wildlife, and outdoor activities. Here are some of the top places to visit :

Naivasha

Lake Naivasha

This freshwater lake is one of the largest in the Great Rift Valley and is home to a variety of wildlife, including hippos, giraffes, and over 400 bird species. Visitors can enjoy boat rides, bird watching, and scenic walks along the lake’s shores.

Hells Gate National Park

This park is named after its towering red cliffs and offers stunning landscapes, hot springs, and geothermal activity. Visitors can enjoy hiking, rock climbing, and wildlife viewing, including buffalo, baboons, and leopards.

Mount Longonot National Park

This park features a dormant volcano with a scenic hiking trail that offers stunning views of the Great Rift Valley and the surrounding countryside.

Crater Lake Game Sanctuary

This sanctuary is home to a variety of wildlife, including zebras, giraffes, and over 170 bird species. Visitors can enjoy game drives, nature walks, and scenic views of the crater lake.

Elsamere Conservation Centre

This conservation center is located on the shores of Lake Naivasha and is dedicated to preserving the region’s wildlife and natural habitats. Visitors can learn about conservation efforts, enjoy bird watching, and visit the former home of Joy Adamson, the author of “Born Free”.

Crescent Island Game Park Naivasha

This park is located on a small island in Lake Naivasha and is home to a variety of wildlife, including zebras, giraffes, and wildebeest. Visitors can enjoy walking safaris, boat rides, and scenic views of the lake.

How to get to Naivasha

By car

The easiest way to get to Naivasha is by car. From Nairobi, you can take the A104 highway and drive northwest towards the town. The journey takes about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on traffic.

By public transport

There are several buses and matatus (shared minivans) that travel from Nairobi to Naivasha. The buses and matatus can be found at the Nairobi CBD bus stations such as the Machakos Bus Station, and the fare is relatively cheap.

By train

You can take a train from Nairobi to Naivasha. The train service operates daily, except on Sundays. The train journey takes about 2 hours.

The Great Rift Valley travel guide – Kenya

The Great Rift Valley travel guide Introduction

The Great Rift Valley, the world’s biggest terrestrial geographic feature, measures round 6,000km (3,728 miles) from north to south. Equal to kind of one-7th of the earth’s circumference.

The great rift valley

Additionally the major Japanese Rift Valley runs from the Jordan Valley withinside the north. Takes withinside the entire of the Red Sea, sheers via Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya,  Tanzania and Malawi, and eventually reaches the ocean close to the Zambezi Delta.

Furthermore, a separate western arm begins off evolved withinside the Sudanese Nile Valley. Then runs southward alongside the Congolese border of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to enroll in the principle Rift near the northern tip of Lake Nyasa-Malawi.

Location

The fault line typically known as the valley extends from Tanzania through Kenya and into Ethiopia, from south to north.

Most of  falls in Kenya’s Rift Valley Province, stated to be the maximum lovely section. This well-known valley is a part of the Japanese branch (Eastern Rift Valley) of the bigger East African Rift.

The Eastern Rift Valley, or Gregory Rift, is one in every of branches of the East African Rift, the opposite is the Western Rift Valley or Albertine Rift.

 Lakes

The scenic Kenya Rift Lake system is an important part of the north-south migratory route of numerous birds.

Additionally the parks surrounding some of the lakes provide habitat for sizeable populations of black rhino, Rothschild’s giraffe, greater kudu, lion, cheetah and wild dogs.

  • Lake Turkana – the largest of the Kenyan Lakes, occupies the northern end of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.
  • Lake Logipi –  a shallow soda lake fed by a hot spring, just south of Turkana.
  • Lake Baringo – the second largest Kenyan Rift Lake.
  • Lake Bogoria – a shallow soda lake within a game reserve.
  • Lake Nakuru – a shallow soda lake within a national park since 1968.
  • Lake Elementaita – alkaline lake.
  • Lake Naivasha –  the highest of Kenya’s Rift Lakes.
  • Lake Magadi – shallow soda lake that is the most southern of the Kenyan Rift Lakes.

Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru and Lake Elementaita host one of the world’s most diverse bird populations, including thirteen threatened species.

These lakes are hugely significant sites for Lesser Flamingos and Great White Pelicans. Other populations of international significance include Black-necked Grebe, African Spoonbill, Pied Avocet, Little Grebe, Yellow-billed Stork, Grey-headed Gull, Black-winged Stilt and Gull-billed Tern.

Game Parks 

  • Lake Nakuru National Park – famous for its huge flamingo populations and home to Rothschild giraffes, as well as black and white rhino and more.
  • Hell’s Gate National Park – walking is allowed in this compact park, hosting interesting geological features and a wide variety of wildlife and birds.
  • Lake Naivasha – home to numerous hippos, monkeys, and over 400 different bird species, including flamingos, as well as zebra, impala, giraffe and more.
  • Lake Bogoria – known for its hot springs and geysers, hosts vast populations of lesser flamingoes, and a variety of game and other birds and wildlife.

Read Also: Mount Kenya

  • Lake Manyara National Park – scenic lake on the North Tanzania safari circuit, hosting huge baboon troops, a great diversity of birds and wildlife.