Central Rift Valley

The Central Rift Valley, also known as the Great Rift Valley, is a vast geological feature stretching approximately 4,000 miles from Jordan in Asia to Mozambique in Africa. This extensive rift system is about 30 to 40 miles wide and consists of two main branches: the Eastern Rift Valley and the Western Rift Valley.1

In Kenya, the Eastern Rift Valley is often referred to as the Central Rift. This region is characterized by dramatic escarpments, with drops of 2,000 to 3,000 feet, and in some places, over 9,000 feet. The floor of the rift in Kenya varies in elevation, rising from about 1,500 feet near Lake Turkana to over 7,000 feet at Lake Naivasha before dropping again towards the Tanzanian border. The rift floor is dotted with a series of lakes, including Lake Turkana, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, and Lake Baringo. This geological formation has been developing for about 30 million years and is associated with volcanic activity, evidenced by peaks like Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.12