The Great Rift Valley

12/12/08 Kenyan Independence Day
East African Great Rift Valley, Kenya

There are a few “big” days from my life that stand out, for reasons that are not entirely clear in hindsight. I am clear however, that today will be one of those days for me and hopefully for my children. We finally made it outside the diplomatic neighborhoods and city limits to explore some of the beautiful countryside of Kenya. Our destination was Lake Naivasha. We heard it was a “must see” but didn’t have any information beyond that other than: “Go to the Lake Naivasha Country Club for lunch”. I was skeptical of even this advice, because the “White Kenyans” as they are called have different ideas about what is and isn’t worthwhile.

As we drove (slowly) out of town past Westgate Shopping Centre the scene changed dramatically and suddenly. We got our first look at how most Nairobi residents live, in rows and rows of small corrugated metal shacks, which are Nairobi’s slums. There are more than 2,000,000 people living in about 168 slums with basically none of the public infrastructure we take for granted (water, sewer, roads). Roughly half of Nairobi’s population lives in these slums. The largest and most famous slum is Kibera, home to an estimated 1,000,000 people. We had skirted Kibera on our way to Nairobi National Park last weekend but didn’t even get a peak at what we saw today. Eliot had asked earlier in the week, where all the poor people lived. Now he knows. Even Thomas was transfixed by the scene of thousands of people, dust, metal, scrap wood and surprisingly a vibrant fruit and vegetable market.

Further and further out of town the shacks and the people became more spread apart, the dust settled and we discovered the incredibly entertaining car game of counting donkeys (If you are between the ages of five and 42). Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley is about a two-hour drive northwest from Nairobi, depending on traffic. Donkey counting lasted for about an hour, the bag of food lasted for about 5 minutes and then we were in trouble. Here the landscape was open, dry and covered in volcanic rock, similar to the approach to Mt Lassen just outside Redbluff before you start to climb.

We passed Mt. Longonot, a dormant volcano to the west, another popular Nairobi day trip. Then in the middle of nowhere: rows and rows of white tents. They looked like greenhouses from far away; but no, Satinder told me, these are refugee camps. Violence had erupted across Kenya following a tightly contested presidential election between candidates from different ethnic groups, and people fled to escape. An estimated 100,000 people had been displaced mostly in Western Kenya.

I had heard of the Great Rift Valley before, but approaching it around a twisted corner was like accidentally stumbling upon the Grand Canyon. It was stunning! The valley was enormous, and beautiful. Eliot said the sky looked like heaven. The Great Rift Valley is one of the natural wonders of the world and runs from Syria to Mozambique. It was formed by seismic activity, which is obvious when you drive through it. The part in East Africa is sometimes called the cradle of humanity because prehistoric hominid remains have been discovered here. (We were able to see some of these skulls at the National Museum of Nairobi when we visited there earlier in the week.) The valley is huge even at its narrowest point.

After surviving my fear of heights, combined with the narrow mountain roads, matatus, and crazy truck drivers, we arrived at Lake Naivasha Country Club. A green and lush private lake front property, the Club includes a dock, guest cottages, swimming pool, wedding and conference facilities, a restaurant and bar within a large glen of acacia trees. The setting was relaxing, the food uninspiring and the gin and tonic absolutely perfect.

Since it is late and I must go to sleep; I will have to tell you about Crescent Island in another post; but below are some photos. I keep hearing that Kenya just grabs hold of people and they can never leave. No one has been able to explain this to me, but after seeing Lake Naivasha and hiking Crescent Island I think I am understanding just a bit…


To be continued.

Crescent Island Lake Naivasha