The Earth's Crust Crack in Eastern Africa

The Great Rift Valley is a series of interconnected geological trenches that span from Lebanon in Asia to Mozambique in Southeast Africa, totally around 7,000 kilometres. While the word is still used in some contexts, it is rarely used in geology since it is regarded as an inaccurate fusion of different but related rift and fault systems. Today, the term most commonly refers to the East African Rift Valley, a divergent plate boundary that extends from the Afar Triple Junction southward through eastern Africa, splitting the African Plate into two new separate plates. These forming plates are known to geologists as the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate.

The Great Rift Valley is another popular Kenyan tourist, with stunning lakes and escarpments that serve as havens for many animals. The area is a birdwatcher's delight, attracting a variety of species to its dazzling lake shoreline, most notably large flocks of flamingos that freely wade with hippos and other game species. The most well-known bodies of water are Lake Naivasha (the highest of the Rift Valley lakes), Lake Nakuru (famous for its pelican colony), and Lake Elementaita. Visitors will be treated to exceptional sightings of leopard, white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, and a variety of plains game.