General Information

The African Great Rift Valley and geology of East Africa are spectacular.  Tanzania and Kenya are East African countries of contrast that have everything Africa has to offer, from vast plains stretching to the horizon, idyllic palm tree bordered coastline of the Indian Ocean, vast soda lakes and of course the iconic snow capped peaks of Mt Kenya and Kilimanjaro.  Kenya lies on the equator; Tanzania is half the size of Western Europe, with the highest point of the African continent, Kilimanjaro, at 5984 metres above sea level and the lowest, Lake Tanganyika, 358 metres below sea level.

Both countries rise from the lowlands of the coastal regions to a central plateau roughly 1200 - 1500 metres above sea level.  These areas are mainly plains interspersed with small ranges of hills.  It is natural Africa with roughly 5% of this land cultivated, due to an unreliable annual rainfall of up to 500 mm.  The presence of the tsetse fly has stopped this land from being suitable for grazing pasture and basically secured it for wildlife, and this is certainly the case for all the major national parks and conservation areas.

The geology and the Great Rift Valley of East Africa have shaped Tanzania and Kenya more than anything else.  Running from the northern tip of the Red Sea to Mozambique, it stretches roughly 5000km in all and runs straight through both countries.  The Great Rift Valley is visible from space as it is the world's largest surface 'crack'.  It was formed by the movement of tectonic plates that started 65 million years ago and is still moving today, though in a much quieter way than the tearing and pulling that has happened in the past.  Travelling through Kenya and Tanzania it is impossible not to see the effect the valley has had on the countryside - the interesting and impressive geological formations are so dramatically obvious, geology is a subject for anyone with eyes!

The escarpments are literally the edges of the rift and climbing up from the valley floor onto the escarpments in our Masai Mara and Ngorongoro itineraries provides an amazing sight.  You realise the scale of the rift as you look out across the valley floor for miles to see it reaching to the horizon and beyond (it varies in width from 40km to 400km across in places). There are many lakes in the Great Rift Valley, ranging from shallow bodies of water, that are cracked mudflats for part of the year, to deep waters with lush areas around them.  The soda lakes of the Great Rift are one of the spectacles of Africa.  Shimmering in the heat and appearing as white mirages from a distance, they are home to flamingos in their thousands, which in turn have pink plumage due to the algae they eat from the alkaline water.

Mt Kenya, Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru all lie on the valley floor and owe their existence to the Great Rift Valley's geological upheavals.  They are all volcanoes that were caused by massive subterranean increases in pressure during the formation of the rift.  There are numerous volcanoes in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa.  Kilimanjaro (now dormant) is the result of three volcanic eruptions, first Shira, then Mawenzi and finally Kibo in the centre that pushed up the highest.  Uhuru Peak, the summit, is the highest point of the crater rim, with views of the crater and the vents within it.

Mt Meru has a perfectly formed ash cone that you can look down on from the summit ridge and the Ngorongoro crater is the largest unbroken, unflooded caldera (volcanically formed crater) in the world; indeed the whole of the Ngorongoro highlands were formed by volcanic activity.

Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only active volcano in Tanzania, reaching 2878 metres.  It lies between Lake Natron and the Ngorongoro conservation area and is regularly climbed by trekkers.  It is an impressive looking mountain that is a tough climb because of the ash and the gullies that make up the higher slopes, but the view into the crater is a spectacle of steam and occasionally bubbling lava.  Standing on the rim and feeling the heat underfoot and the smell of sulphur in the air makes it an unforgettable experience.

Tanzania and Kenya have unique and varied scenery, caused mainly by the geology of the Great Rift Valley which has shaped them both so much.  From the fertile ash of the soil in the Serengeti and Masai Mara, to the chain of lakes that sit in the valley floor, to one of the world's tallest volcanoes, it is all around you.