I hope that anyone reading at home can both enjoy my commentary and learn a thing or two. There's your warning, so here goes... The Great Rift Valley stretches from Syria in central Asia to Mozambique in south-east Africa. It is widely known for its anthropological importance, with many hominid fossils found throughout the Ethiopian and Kenyan section. This includes Lucy, the oldest-known fossil of modern humans. (Interesting dinner conversation fact #1: Lucy was named after the Beatles' song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds', which was apparently popular at the time amongst the discovery team).
The Great Rift is also associated with some amazing geology through Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. This includes a number of volcanoes and Rift Valley lakes including Lake Victoria and Tanganyika (think flamingoes). It was this geography that I was keen to check out whilst in Nairobi.
Mount Longonot
What a fantastic climb! Climbing from 2,100 to 2,800 metres in altitude, this 13.5km walk was a great morning activity, resulting in me finally doing some exercise. Flanked at the start of the climb by Thomson's gazelle, zebra and warthog, there is a steep climb to the crater followed by a 7.2km around the crater edge. Both the view into and around the crater is mind blowing. Lake Naivasha is seen from the northern edge, as well as the Aberdare mountain range further south near Nairobi. In many ways, the botany and geology of the mountain reminded me of Mt Warning, a volcano plug from an ancient volcano in northern NSW known well to many back home.
Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake approximately 2 hours north-west of Nairobi. Despite declines in water over the past 10-15 years, a surge in water levels over the last couple of years has resulted in many dead trees and lost land. An eery site, helped by the ever-present 2,000-strong hippo population.
There is also a strange island, Crescent Island, that was artificially populated with herbivores and monkeys for the movie 'Out of Africa' which is now a sight in its own right. However, the highlight of Lake Naivasha was definitely the birds, including some species familiar to me, the amateur bird watcher, as well as some uniquely-African birds. The coolest were the pairs of African fish eagles. I'm sure that I am one of very few to have a fondness for the stork (see picture #4).
Flying out to the Maasai Mara this afternoon, so stay tuned for my updates on return, including big cats, wildebeest migration and fly camping!