The Great Rift Valley surely is a world wonder, the four-thousand-mile system of volcanic fractures and fissures that stretches from the plains of northern Syria, across Arabia and the Red Sea, then cuts down through Ethiopia, on through Uganda and Kenya (with a westerly Albertine branch around Lake Victoria), pressing on through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and finally finishing in Mozambique. I read somewhere it is the only geological phenomenon that can clearly be seen from space.
The aging photos in this post, then, show scarcely a glimpse of Kenya’s Great Rift. Most were taken at different seasons from the 9,000 foot viewpoint on the highway north of Nairobi. The road itself, the country’s major route to Kisumu on Lake Victoria and Uganda beyond, climbs from the city, up and along one of the East Rift’s faulted terraces before descending to the valley floor at Nakuru.
The volcano you can see is Longonot, quiescent now and containing a lost wildlife world within its massive crater. You can walk around the rim, and it’s one of my regrets that we never did. But then in the ‘90s when we lived in Nairobi, security everywhere always seemed an issue.
The foreground farms lying in shadow are on a lower Rift terrace. This is Escarpment village where Graham did a lot of his fieldwork on Napier grass smut for his PhD thesis. I went along to hold the clipboard and one end of the tape measure. For that story see Past Lives – Beneath A Tropic Sun.
Next comes a rainy season view. This was probably taken during the very wet 1997/98 El Nino event:
But then…
…the dry season, both above (July) and below (August) on the valley floor:
And finally…
…here’s a late afternoon view, further south from the Ngong Hills near Nairobi.
Looking back on these photos, the biggest wonder is that I was ever there at all. Even at the time, much of what we saw was too astonishing to grasp.
Lens-Artists: Looking back at #1 Wonder This week Sofia reminds us to be amazed by life’s wonders. Please visit her beautiful photo galleries.
l love that you share these adventures..I don’t expect at my age to ever get there but I can enjoy that you have been there.
That’s very lovely of you to take pleasure in ours, Beverly.
Oh, wow! Such a lovely views! Nice!
Thank you!
This is an important post. There are gold nuggets in it. I will look at it again. Wow Tish!
Many thanks, Flower.
What great pictures and memories to share with us Tish!
Many thanks, Anne. You are a stalwart follower, which is much appreciated.
I follow because I enjoy your blog! Well done and interesting.
🙂 🙂 🙂
It’s a wonder looking down from the heights nearby. It seems to be the place that humanity evolved, so it should feel like coming home
Many thanks for the preceptive comment, I.J. That sense of coming home was definitely present. which only added to the confusion. Rather like a waking dream becoming reality, I suppose. Friends who came to visit us when we were there often felt the same. Even nearly 3 decades after leaving, there is still a visceral pang of loss.
It’s interesting how when something is just too wonderful that the thought alone of having experienced it is more than enough. I think it’s the same for me regarding Japan. Your posts are always a joy to read, your photos beautiful.
So happy you liked this, Sofia. Thank you for that thoughtful comment.
Well, it must seem like another world, Tish!
Definitely it does, Sue.
The effects of time….
I always find it interesting to see photos taken in a similar spot at different times of year, like this. This must seem almost like another life to you?
Yes, another life, Sarah. Which is rather a strange sensation 😉
It is an astonishing contrast between wet and dry season, isn’t it? I think Africa is a continent of contrasts of all sorts and you know I love these looks at it. ❤️
Yes, I do know, Janet, and am so happy to oblige 🙂 But yes, the contrast between the seasons is quite startling. Also in Kenya, the differences in altitude i.e. in the highlands the weather is almost reminiscent of English springs/autumns; fog is quite a feature!
Nature has it’s own way, and the change can be surprising.
Too true, Jennie.