Southern Rift Valley

Southern Rift Valley is a region of Kenya, part of the Great Rift Valley which extends through several countries.

Photo: Chris 73, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Photo: Inkey, CC BY 2.0.

Essential Destinations

Top destinations include Nairobi and Mount Kenya.

Nairobi

Photo: Nite Owl, CC BY 3.0.

Nairobi is the political, as well as financial and media capital of Kenya. A city of 4.8 million inhabitants, it's the largest and fastest growing city in the country and one of Africa's largest cities.

Mount Kenya

Photo: Sherpa!, CC BY-SA 2.5 nl.

Mount Kenya is an extinct volcano near the centre of Kenya, about 150 km north of Nairobi. At 5,300 m it is Africa's second highest mountain, after Kilimanjaro.

Nakuru

Photo: Franco Pecchio, CC BY 2.0.

Nakuru, sometimes referred to as Nakuru City, is the capital and largest city of Nakuru County, Kenya. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570,674.

Destinations to Discover

Explore places such as Maasai Mara National Reserve and Mount Kenya National Park.

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Photo: Swissfrog, CC BY 3.0.

Maasai Mara National Reserve is in the southwest of Kenya. The Maasai Mara is a national reserve belonging to the Maasai people and administered by the local county councils. It is one of the best known and most popular reserves in Africa.

Mount Kenya National Park

Photo: Sherpa!, CC BY-SA 2.5 nl.

Mount Kenya National Park protects the summit and upper slopes of Mount Kenya, Africa's second-highest mountain, in the central highlands of Kenya. The extinct volcano rises to 5,199 m at Batian and contains glacier-cut valleys, alpine moorland, high-altitude lakes, montane forest and some of East Africa's most distinctive mountain vegetation.

Nyeri

Photo: Rotsee2, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Nyeri is a town situated in the Central Highlands of Kenya, at an average elevation of about 1,750 to 1,812 metres above sea level. It is the headquarters of Nyeri County and was the central administrative headquarters of the country's former Central Province.

Nairobi National Park

Photo: U.S. Department of State, Public domain.

Nairobi National Park is the closest national park to Nairobi in Kenya. It is a half-hour drive from the city, making it a good destination for a day trip.

Amboseli National Park

Photo: Boboseiptu, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is a national park in Loitoktok District in Kajiado County, Kenya. It measures 392 km2 in size at the core of an 8,000 km2 ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border.

Naivasha

Photo: Roma Neus, CC BY 3.0.

Naivasha is a city in Kenya, 90 km northwest of Nairobi on Lake Naivasha. The lake is the area's main tourist attraction though visitors also come to observe wildlife.

Embu

Photo: kikus, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Embu is in the Southern Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is located on the south-eastern slopes of the Mount Kenya massif.

Meru

Meru is in the Southern Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is located on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Kenya massif. The town consists of two main parts: central Meru, and junction town, which grew in the north, around the junction of B6 and the road to Maua.

Machakos

Photo: Nairobi123, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Machakos, also called Masaku, is a town in Machakos County, Kenya. Serving as the capital of the county, its urban population was 63,767 as of 2019.

Mount Longonot National Park

Photo: Simisa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Mount Longonot is a stratovolcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, Africa. It is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s.

Aberdare National Park

Photo: Raidarmax, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Aberdare National Park is a 767-km² national park in the central highlands west of Mount Kenya, 180 km from Nairobi…

Narok

Photo: Marc Samsom, CC BY 2.0.

Narok is a town west of Nairobi that supports Kenya's economy in south-west of the country, along the Great Rift Valley. Narok is the county capital of the Narok County and stands as the major centre of commerce in the county.

Nanyuki

Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Nanyuki is in Southern Rift Valley, north-west of Mount Kenya. Nanyuki is a bustling town straddling the Equator and serving as the main gateway to Mount Kenya National Park, the Laikipia Plateau, and several wildlife conservancies.

Kiambu

Kiambu is a major town and the capital of Kiambu County, located just north of Nairobi in Kenya. Sitting at a high elevation, it features a cool, lush climate and is deeply characterized by rolling green hills covered in sprawling tea and coffee plantations.

Voi

Photo: Inkey, CC BY 2.0.

Voi is the largest town in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya, in the former Coast Province. It is located at the western edge of Taru Desert, south and west of Tsavo East National Park, with the Sagala Hills to the south.

Tsavo East National Park

Photo: McKay Savage, CC BY 2.0.

Tsavo East National Park is in the Southern Rift Valley of Kenya. Tsavo East is more popular than its slightly smaller brother, Tsavo West National Park, due to its proximity to Mombasa and its drier, more barren landscape that makes wildlife easier to spot.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Photo: Lengai101, CC BY 3.0.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 90,000-acre wildlife conservancy on the Laikipia Plateau in Southern Rift Valley, Kenya, immediately west of Nanyuki. Straddling the Equator between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range, it is one of Kenya's most important wildlife conservation areas.