Southern Rift Valley

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

Cities

• 1 Nairobi – the capital city
• 2 Embu
• 3 Isiolo
• 4 Kerugoya
• 5 Kiritiri
• 6 Machakos
• 7 Meru
• 8 Naivasha – Lake Naivasha
• 9 Nakuru – Lake Nakuru is best known as a birder's paradise mainly due to the huge population of flamingos
• 10 Nanyuki
• 11 Narok
• 12 Nyeri
• 13 Nyahururu

Other destinations

• 1 Aberdare National Park
• 2 Amboseli National Park
• 3 Hell's Gate National Park
• 4 Lake Nakuru National Park – small, but has a good variety of wildlife (apart from birdlife) including rhino (both black and white), buffalo, lion, leopard, eland and more common plains game such as impala and zebra
• 5 Masai Mara National Park
• 6 Mount Kenya National Park
• 7 Mount Longonot National Park
• 8 Nairobi National Park
• 9 Tsavo East National Park
• 10 Tsavo West National Park

Understand

This is the portion of the Rift Valley in Kenya more or less to the south of the Ewaso N'goro. It includes the capital city of Nairobi and the National Parks between Nairobi and Mombasa.

The rift is home to a wide range of Kenya's peoples including nomadic herding peoples such as the Turkana, Pokot, Samburu and Maasai but also including farmers such as the Kikuyu and even remnant groups of hunter-gatherer peoples such as the Ogiek who live in the remaining forests on the Mau escarpment of the Rift valley.

Get in

The new higher-speed standard gauge railway, or SGR for short, runs between the coastal city of Mombasa to Nairobi with stops in Voi, Mtito Andei, Kibwezi, Emali and Athi River. Travel time for the full journey is just over five hours. Kenya Railways operates several trains per day in each direction. The SGR line extends westwards towards Suswa as well, this route is useful for reaching Mount Suswa volcano. The old (and much slower!) colonial railway network is under rehabilitation and trains from Kisumu and Eldoret are expected to return in late 2021. Connections between the two separate networks can either be made in Nairobi or at Naivasha ICD railway station, which the station before Suswa.

Travelling by road, the Matatu is the standard way of getting around. But be warned it can be very cramped, with goods, people and chickens packing into a 7-seater minibus. It is very common for these to go very fast, to be uninsured, and they are often involved in accidents. They drive appallingly and many are not roadworthy especially for long trips up-country or down to the coast as the roads are very badly maintained. They are not often used by tourists for these reasons so beware!

Get around

Some of the main trunk roads of Kenya pass along the rift valley so travel in this region is relatively straightforward. The Matatu is good for getting from A to B, but if you want some luxury for not much more you can hire a 4x4 taxi.

The SGR railway can be used for trips within the region. However railway stations are often located outside city centers, necessitating a connecting taxi or bus ride. Additionally, there is a slow train between central Nairobi and Nanyuki via Chaka (just outside Nyeri). While the train is slow, it can be a scenic option for travel to Mount Kenya national park.

See

• The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley, that were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011.