Great Rift Valley, Rift valley in Kenya

The Great Rift Valley is a series of contiguous depressions about 6,500 km long, running from the plains of northern Syria through the Red Sea to Mozambique. In Kenya it appears as a broad, flat floor of reddish-brown earth with scattered dark green vegetation, shallow water patches and low rounded hills on either side.

The Great Rift Valley has served as a crucial site for human evolution research, yielding numerous hominid fossils and archaeological evidence that demonstrates early human development over millions of years, particularly around Lake Turkana and other paleontological sites.

Local communities including the Maasai and Kikuyu peoples have inhabited the Great Rift Valley for centuries, maintaining traditional pastoralist lifestyles, cultural ceremonies, and agricultural practices that reflect their deep connection to the land and its natural resources.

Visitors can access the Great Rift Valley through Nairobi with guided tours to national parks like Maasai Mara, offering opportunities for wildlife viewing, birdwatching at flamingo-populated lakes, and hiking volcanic peaks like Mount Longonot throughout the year.

The term "Great Rift Valley" was coined by British geologist John Walter Gregory in 1896, building on Eduard Suess's idea of a linked set of features from Syria to Mozambique. Geologists now prefer "Afro-Arabian Rift System" for these structures.