Africa’s Great Rift

The Great Rift Valley Travelling Guide

September 9, 2010

Africa’s Great Rift Valley is a 6,000-mile crack (fissure) in the earth’s crust, stretching from Lebanon to Mozambique.One of its most dramatic sections slices through East Africa, dividing Kenya into two segments.Geologists know that the Rift Valley was formed by violent subterranean forces that tore apart the earth’s crust.
These forces caused huge chunks of the crust to sink between parallel fault lines and force up molten rock in volcanic eruptions.Evidence that this process, called rifting, is still in progress comes from the many active and semi-active volcanoes, located along the Rift.Evidence of volcanic activity along the rift is provided by the presence of numerous boiling hot springs.

Great Rift Valley is known as the Earth wounds, is the fall of the world’s largest fault zone. Since 30 million years ago, is said to be the crustal plate movement, the bottom forming an East Africa, the geographers predicted that the future will be along the rift faults the African continent into two continental plates.

Named in the 19th century by English explorer John Walter Gregory, the Great Rift Valley was created by the rifting and tectonic forces of East Africa and Saudi Arabia millions of years ago. Nowadays, it is in the process of splitting the African Plate into two new separate plates.
Attractions in Great Rift Valley
Attractions here are the incredible landscape and of course the spectacular wildlife. If you’re lucky you may spot pelicans, flamingoes, elephant, buffalo, gazelle, lion, zebra, rhino, hippo, warthog, hyena, jackal, Ostrich, water buck, baboon, wildebeest, flamingo and numerous birds of pray.


In terms of natural beauty you’ll be able to gaze in awe of soda lakes, mountains, volcanoes including Tanzania’s only active volcano Ol Donyo Lengai and the magnificent breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater.

Activities in Great Rift Valley
It’s possible to take both hiking and driven safaris in the Great Rift Valley both offering spectacular scenery and wildlife encounters. However, it is said that hiking safaris give a more personal experience and really allow you to get close to nature and experience the real Tanzania.


Relaxing
Relax at the Great Rift Valley by spotting wildlife such as flamingoes and pelicans at the soda lakes as well as Elephant, buffalo, gazelle and possibly lion.