Great Rift Valley Viewpoint

The old road from Nairobi to Naivasha climbs the Kikuyu escarpment and then drops over the edge, and at the lip is a set of pull-offs where the whole Rift opens out beneath: the floor two thousand metres wide and hazy blue, the cone of Mount Longonot rising from it, Suswa further off, and the escarpment walls running away north and south. It is the classic first sight of the Rift Valley for anyone driving west from Nairobi, and every tour vehicle stops. A row of curio stalls has grown along the viewpoints selling carvings, blankets and soapstone, and vendors work the parked cars hard. A small Italian-built chapel stands beside the road below the escarpment, put up by prisoners of war who worked on the road, and it is usually pointed out on the way down.

What you actually see

• The escarpment view - the Rift floor opening out two thousand metres below.
• Mount Longonot - the volcanic cone rising from the valley floor.
• The curio stalls - the strip of vendors along the pull-offs.
• The old road - the descent into the valley below the viewpoints.

When to go

Dry seasons and mornings for the clearest air; haze builds through the day and rain closes the view entirely. Early morning also means fewer tour buses and less pressure from the stalls.

Honest expectations

Vendors are persistent and prices start high; a firm and friendly no works, and buying is entirely optional. Parking is on the roadside with traffic passing. The view is frequently hazy. It is a five-minute stop rather than a destination.

Nearby

Mount Longonot and Hell's Gate are below in the valley; Naivasha is beyond.