The Kenya Lake System sits in the floor of the Great Rift Valley, the vast crack in the earth that runs from the Red Sea to Mozambique, and it is made up of three shallow soda lakes: Bogoria, Nakuru and Elementaita. UNESCO listed them in 2011 because of the birds. The alkaline water breeds a bloom of tiny blue-green algae, and the algae feed millions of lesser flamingos, which turn the shallows pink and, when they take off in a mass, fill the air with a roar of wings. Over a hundred species of other birds, including pelicans and eagles, share the shores.
The valley itself is the main spectacle. Coming from Nairobi, the road climbs through highland farms to the lip of the escarpment and then drops suddenly into a wide, hazy plain with extinct volcanoes standing in it, among them Longonot and Menengai. The floor of the rift is dry and open, with acacia thorn scrub and herds of zebra and gazelle, and the air is dry and sharp. Nakuru, twenty-four kilometres away, is Kenya's fourth-largest city, with fuel, restaurants and a National Park that is full of white rhinos and Rothschild's giraffes.
The riding here is on the main A104, the old Nairobi to Uganda road, which is a busy and sometimes rough highway with heavy trucks, matatus overtaking on blind rises and unmarked speed bumps in the villages, so alertness matters. Sunrise is a lovely time, with mist in the hollows and the first light on the lake. Midday is hot, and in the afternoon thunderstorms can arrive quickly, particularly in the rainy seasons around April and November. Kenya drives on the left.
When you ride in the area, fill the tank in Nakuru or Gilgil, where you will find stations, and carry water. Roadside stalls sell roasted maize, mangoes and fresh milk, and you will find a decent meal in most towns. Carry cash, since card machines are unreliable, and take care at dusk, when livestock and pedestrians wander onto the road.