The Varied Landscapes of Kenya
When I first decided to go to Kenya, my first thought as to the climatic conditions of the region involved many misconceptions. The idea of the country being situated directly on the equator, along with youthful images of hot and dry safaris, led me to believe that I would be going into a sweltering and dusty environment. On the one hand, I was totally correct. But the truth is, is that Kenya is a country of many extremes and of many subtleties that give way to a geographic region where physical and climatic changes can happen at the blink of an eye. Sometimes harsh and cruel, and sometimes ethereal or idyllic, Kenya's landscape is a contretemps of geography, geology and climate that will stir your soul, no matter the picture that you had in your mind prior to visiting.
Enjoy the photos below - but keep in mind that these various landscape photos mostly leave out one very important thing - the humans and animals that dwell upon them. They have, like everywhere else around the globe, had major impacts on their environments. Other photographs around this website show many other geologic formations, water ways, and faunal activity on the landscapes, so do feel free to check them out!
The photo on the right, above, is of the infamous "karari". A brutal environment with temperatures that soar extremely high. This is not a place that you would want to wander off. I'd refer you to ask someone who DID wander off about his experiences, but sadly, he's no longer with us. True story.
Both photos above show the rocky terrain. Not much grows here, and this landscape takes about 2 or 3 days to cross between Mugie Ranch on the Laikipia Plateau, to Koobi Fora base camp, on the shores of Lake Turkana, which is located in the Great Rift Valley.
The photos above are taken looking out from the eastern edge of the Laikipia Plateau out over the Rift Valley. Notice that the landscape here is greener, with abundant vegetation. Well - "abundant" might be a relative word.
The photo above is a plant called the 'desert rose'. Literally, it is one of the only splashes of color in an otherwise brown-hued environment.
The above photos were taken as our group ascended even higher onto the Laikipia Plateau.
The two photos directly above were taken at Mugie game ranch. More information can be found by visiting the Mugie page on my website, links to the left.
Above: Hominids on the horizon. Sounds like a movie title.
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