Great Rift Valley Viewpoint Nairobi: the hidden gem worth the early morning drive

So here is a hidden gem in Nairobi, one that won’t pop up in all those lists of things to do when you visit, but we highly recommend it. It’s called the Great Rift Valley Viewpoint Nairobi, and as the name suggests, it has breathtaking panoramic views of the Great Rift, with places you can see as far as the eye can see.

Great Rift Valley Viewpoint Nairobi

The viewpoint is easily findable by searching for the words “The Great Rift Valley Viewpoint” on Google. It’s outside Nairobi, and it’s probably best to go with a rental car or a tour guide for ease of navigating the roads. You will pass through roads where tons of trucks are coming and going from Nairobi, so there’ll be a high police presence as well.

Once you drive through the village and arrive at the viewpoint, you will be a bit disoriented as the location is a few metres away. There are also no signs noting the landmark, so it can feel anticlimactic. You’ll simply see houses and grass, etc. But once you arrive at the Google point, walk a few metres forward, and you will see a house on your right. It belongs to a person called Evans, and he has built a good space where you can view the Rift. He will also share details of what you are viewing and explain the different landmarks. While there are no official fees for visiting, we did tip Evans for taking our pictures and acting as a guide there. This helps him to maintain the area.

It takes about 1 hour to get there with no traffic from the Nairobi City Centre. The road is mostly tarmacked to the viewpoint, until you reach the village, and we suggest leaving early, before or at 6:45 am, for the destination. As mentioned, there are lots of trucks along the way, so be wary of that when driving; otherwise, it’s easy sailing. The last part of the road enters a village, and you will see a school, many shops and people on the roads there. The road here is also sandy and not tarmacked.

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