I’m doing badly as a Kenyan; and I’m willing to bet that you are too!

There are tonnes of attractions that this country has to offer. Lots are only a few hours’ drive from Nairobi, and I still do not go out and enjoy them, and grow my tourism industry. See? Bad Kenyan.

If you didn’t visit Menengai crater on one of your primary or secondary school trips, it is unlikely that you have visited it at all. And that’s a shame, if you ask me.

Menengai Crater is in Nakuru, less than 200 km from Nairobi. It is a shield volcano (bring back any horrible high school geography memories?), and is estimated to have last erupted in 6050 BC. Considering that the earth is about 4.6 billion years old, that’s pretty recent! It has one of the world’s largest calderas, and is Kenya’s largest volcano caldera. If that’s not enough to want you to get out there and see it, I don’t know what is.

Here are a few fun facts on Menengai:

• Altitude of 2278m- which is stunning, considering it lies within the Great Rift Valley
• Depth of 485m
• Diameter of 12 km- so wide that you can’t see across the caldera

Menengai provides breath-taking views, that a camera does not do justice. You can see lakes in the caldera, meandering rivers and ancient lava flow. There’s a geothermal power rig in there too. Close by are the Mau Mau caves, in which our freedom fighters hid during the Mau Mau Uprising.

Fees and Activities
Activities in the area include camping, bird watching and hiking. The recreation fee is 200KES for Kenyan citizens and residents, and 600KES for non-residents.

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I know we’re two months into 2016, but I reckon it’s not too late to purpose to explore our lonely planet. And a good first step is to visit somewhere new within your town or countryThank you for reading.
Have a blessed Sunday and an awesome start to the week!
Xx

 

 

Featured image courtesy of Magical Kenya
http://www.magicalkenya.com/places-to-visit/highlands-and-valleys/menengai-crater/