The valley is bordered by
escarpments to the east and west. The floor is broken by volcanoes, some still active, and contains a series of lakes. Some of the soils are
Andisols, fertile soils from relatively recent volcanic activity. Lake Turkana occupies the northern end of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. There are also volcanoes in Lake Turkana. The
Suguta Valley, or Suguta Mud Flats, is an arid part of the Great Rift Valley directly south of
Lake Turkana. The
shield volcano Emuruangogolak straddles the valley to the south of Suguta, and further south
Mount Silali and
Paka rise from the valley floor. Paka is a shield volcano, with widespread geothermal activity. South of Paka are
Mount Korosi,
Lake Baringo and
Lake Bogoria.
Menengai is a massive shield volcano in the floor of the rift with a caldera that formed about 8,000 years ago. It overlooks
Lake Nakuru to the south. This region also includes
Lake Elementaita,
Mount Kipipiri and
Lake Naivasha. The
Hell's Gate National Park lies south of
Lake Naivasha. In the early 1900s,
Mount Longonot erupted, and ash can still be felt around Hell's Gate. Mount Longonot is a dormant stratovolcano located southeast of
Lake Naivasha.
Mount Suswa is a shield volcano located between
Narok and
Nairobi. Lava flows from the most recent eruptions are still not covered by vegetation, and may be no more than one hundred years old.
Lake Magadi is the most southern rift valley lake in Kenya, although the northern end of
Lake Natron in Tanzania reaches into Kenya. The
Elgeyo escarpment forms part of the western wall. The
Kerio Valley lies between the
Tugen Hills and the Elgeyo escarpment at an elevation of . There are large deposits of
Fluorite in the
Kerio Valley area. Further south the
Mau Escarpment is a steep natural cliff approximately 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, running along the western edge of the Great Rift Valley about
Lake Naivasha. Yet further south the
Nguruman Escarpment is around 50 kilometers long and elongated in N-W direction. Its northern edge is about southwest of Nairobi, while the southern edge is near the Tanzanian border, at the northwestern corner of
Lake Natron. The
Aberdare Range forms a section of the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley to the north of Nairobi.
Mount Satima lies at the northern end of the Aberdares and is their highest point, and
Mount Kinangop at the southern end is the second highest. The mountains form a ridge between these two peaks.
Ngong Hills are peaks in a ridge along the east of the Great Rift Valley, located southwest near Nairobi. == Lakes ==