Volunteer and live in a traditional Maasai village in the Rift Valley of Kenya.
If you are looking for a true rural volunteering experience in Africa, then our Rift Valley volunteer programs are for you!
You will quite literally find giraffes grazing in your host family’s backyard.
You will also see soda lakes with millions of flamingos, volcanic mountains, Maasai herdsmen grazing their cattle, and school children walking 2-3 hours just to reach school.
Our photo album below gives you an idea.
Volunteer Programs in the Rift Valley
We have the following volunteer programs in the Rift Valley: Teaching in Kenya, Caring for Children in Kenya, Wildlife Conservation in Kenya, and Health Care Internships in Kenya.
Location of the Rift Valley
The Rift Valley, less than an hour from Nairobi, is the longest valley in the world — 4,000 miles long and 35 miles wide. It is a continental fault system that stretches from the Dead Sea south through the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and into Mozambique.
On the way to our volunteer locations in Kenya’s Rift Valley, you will pass by the Ngong Hills that were made famous by Karen Blixen and her book “Out of Africa”.
There are very few foreigners who stay near our volunteer locations in the Rift Valley. You will be living among the Maasai tribe of Kenya, often featured in documentaries done by organizations like National Geographic.
Getting Around the Rift Valley
Our local Kenyan Coordinators will accompany you by private car from Nairobi to Rift Valley and introduce you to your host family and the school or medical clinic where you will volunteer. On a daily basis, you can walk from your host family to your volunteer job in 10-20 minutes. To get to Ngong Hills, you can catch a local truck (usually for free). You can also buy an inexpensive bicycle – but keep in mind that the ride out of the valley is very strenuous. Once at Ngong Hills, you can take an inexpensive minibus taxi called a “mutatu”.
Climate in the Rift Valley
Rift Valley has a warmer climate year-round and is prone to droughts.
Free time in the Rift Valley
On weekday evenings, you will spend time at your host family. You can also walk to small shops and have a snack and chat with locals. The lifestyle is quiet here; far away from large cities.
On weekends in the Rift Valley you can take cheap day trip safaris to several lake destinations. At Lake Naivasha, located right at the edge of Hell’s Gate National Park, you will get the chance to cycle by the park, swim in the Olkaria Geothermal Spa, and see wildlife. Lake Nakuru, located in the Lake Nakuru National Park, and Lake Bogoria are other popular lake safaris in the Rift Valley.
You can also visit Nairobi National Park which sits right next to Nairobi and has four of the “big five” animals: leopard, lion, buffalo and rhino (there are no elephants). If you have at least four days free, you can also relax at a beach resort in Mombasa, the largest coastal port in East Africa and a six-hour bus ride from Nairobi.
Photos Album of the Rift Valley
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