Much of what makes Tanzania so dramatic to look at comes down to a crack in the Earth. The Great Rift Valley is a vast split in the continent, thousands of kilometres long, where the land is slowly pulling apart. In Tanzania it has left behind escarpments, soda lakes and volcanoes, and some of the most striking scenery in Africa.
The most famous result is the Ngorongoro Crater, the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, a bowl nineteen kilometres across left when a huge volcano collapsed. Nearby stands Ol Doinyo Lengai, the only volcano on Earth that erupts a rare, cool, black lava, and Lake Natron, whose caustic waters turn a deep red.
The Rift is also why the wildlife thrives. Its soils are rich with volcanic ash, which feeds the grasses that feed the great herds. When you look out over the Serengeti or stand on the crater rim, you are looking at the work of the Rift.
For travellers with an interest in geology and landscape, the craters and lakes of the Rift are among the most memorable sights in the country.