Wender·Vista
Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileKenya
on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, north-west of Nairobi

Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley

— where the lake turns pink with the birds.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Three shallow alkaline lakes on the Rift Valley floor (Bogoria, Nakuru, and Elementaita), held together as one UNESCO site since 2011. The water carries enough soda to feed the cyanobacteria that feed the flamingos, and in the right months the shoreline reads pink for miles. A geothermal valley you smell before you see.

from the studio
Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley
— bring it home

Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Kenya Lake System spans three shallow alkaline lakes (Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru, and Lake Elementaita) on the floor of the Great Rift Valley between Nakuru and Baringo counties. UNESCO inscribed the 32,034-hectare property in 2011 for the density of lesser flamingos that gather here, sometimes more than a million birds across the chain. Steep volcanic escarpments rise around the basins; Bogoria sits beneath the Siracho Escarpment, with geysers and hot springs venting along its western shore.

— the water

The lakes are sodic and shallow, fed by rivers and hot springs and emptied only by evaporation, which concentrates carbonate and bicarbonate salts in the basin. The chemistry suits Arthrospira fusiformis, the cyanobacterium that the lesser flamingo eats almost exclusively. When the bloom is strong the shoreline pinks for kilometres; when the rains shift and salinity drops, the flock leaves for Lake Natron in Tanzania. Bogoria reaches about 10 metres at its deepest; Nakuru rarely exceeds 3 metres.

— the visit

Lake Nakuru National Park, gazetted in 1961, is the most reached of the three, about 160 kilometres north-west of Nairobi by the A104, with park fees set by the Kenya Wildlife Service. Bogoria National Reserve is managed by Baringo County and known for its Loburu geysers along the western shore. Elementaita sits on private and community land; Soysambu Conservancy holds much of the lakeshore and runs guided drives. The flamingo numbers vary by year, so check current KWS reports before planning a trip around them.

— where
Kenya · Nakuru and Baringo counties, Kenya
— within
Lake Nakuru National Park
— elevation
1,759 m · 5,771 ft
— position
-0.3670° S · 36.0830° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
90 km S
Hell's Gate National Park
national park
75 km S
Lake Naivasha
freshwater lake
12 km N
Menengai Crater
volcanic caldera
160 km SE
Nairobi
capital city
N
Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley
Hell's Gate National Park
Lake Naivasha
Menengai Crater
Nairobi
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The sodic water grows Arthrospira fusiformis, a cyanobacterium rich in carotenoid pigment. Lesser flamingos feed on it almost exclusively, and the pigment colours their feathers. When the bloom is dense and the flock large, the shoreline reads pink for miles.

UNESCO inscribed the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley in 2011, covering 32,034 hectares across Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru, and Lake Elementaita, plus their immediate catchments.

Lake Nakuru National Park is about 160 kilometres north-west of Nairobi along the A104 highway, roughly a three-hour drive. The Kenya Wildlife Service collects park entry fees at the main gate.

Lake Nakuru holds both black and white rhinoceros, Rothschild's giraffe, leopard, and more than 450 bird species. Bogoria has greater kudu on the Siracho Escarpment. Elementaita's lakeshore supports breeding colonies of great white pelicans.

Swimming is not allowed in any of the three. The water is highly alkaline, the wildlife is protected, and Bogoria's hot springs along the western shore reach near-boiling temperatures at the vents.

— about the piece in your home

For someone who has done the Rift Valley loop or worked in conservation here, the tile reads as recognition rather than scenery. A Small or Medium in the Glossy finish carries the pink shoreline well.

The pink, soda-white, and acacia-green palette sits well with warm Earth-tone Modern, Safari-Modern, and Jewel-tone Maximalist rooms. It also works against a deep clay or oxblood wall where the pink reads as a quiet glow.

Yes. Biophilic design leans on living-water imagery and birdlife, and the Kenya Lake System tile delivers both in a single frame. A Large above a console or a reading chair holds a room without dominating it.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural reads at the right scale. Above a console table, a Medium is usually enough; a 9-tile Mural is for a longer wall or a stairwell.

Yes. Order the tile in the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any vertical install with moisture or steam. Both are scratch-resistant and clean with a microfibre cloth and water.

A dry or barely-damp microfibre cloth is enough. No solvents, no abrasives. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so wiping does not lift it.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, painted in our stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language and hand-finished in-house. No licensed imagery.

— if this one stayed with you

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