As I traveled around Kenya and Tanzania I have seen a wide variety of termite nests. In the tropics, termites are the largest animal biomass and it shows. In some locations termite mounds (nests) are spaced about every 20 feet and are 3-5 feet high and 10 feet in diameter. Sometimes they are just mounds, some times they have multiple towers giving them the appearance of a castle, and here near Lake Baringo, they produce chimneys over 10 feet tall (see photos).
The termite mounds vary in color depending on the local soil. I've see light brown, dark brown, grey, red, and tan mounds.
Although most termite mounds have been on the ground, some termites carry mud up trees and build their mounds around branches, or around tree trunks. These are not as large as the ground mounds, often only a bit bigger than a basketball. Some termites in Kagamega Forest build nests that were attached to the side of a tree trunk, and just looked lie the weight would have pulled the colony down.
Also attached is a photo of Jackson's Hornbill that flew into the vines next to our table during lunch. And a dramatic view of cliffs formed as the Great Rift Valley floor sunk. Near Baringo the rift cliffs form three massive steps from the rim down to the valley floor.
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