Eastern Africa stretches from the horn of the continent down to the Zambezi River, including twenty countries. It is defined by the Great Rift Valley, which has created a landscape of massive freshwater lakes and some of the highest volcanic peaks in the world. The region is a mosaic of hundreds of ethnic groups, with Swahili serving as a major unifying language along the coast. In Ethiopia, travelers visit the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, while the island of Zanzibar offers a glimpse into the historic spice trade through the narrow alleys of Stone Town. The region is most famous for its wildlife conservation areas. Visitors flock to the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara to witness the Great Migration, or trek into the mountain forests of Uganda and Rwanda to see endangered mountain gorillas. You can find the white sand beaches of the Indian Ocean, the sprawling tea plantations of the Kenyan highlands, and the unique active volcanoes of the Danakil Depression.