Is this gramatically correct? "the place itself is important to me, although what really made it special was the relationships and memories i made there."
or
"the place itself is important to me. but what really made it special was the relationships and memories i made there."
if not how can i fix it.

Explanation:

Lake Turkana has a geologic history that favored the preservation of fossils. Scientists suggest that the lake as it appears today has only been around for the past 200,000 years. The current environment around Lake Turkana is very dry. Over the course of time, though, the area has seen many changes.