Explore Hells Gate National Park in Kenya: Hell’s Gate National Park is one of the wonders of the rift valley. The park has an area of around 68.25 square kilometers and is located in Naivasha, about a two-hour drive from Nairobi.
Explorers Fischer’s and Thomson named the park Hell’s Gate in 1883, and it was opened in February 1884. It is one of Kenya’s most popular parks, and one of only two national parks where walking and bicycle safaris are permitted without the presence of a ranger. This aspect makes it an ideal starting point for a trip.
Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya inspired some of Hollywood’s most successful films, including The Lion King and Tomb Raider, both of which were filmed in the park’s canyon. The national park also surrounds four geothermal power facilities in Olkaria, which provide almost 50% of Kenya’s electricity and rank the country seventh in the world for geothermal energy production. Hell’s Gate National Park is famous with mountain bikers, rock climbers, and bird watchers.
What you can do during your visit to Hell’s Gate National Park?
Wildlife Viewing.
It’s possible to find a diverse range of species in the national park. These include Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, zebras, lions, giraffes, African buffaloes, Klipspringer antelopes, and warthogs. These may be spotted during a game drive or on a walking and cycling safari around the park. Lions and cheetahs are also heard rather than seen here.
Bird watching in Hell’s Gate National Park.
Hells Gate National Park is a significant birding destination, with several unusual savannah bird species. Among them are the uncommon Mottled Swift and other bird species such as Sharpe’s Claw, Shelly’s Rufous Sparrow, White-crested Turaco, and Northern-white Crowned Shrike.
The park itself remains a focal point for parallactic migrants such as the European bee-eater, Common Buzzard, Whinchat, Siberian Stonechat, and Isabelline Wheatears. The same park is home to intra-afro migrants such as Abdim’s Stork and Southern Pochard. On a good day, you can see between 70 and 130 bird species, however the park is thought to have a record of 165, including the uncommon Boran Cisticola.
Cycling in Hell’s Gate National Park.
Hells Gate National Park is one of Kenya’s only two parks where mountain riding or rather cycling is permitted among baboons, zebras, buffaloes, and other wildlife. This extremely gratifying activity allows you to go up close to the diverse species in this wonderful protected region. Bikes are available for hire at the park’s entrance.
Hiking in Hell’s Gate National Park.
Hiking the small but spectacular valley in Hell’s Gate National Park allows access to the gorge’s different portions, including the Devil’s Bedroom, which has several shafts that resemble beds, and the Devil’s Shower, which has water running from a tight outlet. The water used for showering is thought to have medical properties, such as healing skin problems, while the Hell’s kitchen part is thought to be where the devil cooks his meals. The kitchen features a little hot spring where you may cook eggs from the devil’s mouth.
Camping.
Because of the scarcity of very hostile animal species such as lions and cheetahs, the park is rather secure for camping as long as you adhere to all of the camping and park standards established by Kenya animal Services and the park administration.
Most guests opt to sleep at one of the park’s three main campgrounds. These are: Ol Dubai, Naiburta, and Endachata. There are also more campsites within the park where you may stay overnight.
Rock Climbing
This is one of the most unique activities to do when visiting the park. Climbers can summit Fischer’s tower, a 75-foot-high (25-meter) granite formation named for Dr. Gustav Fischer, a German explorer tasked with finding a way from Mombasa to Lake Victoria. This location is ideal for beginning climbers. The second rock structure, the Central Tower, also known as “Embarta” in the Maasai language, is substantially larger than Fischer’s tower and should only be scaled by expert climbers.
Massive volcanic plugs of hard igneous originated simultaneously as semi-molten rock was driven into a fissure, cooling and hardening as it extruded. According to a Maasai community folktale, the rock tower is a petrified form of a Maasai girl who turned to stone after disrespecting her family before her marriage.
When is the best time to visit Hell’s Gate National Park?
The dry season which is between June to October is the greatest time to go wildlife viewing since the animals are more visible in the thinned-out vegetation. Because of the little rainfall this season, more outdoor activities like as cycling and rock climbing are less disrupted. Visitors who prefer bird watching will have the finest experience between November and April, when migrating birds from Europe and North America are present.
