Hell's Gate has no big predators to speak of, which is the whole point: you cycle and walk through it. Red cliffs, steam vents and a gorge you climb down into on foot, with zebra and giraffe watching from the track. It is an hour from Naivasha and the most active day on a Kenyan itinerary.
Every one of these is something we run here, not a stock list.
We do not have a scheduled itinerary for Hell's Gate National Park on the site right now, which does not mean we cannot take you. We build private trips to order across Kenya — tell us your dates and we will put a route and a price together.
Plan a trip to Hell's Gate National ParkHistory: Established in 1984. It was named Hell’s Gate by explorers Fischer and Thompson back in 1883 after a narrow break in the cliffs that served as a tributary of a prehistoric lake that was a source of nourishment for the early humans in the Rift Valley.
Size: Hell’s Gate National Park covers an area of 68.25 square km.
Geography/Habitats: The park is dominated by a savannah ecosystem and is famous for its massive cliffs and hot springs. Within Hell's Gate is the Hell’s Gate Gorge lined with red cliffs which contain two volcanic plugs: Fischer's Tower and Central Tower. At specific places, there are hot rocks and the odour of sulfur that can be felt in the water. The national park is also home to three geothermal power stations at Olkaria unique to Africa that generate geothermal power underneath Hells Gate from the hot springs and geysers.
Animals: lions, leopards, and cheetahs , Verreaux's eagles, buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, Thomson's gazelle, and baboons and over 100 bird species 100 species of birds in the park, including vultures, augur buzzard, and swifts.
Of Interest: Hiking through the scenic gorges, mountain bike cycling round the park, camping, rock climbing, bird watching and wildlife viewing
Most safaris here combine two or three of these.
The Mara is the northern end of the Serengeti ecosystem, and the single best place in Africa to watch big cats hunt. Between July and October around a million and a half wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara River into it. The rest of the year it is quieter, cheaper, and still holds the highest density of lion, cheetah and leopard in Kenya.
Amboseli is where you photograph elephants with Kilimanjaro behind them. The swamps fed by meltwater off the mountain hold big herds year round, the plains are open and dusty so nothing hides, and it is close enough to Nairobi to be worth three days on its own.
Samburu is the dry north, and the wildlife is different for it. Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich live here and almost nowhere else in Kenya — guides call them the Samburu Special Five. The Ewaso Nyiro river keeps it all alive and draws elephant down to drink all afternoon.
Naivasha is the freshwater lake in the floor of the Rift Valley, ninety minutes from Nairobi. You get out of the vehicle here: a boat among the hippos, a walk or a cycle on Crescent Island among giraffe and zebra with no predators to worry about. It is the day that breaks up a driving safari.
Tell us roughly when you can travel and how long you have. We will tell you honestly whether Hell's Gate National Park is the right call for those dates — and what it costs.
