Hell's Gate National Park, Kenya

Established in 1984, this small national park lies just south of Lake Naivasha and about 90km north-west of Nairobi.  It was given its unique name by two explorers, Fischer and Thomson, who were astounded and overwhelmed after finding the reddish cliffs, narrow gorges spewing steam, hot springs and geysers and swirls of obsidian (a glassy black volcanic rock) which characterise this dramatic landscape.

Little did Fischer and Thomson know that this area is in fact where much human life originated – it was once a tributary to a prehistoric lake which fed our ancestors, the early humans of the Rift Valley.

Hell's Gate National Park is a particularly important habitat for the Lammergeyer, or Bearded Vulture.  These colossal raptors can grow wingspans of up to 3 metres, and have the singular habit of dropping larger bones from a great height to crack them open and feast on the marrow within.  Other animals to be found within the park include the African buffalo, zebra, hartebeest, baboons, elands, klipspringer and Thomson’s gazelle.  Perhaps the most enticing aspect of this particular park is the lack of predators, meaning you can take walking, cycling or even horse-riding safaris.  So be warned - you might just bump into a ruminating buffalo or a lumbering eland on your travels!

Other attractions include the Oloor Karia Masai Cultural Centre, where you’ll see singing, dancing and jewellery-making
demonstrations by local Masai people, or you could even try your hand at rock climbing.

The two main entrances to this national park are Elsa Gate and Olkaria Gate.  There's no accommodation within the park itself, but there’s plenty in the neighbouring Lake Naivasha.

Hotels in (or near to) Hell's Gate National Park

We don't have any information on hotels near this park at the moment, but we're working on it! Come back soon to see the updates.