​User Reviews – Hell’s Gate NP

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 41-50 of 79 Reviews
Brian Scott   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2018 Reviewed: Sep 23, 2018

Email Brian Scott  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Overall rating
4/5

Being from Arizona, Hell's Gate felt like "home". The best part was I got out of the van and was able to walk around.

Saša Danon   –  
Croatia HR
Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Sep 19, 2018

Email Saša Danon  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Overall rating
4/5

Hell's gate is a nice park and worth a visit because it is one of the rare NPs where you can walk or ride a bike. Even you can not compare it with Masai Mara or Lake Nakuru NPs regarding the animals' species and quantity, but it is still worth a visit.

Rajiva Wijesinha   –  
Sri Lanka LK
Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Sep 14, 2018

Email Rajiva Wijesinha  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Rajiva Wijesinha and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall rating
3/5

The scenery was unusual and we had a wonderful walk in the gorge, to the Devil's bedroom.

Kris & Mike Weir   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2018 Reviewed: Aug 19, 2018

Email Kris & Mike Weir  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Overall rating
5/5

We didnt expect that we were going to be walking through this gorge... SUPER COOL experience that you would NOT get in a National Park in the U.S.A. This does require some hiking and physical exertion. Wear sturdy shoes/boots. The wildlife was good but its alot better in some of the other parks. This isn’t necessarily the park i would choose to see animals rather, you would be going to hike in this incredibly usual and unique gorge.

Vivienne   –  
Tanzania TZ
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 14, 2018

Email Vivienne  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Overall rating
4/5

There wasn't as much wildlife here, but it was an amazing experience being able to cycle through there. The gorge walk was very nice.

GK   –  
India IN
Visited: May 2018 Reviewed: Jul 4, 2018

Email GK  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Overall rating
5/5

Beautiful place for a short trek. Must do if one has time. Some physical fitness is required

Martin   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2017 Reviewed: Mar 19, 2018

Email Martin

A surreal day of hiking and wildlife
Overall rating
5/5

Though my stay in Hell's Gate National Park was short (1 day) it has remained vivid in my memory.

Our group opted in to take a hike through the gorge at the park, and after an entertaining lunch (provided by our hotel) trying to keep the baboons and monkeys from stealing our food, we started on our way. We did not really prepare well for the hike, which turned out to be more intense than we had thought. At least three times throughout the excursion we had to climb or descend a rope or ladder. There were points where the trail became so narrow, and slippery that we had to bridge over flowing water with our feet on one side of the ravine and our hands on the other. It was a great adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I would suggest coming prepared for more than a light walk.

The gorge was full of wonderful scenery including tall cliffs, flowing water, waterfalls, trees and flowers and even hot springs, and more. If you feel comfortable with a medium to difficult hike, I would highly recommend it. Michael, our Masai guide for the hike, was barefoot the whole time. A few of the people in our group got their shoes wet, so that might be something to take into consideration.

A storm blew in while we were hiking, and our guide seemed nervous and was very helpful with other groups. He paid close attention to the weather. Being so narrow, it makes sense that the gorge is prone to flash flooding, but our guide made us feel safe, and we were well clear of the ravine by the time the rain really started. It was certainly one of the best hiking experiences I have had in my life. If you can do it, you definitely should.

We saw a huge number of animals as were were leaving the park. The sun was setting, and the animals were mingling out in a broad field below some beautiful towering cliffs where vultures perched. We saw herds of zebra and giraffe and gazelle all intermingled. Warthogs and birds ran around in the low grass, and we even saw a secretary bird chasing mice. This being our first stop on the trip, it was overwhelming to see so much. I think it was probably the largest number of animals we saw in one place during our whole trip. Our driver and guide, Sammy, was very patient and had lots of great suggestions for us. He also always got us in a good position for pictures and viewing.

The landscape is unique and beautiful, the animals were abundant, and the hiking was superb. It was also very close to our resort on Lake Naivasha, and it seemed like there were several others nearby as well.

I highly recommend this park if you visit Kenya, but come prepared with good shoes and maybe some rain gear.

Irena Verbic   –  
Slovenia SI
Visited: January 2018 Reviewed: Feb 21, 2018

Email Irena Verbic  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Overall rating
5/5

Hell's Gate is an amazing place!!! I loved the walk in gorge!!!

Ariel Smith   –  
United States US
Visited: September 2017 Reviewed: Oct 13, 2017

Email Ariel Smith  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

Biking alongside African wildlife was a unique experience!

Elzbieta T.   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: December 2016 Reviewed: Sep 19, 2017

Email Elzbieta T.

A great destination for a day-trip from Nairobi, if only for a visit to the gorge.
Overall rating
4/5

A local friend of a friend drove us to the park; the traffic was very slow on the day so we didn't get much time to go around, but the walk in the gorge was well worth it. It demanded some scrambling on rocks and the local ranger was really good at keeping us safe. Walking between the gorge walls with volcanic glass on the ground was quite an experience, so were the hot springs seeping from the rock. We did not get to see much wildlife except vervet monkeys and some giraffe but friends who visited the day before saw baboons and more.

Average User Rating

  • 4.2/5
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star 33
  • 4 star 30
  • 3 star 13
  • 2 star 2
  • 1 star 1
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