​User Reviews – Hell’s Gate NP

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 61-70 of 79 Reviews
lindafiona92   –  
Kenya KE
Visited: August 2014 Reviewed: May 8, 2015

Email lindafiona92  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

The crater is everything. Breathtaking.

aaroy   –  
Kenya KE
Visited: May 2015 Reviewed: May 6, 2015

20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

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

Hell's gate is a unique park as you can cycle inside the park, that's pretty cool. There is plenty of zebras and wathogs etc but no predators.

ninara Visited: December 2014 Reviewed: Apr 24, 2015

Overall rating
4/5

Beautiful scenery

Naomi Visited: May 2014 Reviewed: Apr 23, 2015

Overall rating
4/5

The best was the hike through the gouge - loved every minute of it and the guide a beautiful person who explained everything through the gouge and put up with all our joke, laughter and good time we had at this special place.

Mahasri Weerasooriya & family   –  
Canada CA
Visited: May 2014 Reviewed: Apr 16, 2015

Email Mahasri Weerasooriya & family  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Overall rating
5/5

Walked right up to a Giraffe, only park in Kenya that we were able to get down and walk among the wildlife.

Jose Visited: January 2000 Reviewed: Apr 15, 2015

So good
Overall rating
5/5

Its very good you should go really fun and I recomend the bycicle tour

NZ   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2013 Reviewed: Jan 1, 2014

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

A unique safari experience and amazing scenery at Hell's Gate National Park
Overall rating
4/5

Hell’s Gate National Park is one of the smaller Kenyan national parks and is located about 2 hours away from Nairobi in terms of driving time. Unlike some of the other national parks in the country, this one relies more on its physical scenery, rather than the number and variety of large animals present. This is not to say that the animals are few in number, there are still many, but the difference makes a visit to Hell’s Gate very different from the others. First, you are not prohibited from leaving your safari vehicle. In fact, one option to explore the park is by bicycle. I personally recommend this method of touring, since it is much more fun and freeing than being in an enclosed jeep. Biking through the park involves a trip of about 10 miles (16 km) in total, and is doable for any person in decent physical shape. The only reason that all cannot visit the park by bike is that the bikes available for rent at the park are used and perhaps less than ideal in terms of quality (be sure to verify that your brakes work before agreeing to rent!), and that the road is unpaved, meaning it takes a bit more work to pedal than on something paved. In exchange though, you get unimpeded 360 degree views and the ability to actually take in the environment with all your senses. If an animal gets too close to the road, your guide may have you stop and back up to wait until it moves a safe distance away. These moments are exciting, but I do not think that they represent much danger as long as you follow instructions of the guides and respect the wild animals. Second, regardless of how you see the park, there are more options than just animal spotting available for activities. Your guide can take you hiking through the gorge that was the basis for the scenery for Disney’s “The Lion King” film, which is very nice, and you can go rock climbing on some of the park’s cliffs and towers. The easiest option for rock climbing is at “Fischer’s Tower” about a mile from the Naivasha park entrance, where you can rent gear from some men who will also serve as your spotters for about $10 (850 Kenyan schillings). The gear is clearly used, but looks to be taken care of well, and you get everything you need including climbing shoes and helmets. If one has never tried rock climbing before, this is a very much recommended opportunity.
Since Hell’s Gate is so close to Nairobi, you can make a day trip out of going to it. The drive to the park from the capital takes you over the escarpments that bound the Great Rift Valley, and it is worth stopping to take in the stunning view of the valley floor thousands of feet below. Near Hell’s Gate is Lake Naivasha, and you can arrange to go on a boat trip on the lake to see hippos and flocks of cormorants. Both the lake and Hell’s Gate can be seen in a single day if you are willing to get up a little early, and it makes for a unique side trip as part of a larger Kenyan adventure.

seltzca   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2002 Reviewed: Jul 4, 2012

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

Overall rating
5/5

Hell's Gate is one of the only parks where you are allowed to walk around on foot. What it lacks in big carnivores, it makes up in scenery and your ability to explore without a vehicle. If you decide to camp, be aware that cape buffalo might come to graze your campsite in the middle of the night. Just don't startle them! I highly recommend hiking the gorge, but look out for pumice floating in the stream or you might end up in water where you thought there was solid ground.

WW   –  
United States US
Visited: October 2008 Reviewed: May 25, 2012

50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

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

Not well-maintained. Susceptible to flash floods--see recent deaths in late April 2012.

Christopher Haslett   –  
Canada CA
Visited: November 2011 Reviewed: May 13, 2012

Email Christopher Haslett  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

Hell's Gate is a small but stunningly beautiful property whose main attraction is the ability to walk or cycle in! The animals are limited to the hoofed species: gazelles, antelopes, zebras and a few scattered buffalo and giraffes. But the experience of tracking them on foot makes this park well worth a day visit. And it doesn't get any cheaper: you pay just US$25 for a 24-hour entry, and with no vehicle to rent, your only other expense is your food and drinks.

I spent another $15 for a camping permit, and enjoyed lovely views of the cliff-lined pastures as the sun set. You are supposed to carry in your own wood or charcoal, but I found a generous pile of dead wood that the park rangers had left behind for campfires. I was told a leopard sometimes relaxes on the rocky ledge above the campsite when the sun comes up; I woke up early to try and spot it but had no luck.

The narrow, winding gorge makes a good walk, though on weekends it will be crowded with Kenyans. It is dry most of the time, but floods dangerously when it rains. Tragically, seven people drowned in a flash flood there in April 2012. New warning measures are expected to be put in place to prevent such incidents in the future.

A bike rental for the day should cost 500 shillings, and you can rent one at the turnoff for Elsa Gate (the first park gate as you travel along South Lake Road). Pedestrians can get off the "matatu" public bus here and just walk in. The gate is supposed to be 2 km in from the road, but it is really only 1 km.

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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