Hell’s Gate National Park

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.

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.

So good

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

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

The crater is everything. Breathtaking.

A self guided safari by bicycle among African fauna is a wonderful experience!!!

We rented 2 bikes and started our journey from a campsite near Hell's Gate National Park (where we could spot some Hippos at night because our tent was just next to the lake) and we arrived at the park. We had a guide until the canyon but we came back by ourselves!!!! It is so amazing to cycle among zebras, giraffes, monkeys, buffaloes, gazelles... You really have time to stop wherever and whenever you want and you really feel like an adventurer!!! The landscape is also beautiful, especially when you start going down the gorge!!! Avoid rainy season but in May we had a really good time there (though check the meteo because it can be bad sometimes..) You can also visit some flowers plantations next to the park! Take your lunch box as there is only limited food available (but it is much better like that!!!)!!
We really enjoyed our journey there and we highly recomment it!!!

One of the best parks in Kenya to get up close with the wildlife

Easily accessible from Nairobi, Hell's Gate NP is a must for any visitor in Kenya. Bike past herds of Zebra before hiking through the Hells Gate Canyon.

A great family day out.

Biking alongside African wildlife was a unique experience!

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

A surreal day of hiking and wildlife

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.