​Wildlife & Animals – Hell's Gate NP

Anthony Ham
Expert
By Anthony Ham

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guide to Kenya.

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Lonely Planet guide to Kenya.

Anthony is the author of the Lonely Planet guide to Kenya.

Hell’s Gate is not a Big Five destination. Aside from buffalo there are no dangerous animals, which makes walking and cycling excellent activities. Burchell's zebra, Coke's hartebeest, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle and impala are the main grazers. Giraffe and defassa waterbuck can also be encountered. Olive baboons are all over the cliffs.

Abundant
Common
Occasional
Rare
None
ElephantNone
GiraffeCommon
HippoNone
BuffaloCommon
ZebraCommon
WildebeestNone
White RhinoNone
Black RhinoNone
LionNone
LeopardRare
CheetahVery Rare
HyenaRare
Wild DogNone

Wildlife Highlights

The plain-looking Chanler's mountain reedbuck is one of the more unusual antelope species that can be seen in the park. The park is also good for some of the small antelopes, such as Kirk's dik-dik and steenbok. Predators aren’t easy to spot, but cheetah is here, while spotted hyena and black-backed jackal can sometimes be seen at dusk. Lucky visitors might also come across the elegant serval.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Hell’s Gate can be visited for hiking and cycling throughout the year, but wildlife viewing is best in the dry months from June to October when the grass is short. The scenery however, is at its most spectacular during the Wet season from November to May.

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