Hell's Gate National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

By Anthony Ham

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.

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.