Hell’s Gate National Park
Short Overview
Hell’s Gate National Park is the ideal venue for a day trip excursion, a camping stop over or a picnic spot out of Nairobi. It provides an endless biodiversity and is the only one of the few places you are allowed to walk or cycle without an escort. It is a world Heritage sight which enjoys global protection as one of the most unique natural sites on earth.
Details of Hell’s Gate National Park
Looking for an ideal venue for a day trip excursion? A camping stop over or a picnic spot out of Nairobi then the Hell’s Gate National Park is the place to visit! It is around 100km northwest of Nairobi, in the Nakuru District of the Rift Valley Province.
Hell’s Gate National Park – an endless biodiversity
It provides an endless biodiversity and is the only one of the few places you are allowed to walk or cycle without an escort. It is a world Heritage sight which enjoys global protection as one of the most unique natural sites on earth. The vegetation is mainly grassland and shrubs with wildlife and bird life in the park. The Park offers unrivaled view of the Aberdares Ranges, Lake Nakuru and nearby Mt Long’onot.
One of the most atmospheric parks in Africa
The evocative landscape is composed of cliffs, water gorged gauges, stiff rock towers, volcanoes and plumes of geothermal steam and all these make it one of the most atmospheric parks in Africa. This scenery was used in the 1980 Hollywood film “Sheena Queen of the Jungle”.
Game Viewing
There are herds of buffalo, zebra, elands, Thomsons Gazelle, warthog, Masai giraffe to see and you can even walk close along. The Lion, leopard and cheetah also live in the park but hard to spot. Baboons can be seen on Fischer’s Tower.
Bird watching
Many bird species patrol the valley floor and others on high cliffs, others nesting on the gorge or on the top of the Fischer’s Tower.
The Fisher’s Tower
Tower-which is a volcanic plug, remains of the ancient volcano, which is 25m high. Hell’s Gate Fischers Tower is 25 meters (75 ft) high rocky tower and offers excellent climbing. It is located near the main entrance of the Park. For Masai, the tower is a Maasai girl which has be turned to stone after disobeying the family before her wedding.
The Nature Trail
An excellent hiking trail. It offers a refreshing walk in quiet nature trails where the only interruptions are birds singing and trees whistling.
The Lower Gorge
If you prefer nature to wildlife, the Lower Gorge will with no doubt satisfy your needs. It is a track leading down the fantastic curves of Ol Njorowa Gorge, which can be very slippery when wet.
The Mervyn Carnelly Raptors Hide
One of the best hiding places. Raptor hide is a unique bird viewing hide that allows visitors to view and photograph the raptors, which are birds of prey at exceptionally close range.
The Ol Karia Geothermal Station
A poor generating project to Kenya’s power grid. Geothermal power station, standing over the lava flow of the Ol Karia extinct volcano, is exploiting the super-heated steam locked 1,500 meters (4,500 ft) below surface (one of the hottest sources of the world) and is providing 25 % of Kenyan’s electricity from its giant turbines.
