The park is named after a narrow break in the cliffs, once a tributary of a prehistoric lake that fed early humans in the Rift valley. Hells Gate National Park lies south of Lake Naivasha and north west of Nairobi .It is one of the smallest parks in Kenya, but its unusual features and charm compensate for what it lacks in size.The park is characterized by spectacular scenery including the towering cliffs, water formed gorges, stark rock towers, scrub clad volcanoes and belching plumes of geothermal steam making it one of the most atmospheric parks in Africa. In addition to the beautiful geological features, visitors can enjoy the parks variety of wildlife which include; African buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, baboons, klipspringer and chandler’s mountain reedbuck. There are over 100 species of birds recorded within the park including Vultures, Verreaux’s Eagles, Augur buzzard , Arrow-marked Babbler, Chinspot Batis, Golden-winged Sunbird, Yellow rumped seedeater, Jackson’s snowbird, swifts and many others.
At Hells Gate, visitors can enjoy walking safaris, and even families with young energetic children can take part in a walk in the wild alongside zebra, gazelle, eland and giraffe. Those who don’t fancy walking can hire a bike at the gate of the park and enjoy a ride in the wild. Other activities include Rock climbing, Bird watching and culture visits to Maasai villages. Camping facilities are available within the park where visitors can pitch up tent under the dazzling Kenyan night sky. The park is easily accessible on a day trip from the capital city Nairobi, which is only 100kilometers away.
