Hell’s Gate – There and Back Through the Rift

Upon our return from the East Coast of Kenya, and its myriad of wonders, we did not rest for long. There was the lure of the areas north of Nairobi, namely Lake Naivasha and its adjacent National Park – Hell’s Gate. I described our visit to Lake Naivasha elsewhere, and will concentrate on its ominously named neighbour here.

Our driver/guide for the day was again Chris Temboh Muriuki. We had an amazing experience with him in our previous adventures on Mount Kenya, so it was any easy decision. We left Nairobi very early in the morning. After battling its infamous traffic jams, we soon found ourselves driving through gently rolling hills covered with picturesque villages and scattered thickets. An occasional red-clad Maasai herder half hidden amongst the trees completed the picture.

The Great Rift Valley in All Its Splendour

As we progressed further up the Escarpment Road (B3), originally built by Italian prisoners of war during World War 2, the settlements got sparser and sparser. Densely forested areas then replaced the villages. Soon after we drove over a ridge and suddenly appeared to be heading straight into the abyss. That abyss was our first proper sighting of the Great Rift Valley – a sight no one ever forgets. The road here actually hangs onto the very steep mountainside on the right side. Moreover, only a barrier stands between the cars and the incredible expanse of the Rift on the left. The valley was half covered in thick white fog that crept upwards as we drove, absolutely mesmerised, for a few steep kilometres downhill, until we reached the bottom.

Fancy a Bycicle Ride Through a National Park?

After that, the drive to our first destination for the day, Hell’s Gate National Park, was a straight forward affair. Soon, we arrived to the Elsa Gate, the main entrance to the Park. We bought our tickets and rented bikes for our cycling safari, as strange as it may sound. The main, wildlife oriented, wide expanse of the park starts immediately after the gate.

The size of approximately 70 square kilometres makes Hell’s Gate one of the smallest National Parks in Kenya and beyond. However, it more than makes up for its relative lack of size with its geographical diversity and the accessibility of wildlife. It is one of the handful of parks in East Africa that you can walk (or cycle) through without any limitations.

Cycling Amongst Wildlife in Hell’s Gate

The main bicycle path winds it way through the flat bottom of the wide valley, framed on either side by magnificently tall, vertical cliffs. If you look closer, you may notice white blotches high up on the cliff sides. Those are actually the droppings of eagles and vultures that help birdwatchers and park rangers locate their nests, which are always above those splats. Rare lammergeier vultures, better known as bearded vultures, make their home in Hell’s Gate. It has played a major role in maintaining their population. They share the park with more than 100 other bird species, making it a prime destination for dedicated birdwatchers from all over the world.

Warthogs Up Close

Although we saw many high flying large birds, we were too far away to actually get a really good look. However, the main attraction for us on this visit were the oh so many wonderful creatures that seemed to be all around. We did not even clear the first stretch of the dusty road through the park when a pack of warthogs appeared on our right, just a few metres away. Somewhat apprehensively, we stopped and got off our bikes, because it was the first time for all of us to get so close to these creatures without any barrier in-between. We did not need to worry though. They seemed both unfazed by our presence and way more interested in the little stream that quenched their thirst on this increasingly hot day.

The animals just kept appearing left, right, ahead and behind us. A dazzle (well, now you know how a group of zebras is called) of zebras lazily grazing in the tall yellow grasses, a herd of gazelles graciously jumping across the road ahead of us, their hooves barely touching the white road dust, a bunch of warthog piglets creating havoc at one of the waterholes, a giraffe elegantly strolling between some acacia trees, it was all there, and much, much more.

Stay Clear of Buffaloes in Hell’s Gate, Just in Case

Although there are claims that the park does contain some large predators, namely lions, leopards and cheetahs, most rangers and guides we spoke to think that those may as well be marketing ploys. Although an odd predator may wonder into Hell’s Gate, they do not tend to have any permanent presence. After all, not only is walking through the entire park allowed, it is their major selling point. It is highly encouraged, alongside unsupervised camping in three sites in the park. The only animals you should really be aware of are the buffaloes. Do not get close to them as they are notoriously bad tempered. However, as long as you keep your distance, they will leave you alone.

Cycling, even when done at a snail’s pace, for we stopped countless times to admire the wildlife, still took us through this 4 kilometre stretch between the Elsa Gate and the Ranger’s Station on the other end far too quickly. There was an option to leave our bikes at this station and walk back, and I wished we had more time to do this. However, our day was quite packed and we had to move on. We were to drive out after finishing the second half of our Hell’s Gate adventure.

Off Into the Hell’s Gate’s Ol Njorowa Gorge

Ranger’s Station at the other side of the valley features a parking, as well as a picnic area. The latter was full of people when we arrived there to drop our bikes off. Apparently a busload of local tourists from Nairobi arrived for a day trip. It was amazing to observe the difference in apparel between us and our picnicking neighbours. We were covered in dust, sporting trekking shoes and various off-road apparel. The locals though were dressed in their Sunday best, with the ladies in high heels and the men in suits.

We unfortunately did not have any picnic food with us. So, we just took a break in the shade there, waiting for Chris to arrive. In the meantime, we enjoyed a wildlife show of sorts. The area was full of monkeys, baboons and vervet monkeys in particular. The baboons played it cool and generally stayed a safe distance from people. However, the vervet monkeys were a whole other story. They seemingly developed an array of skills aimed at either tricking people into giving them food, or plainly just stealing it whenever possible. It was so amazing to see them dart in and out of the circles of humans at lightning speed. More often than not they came out with a snatched snack.

Entering the Labyrinth

Chris arrived soon after, having had to fix a tyre puncture. As a matter of fact, that was the only car issue we had on this entire trip. It was time to get down into the Ol Njorowa Gorge, the maze of narrow canyons and steep rock faces. After a short and quite steep descent through sparse bush, we arrived to the bottom. There was a wide, almost dried, river bed there, welcoming us. Beautiful vertical wavy cliff fenced it in on one side. A densely forested gentle slope bordered its opposite bank. It did not look as claustrophobic and dramatic as I expected, to be honest. Well, it was not the gorge proper yet. We were still to walk down an opening in the cliff face to get there. Once we did it though, the story totally changed.

Hell’s Gate Closes Around Us

The walls suddenly seemed to close in all around us, turning the sky into a narrow strip of blue somewhere high above. The game of light and shadows started playing tricks with our senses of distance and direction. Ol Njorowa Gorge winds left and right all the time. Its vertical cliffs obstruct the view, save for the few metres ahead, until the next sharp corner. The rock faces are generally bare until about half way up, clearly delineating the level the wild waters reach during the rainy season. Above that, a lush tapestry of creepers, vines, and small shrubs of all kinds cover the walls. In a few places, there are also bunches of graffiti, etched into the soft rock. That is one of those human habits I could never quite comprehend.

I can imagine that the walls of the gorge would be a heaven for any geology buff out there. There are myriad layer of various sediments, providing a direct glimpse into the Earth’s history. For the rest of us, they were not any less amazing though.

Take a Break in the Devil’s Bedroom

As we progressed deeper into the belly of the labyrinth, the walls got ever closer. At the end, the sky became a thin blue line above us. I could not even spread my arms elbow wide at one point. The feeling was amazing though. We all felt seemingly at the mercy of the unseen earthly forces, able to crush us at a whim. I have been to a number of other gorges, the Siq in Petra springs to mind. Although generally longer and deeper, none of them felt so wild and untamed as this one. I guess that is one of those things that makes Africa what it is. Most destinations are made just accessible, but never gentrified, as is the case in many places elsewhere that often feel too tamed.

This extremely narrow stretch of the gorge, ended in a dead end that was absolutely worth the trek. It is named the Devil’s Bedroom and once you get there, you sort of understand the pun. They could have also named it after a cauldron, to be honest. Its steep, tall sides seem to enclose and encroach you from all sides. I can imagine that it becomes a sort of a circular waterfall during the rainy season. It reminded me of Gljúfrabúi, the hidden waterfall in Iceland, albeit far more dangerous. We spent a few meditative moments there, everybody seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Afterwards, we headed back, I think the same way we came in.

Time to Leave the Gorge

Once we reached the river bed, we turned the other way though, and walked downstream for a while. It was absolutely enchanting, oddly relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. The trickling stream was all that was left of the river this late in the dry season. We hopped across it several times, to check out various sulphuric springs, some of which were dangerously hot. At the end, we climbed out of the canyon and headed back to the Ranger’s Station. We had to navigate our way through yet another pop-up Maasai market though. The sellers here actually sold some quite authentic looking trinkets.

Out of Hell’s Gate and Back to the Great Rift Valley

We drove back to Nairobi the same way, via the Escarpment Road. The traffic was extremely dense, but that provided ample opportunities for observing our surroundings in great detail. The sheer amount of unknown species of trees, some in bloom, yet other bearing fruits, Maasai in wonderful garbs tending to their cattle, or just going after some business or another, but also shacks in bad state of repair with kids running all around them, was truly staggering and eye-opening.

However, as we climbed up the steep uphill section and reached the observation point there, it was all quickly forgotten. The Great Rift Valley opened before our eyes yet again. There was no fog is sight this time. The Valley was lit by the warm rays of the setting sun and appeared absolutely enormous. We stopped the car by one of the many souvenir shops dotted along this exposed stretch of the road. All of us stood there in awe for what seemed like hours. However, in reality the sunsets in the Equatorial Africa are rapid, if magnificent.

Hyraxes Again

While standing there at the observation deck, we noticed some motion down below, amongst the rocks and, unfortunately, discarded truck tyres. There was a pack of hyraxes there, as cute as the ones we encountered on Mount Kenya. These were tree hyraxes though, a more slender and smaller version of the mountain dwelling rock ones. They were very interesting to observe, running around, seemingly very, very busy and fidgety. I swear they would not stand still for a second. That may be the biggest difference between them and their highland cousins after all.

By the time the Sun set down, the hyraxes went their own ways, and some of our group bargained unsuccessfully for ubiquitous Maasai trinkets, it was time to get back into the car and bring this day to a close.

Hell’s Gate is a Treasure, not a Resource

I can just imagine the shock some of the early explorers must have felt when they stumbled upon sights like the Great Rift Valley, or Hell’s Gate, or any other amazing wonder that Kenya and Africa offer to its visitors. I only wish that their reverence had transformed into respect for Africa and its inhabitants, humans and animals alike, instead of this insatiable hunger for resources, influence and territory that has caused so much suffering to this great continent to date.

FAQs for Hell’s Gate National Park…