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Walk
with the Zebra's
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Basic
Facts
Size: 68 sq kms
Province: Rift Valley
District: Nakuru
Geographical Location: South of Lake
Naivasha in the Rift Valley.
Altitude: 2,777m
Vegetation: A wide variety of
succulents.
Fauna: Plains game include eland,
giraffe, zebra, impala, Grant's and Thompson's gazelle. Other wildlife
includes klipspringer, hyrax, and mountain reedbuck.
Bird Life: Many birds of prey and
swifts. It is possible to observe 25-30 species in any one day.
Visitor Facilities: None.
Details
Hell's Gate
National Park, lying south of Lake Naivasha, is a popular park for daily
excursion from Nairobi. The Park is particularly popular with walkers and
campers who can enter without a vehicle and move noislessly past herds of
zebra and gazelle. The park is flanked by imposing sheer cliffs which lead
to a narrow canyon containing hot springs and geysers.
Transport
The main entrance
to the Park is from Elsa Gate which is signposted on the left, 16.5 kms from
the Lake Road junction from Naivasha Town. Elsa Gate is approximately 2 kms
from Lake Road.
Naivasha town lies just of f the A104
Nairobi - Nakuru highway. Alternatively, the Naivasha area can be approached
along the old A104 via Longonot. Buses run regularly along both the old and
new roads between Nairobi and Naivasha.
Lodging
There are no
lodging facilities in the park itself, but facilities on nearby Lake
Naivasha include the Lake Naivasha Club with 102 beds and the Safariland
Hotel with 112 beds.
Camping
There is one campsite in Hell's Gate
National Park, the Ol Ndumbai Public Campsite which has excellent views and
good facilities. Camping is quite popular in the Lake Naivasha area. There
is a protected campground on the grounds of the Safariland Lodge which has
excellent facilities on the Lake. There is also the Fisherman's Camp Youth
Hostel which only formally operates as a hostel from April to October which
has good facilities and rowboats for excursions out onto the Lake. There is
a YMCA located near Fisherman's Camp, though conditions at the Y have
deteriorated over the years and the water supply is very unreliable.
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