Hell’s Gate National Park

Yes, and it is the park's defining feature. Because there are no elephant and very few large predators, visitors are permitted to explore on foot or by bicycle among zebra, giraffe, buffalo, eland and warthog. Bicycles are hired at the gate. It is one of very few national parks anywhere in Africa where this is allowed, and it makes for a completely different experience. Bicycles are hired at the gate, and the main track runs roughly seven kilometres to the gorge.

In dry conditions yes, with a guide, but flash flooding during the rains is a genuine and lethal hazard. Several people have died in the gorge, and it is closed when rain is forecast anywhere in the catchment, even if conditions at the gate look clear. Check the status with rangers on arrival, take the guide, and treat any instruction to leave as non-negotiable. The valley floor has almost no shade, so an early start matters more here than at most Kenyan parks.

The park lies just south of Lake Naivasha, about 90 kilometres north-west of Nairobi and under two hours by road, which makes it one of the easiest day trips from the capital. Most visitors combine it with a night or two at Naivasha. The main Elsa Gate is a short drive from the lakeside hotels and campsites. Most visitors combine the park with a night or two at Lake Naivasha immediately to the north.

Zebra, giraffe, buffalo, eland, warthog, baboon and various antelope are all common on the open plains, and you will see them at close quarters on foot or by bike, which is the point. There are no elephant and very few predators, so this is not a Big Five destination. Raptors including Verreaux's eagle nest on the cliffs. Bicycles are hired at the gate, and the main track runs roughly seven kilometres to the gorge.

Half a day covers the main track and the gorge comfortably by bicycle, allowing around seven kilometres each way plus the gorge walk. A full day allows a more relaxed pace, the Olkaria geothermal area and time at Fischer's Tower. Most visitors come from Naivasha in the morning and are back by mid-afternoon. The valley floor has almost no shade, so an early start matters more here than at most Kenyan parks.

Older children who can cycle seven kilometres in the sun will enjoy it a great deal, and the freedom to be out of a vehicle is a large part of that. Younger children will struggle with the distance and exposure, and the gorge descent involves scrambling. Vehicles are permitted, so families can drive the main track and walk only the gorge. Most visitors combine the park with a night or two at Lake Naivasha immediately to the north.

It is a volcanic plug rising about 25 metres near the park entrance, named after the German explorer Gustav Fischer who reached this area in 1883. It is a popular rock climbing site, and guided climbs are arranged at the gate for those with no experience. For everyone else it is the park's most recognisable landmark and the natural first stop. Bicycles are hired at the gate, and the main track runs roughly seven kilometres to the gorge.

January to February and June to October are the drier windows and much the best, with firm ground and no flood risk in the gorge. March to May and November bring the rains, when the gorge is periodically closed. More important than the month is the hour: start early, because the valley floor has almost no shade and midday cycling is punishing. The valley floor has almost no shade, so an early start matters more here than at most Kenyan parks.