Daily departure: 06:00 hrs Morning tour
Tour Duration: Full Day
This day tour takes you to Hell's Gate National Park near Lake Naivasha. Search out herbivores and birdlife on a walking tour and learn about conservation at the Elsamere Conservation Center, once home to Joy Adamson.
You'll begin with a drive north towards Lake Naivasha. Stop along the way to take in breathtaking views of the Rift Valley before proceeding towards the lake. On arrival you'll visit Hell's Gate National Park. This 70 sq km park is one among few National Parks in Kenya where walking is permitted. The park has many herbivores and birds to spot as well as hot springs, spectacular cliffs and gorges to explore.
Lunch at a restaurant is an opportunity to sample regional cuisine and engage with the locals. With stomachs full head to the Elsamere Conservation Center on the shores of the lake. This was once the home of Joy and George Adamson who devoted their lives to wildlife conservation. They are famously remembered for their relationship with the lioness Elsa, having reared her from a cub and released her back into the wild. After a full day of explorations return to Nairobi.
And here are 6 reasons why you should consider a trip to Hell’s Gate National Park:
1. At Hell’s Gate, you can enjoy walking safaris, and even families with young energetic children can take part in a walk in the wild alongside zebra, eland, gazelle and giraffe.
2. And if you don’t fancy walking, hire a bike at the gate of the park and enjoy a ride in the wild.
3. Camping facilities are available within the park so it’s a wonderful place for you to pitch up a tent under the dazzling Kenyan night sky if you opt to take an overnight tour instead of a full-day tour.
4. On a visit to the park, you can see African buffalos, zebras, elands, hartebeests, Thomson’s gazelles, baboons and over 100 bird species including vultures, Verreaux’s eagles, augur buzzards and swifts. Rare lammergeier vultures, as well as Chandler’s mountain reedbuck and the klipspringer antelope also call the park home.
5. Amazing scenery will surround you thanks to Fischer’s Tower, the Central Tower, and the park’s gorge. Fischer’s Tower came to be as a result of volcanic activity that occurred 35 million years ago. It was later named after a German explorer named Gustav Fischer, and it is now one of the park’s many popular rock climbing sites.
Tour Itinerary
7:30am:- Nairobi- Great African Rift Valley
Pick up and depart from Nairobi for Hell’s Gate National Park going through the Kikuyu lush green highlands and then on the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift valley system.
8:00 am: – Great Rift Valley View Point
You will make a scheduled stop at the viewpoint on the side of the escarpment to enjoy the view of the Great Rift valley floor from a bird’s eye view. The Great Rift Valley Was formed some 5 million years ago and the rift runs from the red sea through Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. The Rift Valley is an active volcanic area and has some of the most interesting features including more than 8 lakes, dormant and active volcanic mountains and hot springs and geysers like the Olkaria geothermal wells and Lake Bogoria geysers. You can actually see the volcanic Mt Suswa and Mt Longonot from this high place with their evergreen craters and the undulating green rift valley floor. The view from here is just amazing.
9:30 am: – Hell’s Gate National Park
Drive down into the rift valley and arrive at the Hell’s Gate National Park and start this amazing walking safari. Hell's Gate is one of only two Kenyan national parks in which you are free to leave your vehicle and explore the park on foot. The park is home to a variety of wildlife, unusual plant life, and over 130 species of birds. The park has dramatic scenery, with looming cliffs, gorges, and basalt columns to explore. Zebras, baboons, and gazelles are common sights, while more exotic cheetahs, leopards, and ostrich are occasionally encountered.
1:00pm: – Lunch at a Restaurant in Lake Naivasha
After spending some time looking for wildlife, break for lunch at a nearby restaurant where you can sample regional Kenyan cuisine and mingle with the local Maasai people. After lunch, head to Elsamere Conservation Center on the shores of Lake Naivasha. The centre was once the home of Joy and George Adamson, who devoted their lives to wildlife conservation. The area is still a haven for wildlife, with its own small troop of black and white Columbus monkeys living and playing in the acacia trees.
2:30pm: – Boat Ride in Lake Naivasha
Go on an hour boat ride in this wonderful rift valley lake. The boat ride will take you to see the hundreds of birds in this lake including the diving African fish eagle which dives in the water to catch fish without ever missing. You will also go to the hippo pool and see the hippos as they swim and bleat inside the water while opening their mouths to over 180 degrees.
4:00pm: – Lake Naivasha -Nairobi
Depart Lake Naivasha for Nairobi and drive through the lush Kikuyu highlands and arriving back to Nairobi at around 5:30pm. You will be dropped off at your Nairobi hotel.
Rate Includes
* Price is based on per person and minimum 2 people required
* All entry fees, service charge and taxes
* Pick up from your hotel in Nairobi and drop-off to your hotel
* Day trip to Hells Gate National Park with lunch
* A visit to Elsamere Conservation Center
* Boat ride in Lake Naivasha
* Professional English speaking guides.
* All vehicle expenses and driver's allowance.
Rates do Not Include
* Tips or gratuity to your driver-guide
* Minimum of two persons required
* International airfares and airport taxes
* Visas, meals and drinks, any other sightseeing not included in the package
* Travelers insurance; laundry & communication charges
* Personal expenses such as transfers to/ from the airport (supplement airport transfer cost applies for tours starting from the airport), optional activities
