Hell's Gate

05.01.2015

Today we start our group trip from Nairobi to Lake Elementaita. It takes about three hours from the capital of Kenya in north western direction to the Lake Elementaita. Half way along our route, we make a stopover at the Hell's Gate National Park, which lies directly at Lake Naivasha.

But first we take a short break at the valley view point for enjoying the view, shopping souvenirs and watching birds.

I forfeit my binoculars to our youngest fellow traveller ...



At the road junction to the Hell's Gate National Park

Here we stop for some time and discuss how we want to visit the National Park. Some want to bike to and inside the park. Others rather want to go by car. So we agree on going to the park by car and see at the main entrance, what are our opportunities and the prices for visiting the park.

In the meantime, I look for some birds with my regained binoculars.

White-Browed Sparrow-Weaver
Plocepasser mahali melanorhynchus



Speke's Weaver
Ploceus spekei



Superb Starling
Lamprotornis superbus
Dreifarben-Glanzstar

At the park entrance, we are discussing again for a long a time, what to do inside the National Park. We realise that it is already to late to bicycle through the park. It makes more sense to go by car to the Hell's Gate Gorge and hike to the hot springs there.

Fischer's Tower






Burchell's zebra
Equus quagga burchellii
Steppenzebra









Warthog
Phacochoerus africanus
Warzenschwein



African buffalo
Syncerus caffer
Afrikanischer Büffel



Helmeted guineafowl
Numida meleagris
Helmperlhuhn



Central Tower






White-fronted bee-eater
Merops bullockoides
Weißstirnspint



Thomson's gazelle
Eudorcas thomsonii
Thomson-Gazelle









Red-Billed Oxpecker
Buphagus erythrorhynchus
Rotschnabel-Madenhacker






Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis

The national park is home to three geothermal power stations. The first one was established in 1981 and they generate geothermal power underneath Hell's Gate from the area's hot springs and geysers.

Vervet monkey
Chlorocebus pygerythrus
Südliche Grünmeerkatze



Me at the Hell's Gate Gorge






I'm sharing my ornithological knowledge.

The Hell's Gate National 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.

We climb down into the gorge.









African Paradise Flycatcher
Terpsiphone viridis
Graubrust-Paradiesschnäpper






Me in the rock crevice






Conquering some bold cliffs in the gorge






Dennis












Nice rock formations



Common bulbul
Pycnonotus barbatus
Graubülbül



Dennis and Christiane



We pass by some hot springs.



And here comes the proof that the water is really hot ...
It also contains an increased amount of sulfur.

Then, it suddenly starts to rain and our guides rush us out of the gorge, because they are afraid of flash floods. Back in the cars, we see some more beautiful wildlife of the Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya.

Impala
Aepyceros melampus



Secretary bird
Sagittarius serpentarius
Sekretär

Back on the road, we continue our drive to the Lake Elementaita.

____________________