HELL’S GATE NATIONAL PARK

Hell’s Gate offers excellent climbing and hiking opportunities with two extinct volcanoes, the red cliffs of Hell’s Gate Gorge, Obsidian Caves, and the pointed column of rock known as Fischer’s Tower, a former volcanic plug. Geothermal features include hot springs and natural geysers hissing steam through vents in the earth’s crust. The park also protects a wide variety of wildlife including leopards, baboons, hartebeest, eland, ostriches, gazelles, and more than 100 species of birds as well as eagle and vulture breeding grounds.

Olkaria Geothermal Station, the first of its kind in Africa, lies within Hell’s Gate National Park and generates power from heated, pressurized water underground. The Oloor Karia Maasai Cultural Centre within the park is worth a visit with Maasai singing, dancing, and jewelry-making demonstrations.

Location: South of Lake Naivasha, northwest of Nairobi.