Through Hell’s Gate

The Rift Valley is a ground depression that developed between two tectonic plates that are slowly drifting apart. Some of the oldest humanoid fossils have been found in the stretch from the Afar depression in Ethiopia to the Kenyan Rift Valley.

To get a taste of the Rift Valley and its lakes and volcanoes, we rented a car one weekend and drove from Nairobi to Lake Naivasha. Except for the countless potholes in the road and the trucks and donkey carriages slowing down the traffic, it was a beautiful drive, especially down the escarpment where the plains of the Rift valley all of a sudden expand in front of you, dotted only by some extinct volcanoes. We stopped at a place called Sanctuary Farm on the shores of Lake Naivasha, and this might be the best-value wildlife experience in Kenya :-) For only 200KSH (nothing compared to the horrendous prices at all the National Parks) we entered the scenic compound, and besides horses and cows that are fenced in on the farmland, there is an abundance of wildlife just wandering around the grounds – presumably stealing the grass from the domesticated animals. Giraffes stepped over the fences and lazily strolled along the road, unimpressed by our car. Zebras, gnus and giant herds of gazelles grazed everywhere – we were totally flashed by this first and somewhat unexpected encounter with the African animals.

We had borrowed a tent from Gavin, which we pitched at Camp Carnelley’s on the lakeshore. A beautiful peaceful place, with flocks of pelicans swimming back and forth, just a few metres from our tent, and a perfect base to explore the surrounding Hell’s Gate National Park. The park takes its name from a cleft in the rockface which forms the entrance to a narow canyon. Someone apparently thought it looks like the way to hell. We found it to be rather paradisical though. Not as impressive as what was yet to come in terms of wildlife, but since we weren’t spoiled by the Masai Mara yet, we had a fantastic day. Zebras wandered all over, and we saw warthogs for the first time. They came out in great numbers especially at dusk, and we barely made it out of the park before the official closing time – we kept stopping and watching the evening feeding session unfold.

From Hell’s Gate we already had a great view on Mt. Longonot. The view from top of this senile volcano on the next day was even better, though it was quite a steep and very dusty climb. The nice thing about climbing a volcano is that there is not just a view outward, but also inward: the giant round crater was an impressive sight, and the way around the crater rim totally worth the extra two and a half hours of hiking.

Before returning ‚home‘ to Nairobi, we had to fix yet another flat tire. Recently we seem to have a lot of luck with rental cars. Luckily a backyard makeshift shop called „Hippo Garage“ helped us out with fixing the puncture.

But punctured tires could do nothing to spoil this outing, and I think it may have been on this weekend that I have really fallen for the African experience.

Going there yourself?
Travel tips for the Naivasha region (links see above)

• see: Lake Naivasha (birds, crocs, hippos), Hell’s Gate NP ($20/person + KSH200/car), Sanctuary Farm (KSH200/car), Mt. Longonot NP ($20/p.)
• get there: easiest by (rental) car (KSH3000-5000/day), matatus(minibus), 1.5-2h from Nairobi
• stay: Camp Carnelley’s (camp KSH600/p.), Sanctuary Farm (camp/cottages, book ahead)
• avoid: travelling without spare tire