Hails Gate National Park at Naivasha - A National Park with a Difference - Kenya Trip

As mentioned earlier, some animals do come to the campus and around the boundary of Simba Lodge in the morning. Here are some of the photos of such animals.

Giraffe Grazing outside the fence

Water Buck enjoying his time in Simba Lodge Lawn

Now coming to the description of the day:-

Our plan for the day 3 was to pack up, check out and start the journey for Masai Mara but not directly. After leaving the Lodge, we were to visit Hell’s Gate National forest and the Gorge deep inside this forest. After this visit, we were to travel to Masai Mara where we were booked at Mara Sopa Lodge.

Hell's Gate, First Glimpse 

Hell’s Gate National Park is unique. It is almost in the Naivasha town is the first thing. Second important thing is, one can hire cycles and travel inside the park. If a cycle is not your mode of choice, one still has two more modes, Just walk your way (It is generally called 11 No Bus in India and "Footsubishi" in Kenya) or travel in your Safari Vehicle.

Cycling to The Gorge, Our Safari Vehicle is Ahead of the Cycle

Are you worried, walking down or cycling down in an African forest? What about predators? Good question but dear readers, surprisingly, there are no predators in Hell’s Gate National Park (or for that matter Crescent Island in Lake Naivasha). Unbelievable but true.

Cycles are available on the main road and Hell’s gate road junction as also at “Hell’s gate” entrance gate. The trip to “Ol Njorowa” Gorge is about 9 km from the main gate and it is mostly on plains or downhill. It also means most of the return trip is uphill. 

But not to worry. You have an option of leaving the bicycle(s) at the Gorge and do your return journey in the safari vehicle (if one has it). If you do not have a backup vehicle, then there is no alternative but to cycle back to the Main gate. I and my daughter took cycles, rode up to the Gorge and decided to leave the cycles there and come back with others in our safari vehicle.

Hell’s Gate has all the animals (except Big Five of Africa) like Giraffes. Zebras, Gazelles, Impalas, etc. It is fun to be walking or cycling almost alongside these beautiful creatures. 

Zebras Routinely Cross the Road Ahead or behind you

The landscape is mountainous with few grasslands spread between mountains. There are few rock formations on the way and the ride is very enjoyable. Though the real fun and the thrill is to get inside the gorge and to see the geographical formations of the rocks in the gorge as also the natural hot water geysers.

Rock Formations (This and hew photod below)

Cute Zebras

Lone Sentinel 

Majestic Giraffe 

See Two Sides of the Same road, this and the next photo

The guided trip (I don’t think an unguided trip is allowed) to and inside Gorge is based on time and so are the guide charges. We took a one-hour trip (the least that could be taken). Going inside the Gorge was a tough challenge for some in the group having issues of the back pain, etc. going down and coming up was tough as also getting into the gorge wherein in few places one had to walk on ledges.

Entry to Hell's Gate Gorge

Animal Skulls

Start Point

First Glimpse of Gorge

Tough Get Going

Bird's Eye View

James Providing Assistance

Rock Formations, Bottom Soft Stone, Middle Lime Stone and top Sand Stone

Walking on the Ladge

Finally Reached the Bottom

 All these efforts were worth as the bottom of the gorge was beautiful. The geysers were small but the water stream of some of them was extremely hot. It is worth noting that these places inside the gorge have attracted filmmakers and some movies have been shot here.

Geyser

The Beauty called Devils Bed Room

The rock where Simba sits in the Movie  Lion King

Our guide, James, a Masai Tribal, was very good and very energetic person who made sure that each one of reached the bottom and could enjoy the trip.

After finishing the Hell’s Gate trip, we started off for Masai Mara which is a distance of about 240 km. The road was reasonably ok till few kilometres beyond Narok town and became very good for few kilometres before becoming only metalled road (No Tar) and in the final stretch of few kilometres when it passed through Masia villages, it was just as good as a dirt track. However, once we reached closure to the Lodge, we had just a kilometre of ok road.

After check in and some rest, we returned to the dining area for dinner and then sat in their Bar cum recreation area to witness a performance of Masia (male) dance.

It was a time to sleep after this show.

The Birds of Lake Naivasha - Kenya at its Best

On the day 2 of the trip, we were to travel to Naivasha. Initially, we were planning to start early but as we had realised late yesterday evening that the Sopa Nukuru Lodge has an infinity (swimming) pool. We changed our plan. The first thing we did this day was to enjoy this pool.

Infinity pools are the ones where the deep end is such that it appears to merge with the horizon, at least it looks that way when one is swimming in the pool. See the photos below.

Infinity Pool

We had our fun in the pool, all the models in our group did modelling for photos (these photos are their professional property hence not posted) and then we finished our breakfast, packed, loaded the car and left.

We set out for our journey from Nakuru to Lake Naivasha at about 0930. We did not drive straight to Naivasha (as such we were in Sopa Lodge inside Lake Nakuru Nation Park), we took a smaller and quick safari through this national park and then continued further to Naivasha. Since this safari was a simple drive through, we saw the usual wildlife like Zebras, etc.

In about three hours including safari, we reached our place at Naivasha, Simba Lodge. We quickly settled down in our rooms and rushed down for Lunch. We were to go for a boating trip in Lake Naivasha.

There was a marriage function going on in the lawns of Simba Lodge and to our surprise, Bollywood songs were being played in that function. We later found out that it was a marriage of a Muslim girl of Indian origin and a local boy, hence the Bollywood songs.

The Lodge surroundings were all natural with some birds frequenting big trees on the campus. We were told that many animals also venture around the boundary and inside the boundary of the Lodge. Here are few birds shot by me (in a harmless manner by my Canon DSLR).

Superb Starling

African Paradise Flycatcher (also seen in India) 

Very Pretty White eyed Flycatcher

African Pied Wagtail

After lunch and some rest, we set out for Marina Camp sit for boating. There are many places along the lake from where one can hire a boat but Eric, our guide cum driver told us that Marina Camp was the best and he was right.

After reaching the Marina Camp, we bought tickets for our boating trip (USD 30 per person) and went to the boating point for boarding the next available boat. There is a place in the middle of the lake called Crescent Island where the entry was another USD 30 per person hence we dropped the idea of going there. There is also a road to Crescent Island (which is actually a peninsula) however, the entry fee is the same.

We wore our life jackets (mandatory for every passenger) and boarded our allocated boat. This boat was a narrow flat bottom boat being driven by a single Out Board Petrol engine. Our boatman was an expert navigator. He was also a good bird spotter and a bird guide. Soon we were underway for seeing a world full of birds.

From this point on, for the next one hour, it was a memorable boat ride in Lake Naivasha. We possibly have never seen so many types of birds in a single place before. I will now limit my description and let my readers take this trip themselves through photographs. I will interrupt only and only to give an explanation when needed.

Grey Heron (my guess)

African Sacred Ibis

Two is a Company

Blacksmith Lapwing

Great Cormorant

Giant Kingfisher

Yellow Billed Stork

Egyptian Goose

Should I sit or should I not

Pied Kingfisher

Mother at her house

Let me get some food

Cormorant on Hunt

Got my Catch

Add caption

Mile Sur Mere Tumahara

Aaa Aaja -  Aaa Aaja

Hippo - 90 % Underwater. They stay underwater during the day

African Fish Eagle on the Prowl

I see my catch

Got it

Let me take it home

Even before he sits down Mrs Fish Eagle Arrives

Majestic Flight

Water Bucks on Crescent Island



See you Soon Tourists

With this, we finished our Boat ride. The evening was a relaxed affair. After having our dinner, we retired for the day. 

I really enjoyed putting together this blog post. Even bigger fun was trying to identify the birds. Hope readers also have the same fun reading.