Lake Naivasha Travel Guide

 CatherineReichardt Says:  One of our abiding memories of the Kenyan Rift Valley will be the abundance of eland - seen here in a group at Hell's Gate that probably numbered about 30 individuals.Eland are the largest antelope in Africa, and we are used to shy 'peek a boo' encounters in Southern African... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  ... which is not something that I usually care to do, but as the fact that sequences from "Tomb Raider" were filmed in Ol-Njorowa gorge was perhaps the only piece of information our inept 'tour guide' offered us in over an hour, I thought that I'd share this with you... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  One of the most intriguing attractions that Hell's Gate has to offer are its obsidian caves ... which, even if you're not a lapsed geologist such as myself, would surely pique your interest?So, what is obsidian? Well, in simple terms, it's a volcanic glass that is associated... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  OK, by now you probably know that I'm a lapsed geologist, but usually I try to keep my enthusiasm under control ... until I see outcrops like this!This is pumice ... yes, the stuff that you diligently buff away callouses and hard skin with. Pumice is probably best described... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  ... in fact, these lurid green algae positively relish it!With the Ol-Karia geothermal power projects being located within the boundaries of the Hell's Gate National Park, it's no surprise that the park is punctuated with hot springs. These are easiest to identify in the... 

 samitbabu Says:  The camp , with its abundant greenery enveloping it from all sides, the continuous flow of birds in and around, the constant chirping sound of bokets, woodpeckers and hundreds of other breeds of birds, the occasional sound of Hippos bathing and the quack of the Pelicans... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Of all the things that I expected to find in Kenya's Rift Valley, a vineyard was not one of them!Actually, to be strictly accurate, we didn't find a vineyard, but we did stumble across its produce ... at in a weaving workshop (Elementaita Weavers) of all places!We always try... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  On first consideration, the prospect of having a power station within a national park would seem unlikely ... but then, as we discovered, Hell's Gate is a place with a talent for combining unexpected elements!The proliferation of hot springs along the Kenyan Rift Valley is... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  One of the attractions of Hell's Gate is that - unlike many of the other national parks, where game spotting is the main attraction - there are a whole range of outdoor pursuits that you can occupy yourself with ... including rock climbing.Fischer's Tower is located close to... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Hell's Gate boasts two free standing pinnacles which are volcanic plugs - lava that solidified in the vent of an extinct volcano and which have withstood erosion better than the surrounding rock.Central Tower is the larger of the two plugs and dominates the skyline in the... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  As you drop down into the Rift Valley from Nairobi, it's impossible to ignore Mount Logonot, probably the largest of the recent volcanic cones in the area. It is currently dormant, and its attractively symmetrical form is a useful point of reference on the landscape.It is... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  I'll freely admit that I'm a sucker for old farm machinery, so imagine my delight when we drew into Elementaita Weavers (on the southern shore of Lake Naivasha) and were confronted with these beauties!I have a particular weakness for old bulldozers, so the ancient... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Kenya's national parks differ from their counterparts in Southern Africa in two significant aspects: one is that they allow people (and their livestock) access to the park, and secondly, in the case of Hell's Gate, they allow tourists to explore by mountain bike.Bikes are... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  It is not quite clear whether it is compulsory or not to take a guide if you intend to hike Ol-Njorowa Gorge - the signage is ambiguous, and there is certainly considerable pressure exerted by the park staff to do so. As the path is not always clear, I would veer on the side... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  One of the highlights of Hell's Gate National Park is hiking through the Ol-Njorowa Gorge (see my travel tip above).There is no viewpoint out over the gorge, so the only way to appreciate its beauty is to hike down into it. It's not very deep (its walls are probably only 30m... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and water fern (Salvinia molesta) are both species that were introduced to Africa as ornamental water plants - however, over the years, they have washed down into streams, rivers and lakes and have caused catastrophic damage where they...