A tourist visits Ol Njorowa gorge. Although the hiking experience can be scary, children as young as three also tour the gorge. Photo/Caroline Chebet
What you need to know:
Hot and cold waterfalls.
Colourful rock formations.
Magnificent buildings.
Breath-taking gardens.
It was a warm Tuesday afternoon when we arrived at the famous Hell’s Gate National Park in Naivasha. The park, situated 90 kilometres from Nairobi, is famous for its spectacular attractions, some which resulted from volcanic activities hundreds of years ago.
While there are many activities to keep tourists busy like rock climbing, cycling, horse riding and game viewing, we were more interested in the park’s main attraction – the Ol Njorowa gorge.
This geological feature has, over the years, inspired the filming of various Hollywood movies including Tomb Raider, King Solomon’s Mines, Cradle of Life and Mountains of the Moon.
Before starting out trek, our guide, Kang’ethe Minchilei gave us a brief introduction to the 24km-long deep ravine. Hell’s Gate is a loose translation of the Maa word Nemeneng’a, courtesy of colonial settlers.
Lovers
Following volcanic eruptions in the area, it is said that many people and animals were buried alive, which prompted the Maasai community to name the place Nemeneng’a which means a valley where many people died as a result of the devil’s work.
Kang’ethe, who has been a tour guide for the last nine years, pointed out that, ironically, many young lovers now visit the gorge to propose to each other.
Perhaps a walk through the beautiful gorge lined with sheer cliffs on either side complete with hot water springs which feed the stream that meanders down the ravine floor paints a beautiful picture of a future filled with love for the besotted couples.
Flash floods
According to Kang’ethe, the guides have mastered almost everything about this tourist attraction site and know the danger signs to look out for.
“In case of flash floods, very loud noise is usually heard as a warning of impending floods. A guide is supposed to move swiftly to exit his group through the nearest emergency exit,” he explained.
A walk through the gorge aroused intertwined feelings of wonder, mystery and beauty as we trekked along the meandering pathways with steep walls on both sides.
The two-hour expedition through the water-eroded walls of the narrow gorge is one of those unbeatable experiences with several hot and cold waterfalls, hot springs and colourful rock formations painting indelible memories.
A diversion from the main pathway led us to the Devil’s Bedroom. Another diversion led us to the Sun gorge and a short trek later, we were at the Devil’s Mouth, a small spring of steaming water. A few meters from the Devil’s Mouth was the Devils Shower, another small spring of flowing hot water.
An hour’s trek down the Sun gorge took us to Hell’s Kitchen where extremely hot water bubbles from the ground. After a tough day hiking through the magnificent gorge, we called it a day and headed towards Naivasha town for a bite.
However, on our journey back to Nakuru, we spotted a sign by the road side informing us of the newly opened Heaven’s Gate. We decided to check out what lay within the magnificent buildings overlooking Lake Elementaita.
Contrary to what is offered at Hell’s Gate in terms of activities, this spot, which is managed by a church, is intended for prayers and fasting for Christians. According to one of the guides, the idea behind the concept is to create a biblical impression of a beautiful heaven on earth.
