Small Group Budget Tour to Hells Gate National Park and Lake Naivasha Boat Ride

Fantastic trip to Hell’s Gate with African Beast Safaris! Everything was well organized, and our driver, Jane, was friendly, professional, and made the whole experience even better. She was knowledgeable and made sure we had a great day. Highly recommended!

An excellent way to see the beauty of Kenya without the constraints of a Land Cruiser. American family of 4, with two teenagers wanted a day trip to combine with our Safari so we booked with African Beast after reading great reviews and seeing the competitive pricing. Jane, our driver was amazing. She reached out to us via WhatsApp the day before to make sure our pickup location and time were correct. She arrived timely and got us through the sometimes crazy traffic conditions to the location. She was funny and kind and took great care of us. Stopping at a safari camp restaurant before the bike ride to let us use the washroom and preorder food so that we could use as much time in nature as possible. She also connected us with our bike rental/guide Gomez outside the gate of the park. Gomez was incredible. He took care of us, even when I broke a chain on my bike. He was thoughtful, funny, and went way out of his way to make sure our time at Hells Gate was great. The bike ride was excellent, stops along the way to look at wildlife and landscapes. The best part of Hells Gate is actually the scenery. After about an 8KM bike ride on a road, we set the bikes aside and went for a hike for about an hour in a gorge. It was our family’s favorite part of the day. The weather in July is perfect, low 70s F so the hike was incredible with great vistas. Make sure to wear good shoes or boots as there is some mud and water at times but I can’t recommend it enough. Afterwords we had a quick lunch, which was very good. And went on the boat ride for $25 a person. In my opinion, take it or leave it.. there are some cool views of animals on Crescent Island, but if you are doing a Safari as well on your trip, this part is unnecessary. It takes about an hour. Afterwards Jane got us home safely by early evening, the drive was about 2.5 hours. Overall, it was a great day trip. Jane and Gomez were incredible!

Amazing experience overall. Jane was our super professional, experienced driver who also acted as guide on our drive in (and provided such a comfortable ride we napped on the way back). Kelvin was a great guide. The park is incredible. So unique to bike next to zebras and giraffe! 1000/10. The gorge was truly breathtaking. Great day overall.

I booked the trip alone, not knowing if I would be joining others but it was just me. Driver David was fantastic - spacious vehicle with A/C (don't underestimate this!) and safe driving. He also gave excellent recommendations, e.g. on taking the Lake Naivasha boat safari before lunch, as dark clouds threatened rain, and the boats will not go out if there is rain. Once at the entrance to Hell's Gate, "Community Guide" Frederick took over. With WiFi at the entrance gate, you can pay with your international credit card easily. I paid the bike and guide fee (and tip) in USD cash afterwards. Frederick was fantastic, as I imagine all the community guides probably are. He made sure the bike was adjusted correctly before we started. As an older participant but who loves active adventures, I was a bit concerned the cycling would be too much for me (as I remembered a bike ride in 100-degree humidity in Laos on steep, hilly roads had been, a decade ago). Not the case here. The temperature at this elevation and in early May was comfortable and the roads, though dirt, were mostly flat. I rode the 10 miles back and forth, no problem. We rode out to a certain point and then walked to observe multiple herds and animals - impala, gazelle. eland, wildebeest, warthogs, etc. There were no other folks out this early in the morning, I felt we had the entire park to ourselves. It was lovely to cycle past grazing zebras, unafraid of us. At the end of the road, we parked our bikes (watch out for thieving vervet monkeys!) and walked down to the gorge. Note: the short trail to get down the gorge was steeper than I was prepared for. I was wearing water shoes (tol cycle and hike) which worked great on the rocky trail down, and then the slippery trail alongside the creek. The gorge was super cool, just like the photos. There are now emergency egress routes, per David, because of a flash flood not that long ago that swept some folks away. If it's raining, don't do this hike! I brought a liter of my own water but drank it all once we finished the hike and were back to our bikes. Fred found a liter of water, someone nearby was selling it though I never saw from where. By the time we finished the hike, other folks had started to arrive (we had the gorge all to ourselves as well). By the time we started our ride back to the entrance, the sun was out and it was warm enough that I wish I'd brought a hat. There is nothing cooler than having a giraffe cross the road right in front of you while you are cruising on a mountain bike down a dirt road in the national park! At the end of our trip, back at Hells Gate entrance, a family of rock hyraxes were active. I felt I saw the "real Africa" in Hells Gate, it was one of the most unique safari experiences I can imagine having. I said good bye to Frederick and next, as I mentioned earlier, driver David took me to Lake Naivasha. There are a number of different "hippo safari" operators but I highly recommend this one (I think it's Crescent Island Resort?) Their grounds are beautiful, with zebras and waterbuck grazing on the grounds. Hippos are kept off by electric fence, supposedly. We saw plenty of hippos, on land and in the water. And the birds were amazing, including an opportunity to watch an African Fish Eagle take a fish out of the water (it was hungry!) The lake has risen over the last decade, and thus trees around the lake's edge have died, giving the lake with dark clouds looming an eerie, spooky quality. This was also a special safari. I had the boat to myself with just one other guest. We wore life vests and I felt very safe. I would 110% recommend this tour, it's authentic Africa in a way most people never experience.

Can really recommend going on safari with Jane as the driver and Leki as the guide in Hell’s Gate. Leki is the most passionate and committed guide we have met in Kenya. It is highly recommended to use him as a guide

Had an amazing 1 day trip to Hell’s gate and lake Naivasha with Jane as our driver. She was patient, kind and professional. We felt very safe and relaxed during the trip. Leki was our guide around the bike trip at Naivasha. He was great in story telling and we absolutely loved his vibe. Would definitely recommend this setup with beast tours, which also were very fast and easy to communicate with.

A must when staying in Nairobi. David the driver is a great guy, providing wonderful information about the areas visiting and passing through with good humour. The bike ride in Hells gate was sublime and a memorial experience. The boat ride around crescent island was also great seeing many wildlife and getting close enough to the Hippos. Thanks for a memorable day out.

Unique amazing one day experience! I was picked up early from my hotel by my wonderful guide Joash, who chauffeured me around all day with the best conversation and humour. First stop was a great view of the Rift Valley, followed by an unforgettable bike safari in Hells Gate. I then went on an interesting and informative boat ride on Lake Naivasha to Crescent Island, where I saw beautiful birds and animals up close. Finally, a delicious lunch of locally caught fish, before heading back to Nairobi. It was a truly incredible day - thank you Joash!

Great experience. Our favorite was the lake where we had the chance to see giraffes walking freely on the island , it was beautiful. The bike tour was very good too but we saw the animals at very long distance but still a very nice day!

I ended up being the only one on this tour and Joash did a great job taking me around and answering all my questions. He even found a place for me to buy breakfast and coffee. Both Hell‘s gate and Naivasha Lake were very cool experiences. I also had a great guide in Hell‘s Gate, Liaki (sp?), who had great energy and helped me with some of the more difficult uphill biking.