Everywhere: Articles: Kenya National Park Where You Can Roam on Your Own

Hell's Gate National Park Is One of the Few Parks in Africa Where You Are Allowed to Hike or Bike Without a Guide.

Masai Shepherd II by Anne Beach

The Masai are very elusive, and here at Hell's Gate National Park, there was an adjacent farm, giving me my only opportunities to photograph them at their work as shepherds. There is something about the red cloaks that all the men wear that makes their way of being in the world particularly picturesque.

This was my adult daughter's best day in Africa and my most disappointing, but it was my own darn fault. Usually on a safari,you aren't even allowed to get out of the vehicle except at very select places. The plan is good; it's to keep you from being the 'carne' part of carnivore.

Hiilltop Camp in Hell's Gate Nat'l Park was near Lake Navaisha. It was about $12 per night and we paid extra to have hot water, although they did not build a fire for a hot shower until 7:30 AM, and it takes an hour for the water to heat up. That was disappointing to my daughter who wanted to leave early for her bike hike to avoid the worst of the heat. There were running water and several beds and everything we needed. A small family could stay in the room, since we used two single beds and their were still two bunk beds. This was the deluxe cabin.

The final 20 miles approaching the camp was sort of an intimidating drive (for us) since we arrived relatively late, 10:00 PM, on a Friday night, and we were very conspicuously American as we drove a long way down a shadowy road with local party revelers spilling into the road, apparently "feeling no pain," as they say. Even our driver seemed uncomfortable as we drove on the seemingly endless dark road, and I am sure he was thinking what on earth were these crazy Americans to think up next.

The exciting part of this national park is that it is one of a very few in Kenya, maybe even the only one, where the risk of getting eaten is low enough that they will allow tourist types to roam independently and without a guide. This was wonderful for my daughter who rented a bike cheaply and spent several hours just biking around, stopping when she wanted to observe animals and get closer. She got some beautiful close ups of flora as well as fauna. Now if I were a cheating woman, I could have included hers here, but they aren't mine to share. It is a wonderful and exhilarating feeling just to be in Africa, just you alone and free with the magnificent habitat. I will say that the place was the dustiest place we were, and that shows in some of the pictures. Only later I found out that the dust was actually from a volcano that erupted 100 years ago.

The reason it worked out so much better for her than for me is that I am so totally out of shape (mea culpa) that I just couldn't handle the long bike ride or even come close to keeping up with her. I did have one stellar bonus though as I more or less twiddled my thumbs waiting for her. As I walked around closer to the camp, I discovered there was a Masai farm nearby, and it was my one and only opportunity to take photographs of these fascinating people.

As I look at these pictures again, I am kicking myself for not doing more. The cabins were already a pretty good hike from the main part of the park, but the driver took me around some, though we had to stay on the roads. We saw plenty of animals but much more sparsely than on safari. I wish now I had just had him find me a nice shady location where the animals would hopefully cross occasionally, and perhaps I could experience a mini version of what my daughter enjoyed so much. Hindsight is 20-20, and it was our last day of a three week trip, the dust was bothering me, and I wasn't feeling very creative. If you are somewhat over the hill as I am, find better ways than I did to maximize this unique opportunity to be on your own in Africa.