Hell's Gate and Mt. Longonot National Parks

The last two days of my trip were spent adventuring in Hell's Gate and Mt. Longonot National Park. The first day we went rock climbing in Hell's Gate- it was so so AWESOME! First of all, it was great just to have some physical activity after three days in a van. And the climbing itself was sweet since we climbed Fisher's Tower, which is about 120 feet tall! (Don't worry Mom, we had ropes and harnesses and helmets). We climbed it a total of three times, each time exploring new routes. And the view from the top was splendid! It was so gratifying to work so hard to climb up, and then sit and enjoy the amazing view and the refreshing breeze. I would say this has definitely been one of my favorite Kenyan experiences thus far. After climbing we hiked through the park to the Hell's Gate gorge, which was "gorgeous", haha ;) Trekking through the park we saw zebras, gazelles, giraffes, warthogs, and baboons! And since we were walking it was a completely different experience from driving through Maasai Mara. We also saw buffalo, which can can be a bit feisty. One looked like it was going to charge, but our guide threw some rocks at it and it ran away. We hiked and hitch-hiked our way back to town and there enjoyed a meal of fish and chips. That night I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow- exhausted but so happy. 

On the last day of my trip we hiked Mt. Longonot, which is famous because it used to be an active volcano. The hike up was dry, duty, and very hot. But the view from the top was incredible! We could see across the vast landscape and all of Lake Naivasha. Plus, the crater at the top of the mountain holds a completely different eco-system- very wet, green, and lush- and very beautiful. We had lunch at the top, and then hiked down and caught a bus back to Nairobi. I am happy to be home, but I'm also quite sore after all that activity, haha!