KWS closes Hell's Gate Gorge in Kenya for El Niño rainy season

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) announced on Monday 9 November 2026 that Hell's Gate Gorge, also called Ol Njorowa Gorge, near Naivasha is closed to tourists and other visitors for the El Niño rainy season because of the risk of flash floods, the Kenyan daily The Star and the news site Kenyans.co.ke reported.

The gorge will stay closed for the whole season, and KWS has not said when it will reopen. Kenyans.co.ke said the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority expects the El Niño rains to last until early next year.

Visitors must stay out of the gorge even when conditions inside Hell's Gate National Park look safe. Floods can reach the gorge without any rain falling in the park: water from heavy rain on Mount Longonot and in Mai Mahiu, Nairobi, Kedong and Suswa drains through channels into the narrow gorge, where levels can rise within minutes. Its steep rock walls leave little room to escape.

"Sometimes it does not rain in Hells Gate National Park, but it has rained upstream, which drains water to the gorge. So, we always make sure that if it is raining, we take the necessary precautions to prevent loss of life," KWS said. The Star described the closure as a precautionary measure to prevent further loss of life.

Seven people died in September 2019 when flash floods swept through the gorge while a group of 13 visitors was exploring it. The victims were five Kenyan tourists, a local tour guide and a foreign visitor; rescue teams recovered their bodies downstream.

In 2012, seven young people from PCEA Mukarara Church in Dagoretti, Nairobi, died during an excursion to the gorge.