2026, with real trip costs.
A Nairobi family of four driving into Nairobi National Park this weekend will pay Sh3,000 at the gate, plus Sh600 for the car. If the children’s grandparents are visiting from London, their two tickets alone cost USD 160. At roughly Sh130 to the dollar, that is about Sh20,800.
The gap is deliberate. Since 1 October 2025, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has charged four different prices at the same gate, depending on who you are and what document you carry.
The Maasai Mara, which Narok County runs rather than KWS, has gone further. Foreign visitors now pay twice as much from July as they do in June.
These numbers affect anyone planning a holiday, hosting visitors from abroad or budgeting a company retreat. They change which park, which month and which booking channel makes sense. Here is how the system works and where the savings are.
Why park fees went up
Kenya had not fully reviewed its park fees in 18 years. The new rates are set by the Wildlife Conservation and Management (Access, Entry and Conservation) (Fees) Regulations 2025, which Parliament approved in September 2025 as Legal Notice No. 160.
The financial case is plain. KWS earns more than 90% of its revenue from tourism. It spends 78% of its budget on security, meaning the rangers, patrols and anti-poaching work that keep the parks worth visiting. Before the review, it faced an annual funding gap of about Sh12 billion.
The review also created a new tier. Citizens of African countries outside the East African Community now pay roughly half the foreign rate, a move aimed at growing travel within the continent.
What KWS parks charge per adult per day
The gate charges the tier your document proves. That means a national ID for Kenyans, a passport for other East African citizens and a residence permit for residents. Without the right document, you pay the non-resident rate.
| Park | East African citizen | Kenya resident | African citizen | Non-resident |
| Amboseli, Lake Nakuru | Sh1,500 | Sh2,025 | USD 50 | USD 90 |
| Nairobi National Park, Tsavo East, Tsavo West | Sh1,000 | Sh1,350 | USD 40 | USD 80 |
| Meru, Kora, Aberdare | Sh800 | Sh1,100 | USD 40 | USD 70 |
Amboseli and Lake Nakuru are the premium parks. A Kenyan adult paid Sh860 at Amboseli before the review, so the citizen rate is up about 74%. The foreign rate rose from USD 60 to USD 90.
Children aged six to 17 and students pay less. At Amboseli and Lake Nakuru they pay Sh750 (citizens) or Sh1,050 (residents). At Nairobi National Park and Tsavo they pay Sh500 or Sh675.
The cheapest wildlife viewing in the country is underwater. KWS marine parks such as Watamu, Malindi and Kisite charge Sh500 for East African citizens and USD 25 for foreign visitors.
The charges beyond the gate ticket
The entry fee is per person, per day. Several charges sit on top of it, and they are where budgets quietly grow.
| Charge | Fee |
| Vehicle with fewer than 6 seats, per day | Sh600 |
| Vehicle with 6 to 12 seats, per day | Sh1,500 |
| Vehicle with 13 to 24 seats, per day | Sh3,000 |
| Night game drive, foreign visitor | USD 50 per person |
| Drone, per drone, per day, per park | Sh5,000 for citizens and residents, USD 300 for others, plus a KCAA licence |
A KWS ticket covers a single entry for up to 24 hours. If you leave the park and come back, that counts as a new entry. Plan your movements around it.
The Maasai Mara plays by different rules
The Mara is a national reserve, not a national park, so the KWS tariff does not apply. Narok County sets its own prices on a two-season calendar. Its ticket is valid for 12 hours (6am to 6pm), not 24.
| Visitor | 1 Jan to 30 Jun 2026 | 1 Jul to 31 Dec 2026 |
| Kenyan citizen adult | Sh1,500 | Sh3,000 |
| Non-resident adult | USD 100 | USD 200 |
| Non-resident child (9 to 17) | USD 50 | USD 50 |
The July rise is timed to the wildebeest migration, when the reserve is at its busiest. Narok is running a low-volume, high-value model: fewer visitors, each paying more.
For a foreign couple spending three days in the reserve, that means USD 1,200 in gate fees in August. In June the same trip costs USD 600, often at the same camp. Kenyans feel it too: a September weekend costs Sh1,500 more per adult per day than one in May.
Three trips, costed
These are gate fees only, before accommodation, fuel, transport or guiding.
| Trip | Travellers | Gate fees |
| A day at Nairobi National Park | Kenyan family: 2 adults, 2 children, own car | Sh3,600 |
| A two-day weekend at Amboseli | Resident couple, own car | Sh9,300 |
| Seven days in August: Amboseli (2 days), Tsavo West (2), Mara (3) | Two foreign adults | USD 1,880, plus Sh2,400 for the car at KWS parks |
| The same seven days in June | Two foreign adults | USD 1,280, plus Sh2,400 for the car at KWS parks |
Moving the Mara leg from August to June saves that couple USD 600, about Sh78,000, without changing anything else about the trip. Narok County bills Mara vehicle charges separately, and they are not included above.
Seven ways to pay less
- Book KWS multi-park packages. The Tsavo West and Amboseli package costs Sh2,200 for East African citizens, against Sh2,500 paid separately. Foreign visitors pay USD 150 instead of USD 170. Add Tsavo East and it becomes Sh3,000 or USD 215, against Sh3,500 or USD 250.
- Move Mara days to January to June. It is the single biggest saving available on Kenyan park fees.
- Claim the African citizen rate if you qualify. A Nigerian or South African visitor pays USD 50 at Amboseli, not USD 90. It is the tier most often missed.
- Bring the over-70s and the under-fives. At KWS parks, Kenyan citizens aged 70 and above, children aged five and under, and persons with disability pay nothing.
- Swap a savanna day for the coast. At USD 25, a marine park costs less than a third of an Amboseli ticket.
- Pay ahead on eCitizen. KWS gates are cashless: you pay by M-Pesa or card, and the gate scans the QR code on your receipt. Save the receipt offline, because signal at many gates is weak.
- Compare safari quotes like for like. If you are hosting relatives from abroad or planning a trip for business partners, ask whether a quote includes park fees. On a seven-day trip they can make up a large share of the total. Operators who plan Kenya safari itineraries that pair the Mara with Amboseli or Tsavo often build these fees into the package price, which makes quotes easier to compare.
Before you pay
The fees here are KWS rates for bookings from 1 October 2025 and Narok County’s published 2026 rates for the Mara, checked in October 2026. Both bodies can change their rates. Confirm on the KWS website or eCitizen before you pay, and look out for Narok’s 2027 schedule if you are planning for next year’s migration season.
