Kenya National Park Fees: The Current Published Tariff

Last reviewed 2 November 2026.

Kenya has two separate fee systems for safari, and mixing them up is the commonest budgeting mistake. National parks and most national reserves are charged by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) under a national regulation. The Maasai Mara National Reserve is charged by Narok County under its own Finance Act. This guide sets out what each published document says, who falls into which price band, and what is and is not known about the court case that has hung over the KWS tariff since October 2025. For how these fees affect a trip comparison, see Kenya vs Tanzania for a first safari; for the Tanzanian equivalent, see Tanzania national park fees. How we source facts is on our about page.

What is the current published KWS tariff?

The tariff is Legal Notice No. 160, the Wildlife Conservation and Management (Access, Entry and Conservation) (Fees) Regulations, 2025, published in Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 161 dated 22 September 2025 and made by the Cabinet Secretary on 19 September 2025. It was laid before the National Assembly on 24 September 2025. We read the copy held by the Parliament of Kenya library on 2 November 2026.

Two features of the printed schedule are worth knowing. First, it is a flat tariff: each park has one figure per category, with no high-season and low-season columns. Some press reports described seasonal pricing, but we could not find it in the schedule itself. Second, the regulation defines a daily fee as the fee for a single access, valid for a period not exceeding twenty-four hours. We found no commencement date in the printed text; news reports gave 1 October 2025.

What does a non-resident adult pay per day?

These are the adult access fees in the schedule, in the order of its columns: East African citizen (KSh), resident (KSh), non-resident (US$), African citizen (US$).

• Amboseli and Lake Nakuru: KSh 1,500, KSh 2,025, US$90, US$50.
• Nairobi National Park: KSh 1,000, KSh 1,350, US$80, US$40.
• Tsavo East and Tsavo West: KSh 1,000, KSh 1,350, US$80, US$40.
• Meru, Kora and Aberdare: KSh 800, KSh 1,100, US$70, US$40.
• Mt. Kenya: KSh 800, KSh 1,100, US$70, US$30.

The schedule also prices packages: Tsavo West plus Amboseli is US$150 for a non-resident adult, Tsavo East plus Tsavo West plus Amboseli is US$215, and the Nairobi package (national park, animal orphanage and safari walk) is US$105. The Maasai Mara does not appear in this schedule. Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba are not named either, and we did not verify who sets their fees.

Who counts as a citizen, resident or non-resident?

The regulation defines the bands. A non-resident is a national of any country other than an East African Community or other African country. An African citizen is a national of an African country outside East Africa. A resident is someone who is not a Kenyan or East African citizen but lives in Kenya with a valid resident permit. Identification is required: a national identity card for Kenyans, a valid passport for East African, African and non-resident visitors, and a residence permit for residents. A visitor from Europe or North America is therefore a non-resident even after months in Kenya unless holding a resident permit.

What do children and students pay?

Section B of the schedule lists a separate "students and children" rate. For non-residents it is US$45 in Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, US$40 in Nairobi National Park, US$40 in Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Meru, Kora and Aberdare, US$80 for the Tsavo West plus Amboseli package and US$115 for the three-park package. The regulation defines "child" by reference to the Children Act, and the schedule prints no age band, so we do not state an age cut-off for the paid rate.

Children aged five and younger are exempt, as are Kenyan citizens aged seventy and older, people with a disability, and tour drivers, guides, boat crew and porters registered with the Tourism Regulatory Authority and belonging to a registered association. A "student" means someone no older than twenty-three from a recognised school, college or university visiting for educational purposes under a documented, organised arrangement.

What do vehicles and camping cost in KWS parks?

Under "other charges" the schedule lists motor vehicle charges per day: KSh 600 for fewer than six seats, KSh 1,500 for 6 to 12 seats, KSh 3,000 for 13 to 24 seats, KSh 4,500 for 25 to 44 seats and KSh 5,000 for 45 seats and above. The schedule does not say how this applies to a registered tour operator's vehicle, so ask your operator whether it is inside your quote.

Private camping for non-residents is US$50 per adult and US$25 per child or student in Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, and US$35 and US$20 in other parks. Public campsites are US$30 and US$25 in Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, and US$20 and US$15 elsewhere. Camping is charged in addition to the daily access fee.

How is the Maasai Mara priced?

Entry to the reserve is set by Narok County. The Narok County Finance Act, 2023 (Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 7, 13 October 2023) defines high season as 1 July to 31 December and low season as 1 January to 30 June, and sets the 2023/2024 non-resident rates as follows.

• Adult, high season: US$200 per person per day.
• Adult, low season: US$100 per person per day.
• Child aged 9 to 17, and students: US$50. Children aged 8 and under are free.
• Kenyan citizens, adult: KSh 3,000 in high season and KSh 1,500 in low season.
• East African residents, adult: KSh 5,000 in high season and KSh 2,500 in low season.

The Act defines park entry fees as an amount charged for entry from 6.00am to 6.00pm, whatever the time of entry, and its notes define a "day" for Mara charges as 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. In practice this is the twelve-hour ticket, and it is why a stay of several nights needs several tickets, as we explain in Masai Mara vs Serengeti. The same schedule lists vehicle entry charges per day: KSh 1,000 for fewer than six seats, KSh 1,500 for 6 to 12 seats, KSh 3,500 for 13 to 24 seats and KSh 4,500 for 25 to 44 seats. A draft Narok Finance Bill for 2024 (April 2024) proposed the same non-resident figures for 2024/2025. We did not find the text of a later Finance Act, so treat these as the latest figures we could verify, not a confirmed 2026 or 2027 tariff. The month matters as much as the fee: see the best time for a Kenya safari.

Is the High Court order still in force?

We cannot confirm. On 2 October 2025 Justice John Chigiti Mugwimi of the Milimani High Court issued conservatory orders in a petition by the Kenya Tourism Federation against the State Law Office and KWS, temporarily suspending the new park fees. The case was set for mention on 25 November 2025 (Kenyans.co.ke, 2 October 2025). We found no report of a judgment or of the order being lifted.

A Business Daily report of 24 March 2026 says the Federation took a complaint to Parliament, alleging that KWS's new payment system applied the contested rates despite the order. That report does not say whether the order remains in force. The practical position, as far as we can verify, is that the gazetted rates above are the ones published and reportedly charged, but their legal status is not settled in anything we could read. Ask your operator which rate was applied, and keep receipts.

How do you pay: eCitizen, M-Pesa or cash?

The same Business Daily report says KWS replaced the old eCitizen platform with a new Park Ticketing and Payment Portal that initially took only M-Pesa and Visa debit or credit cards, with bank transfer added since. The petitioners complained of a 5% gateway fee shown only at the final payment step. That is the petitioners' account, not a KWS statement. For the Maasai Mara we found no official statement on payment methods, so we make no claim about cash or cashless gates there.

What we could not verify

• Whether the High Court conservatory order of 2 October 2025 has been lifted, varied or made final.
• A Narok County Finance Act or notice for 2025/2026 or 2026/2027 Mara fees.
• Payment methods at Maasai Mara gates.
• Seasonal KWS pricing, which some press described but the printed schedule does not contain.
• The fee-setting body and rates for Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba.
• The age band behind the schedule's child rate, and how the vehicle charge applies to tour vehicles.

Sources

• Republic of Kenya, Legal Notice No. 160 of 2025, Wildlife Conservation and Management (Access, Entry and Conservation) (Fees) Regulations, 2025, Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 161, 22 September 2025 (Parliament of Kenya library copy, read 2 November 2026)
• Narok County Government, The Narok County Finance Act, 2023, Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 7, First Schedule (read 2 November 2026)
• Narok County Government, Finance Bill, 2024 (draft, April 2024), First Schedule (read 2 November 2026)
• Kenyans.co.ke, "Court Temporarily Stops New KWS Park Entry Fees", 2 October 2025 (read 2 November 2026)
• Business Daily, "Tourism players take battle against KWS payment system to Parliament", 24 March 2026 (read 2 November 2026)