Nairobi National Park Entrance Fee 2026

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Want lions with the city skyline behind them, but not sure if the gate wants Mpesa, dollars or your ID card?

The Nairobi National Park entrance fee is KES 1,000 per adult for East African citizens, KES 1,350 for Kenya residents, USD 40 for other African citizens and USD 80 for non residents. Children pay half. Kids aged 5 and under enter free. You pay online through KWSPay on eCitizen, not in cash at the gate.

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These are the KWS conservation fees that took effect on 1 October 2025. They are still the rates KWSPay charges in late 2026. This guide puts the Nairobi National Park entrance fee for every visitor type in one table. Then it explains car charges, combo tickets and how to pay without a queue at the gate.

We run Nairobi National Park tours most mornings from our office on Mombasa Road. So these are the numbers our drivers pay every week. Prices are checked against KWS at booking, because KWS can change them through a new gazette notice.

Highlights

• Citizens pay KES 1,000 per adult and residents pay KES 1,350
• Non residents pay USD 80 per adult and USD 40 per child
• Children aged 5 and under enter free
• Kenyan citizens aged 70 and over enter free
• One ticket covers a single entry for up to 24 hours
• Cashless only: pay with Mpesa or card on KWSPay
• A combo ticket adds the Animal Orphanage and Safari Walk

Nairobi National Park conservation fees per person per entry (KWS schedule from 1 October 2025)

• Children aged 5 and under enter free. Kenyan citizens aged 70 and over and persons with disabilities are exempt.
• Your vehicle pays a separate daily fee. A car with under 6 seats is KES 600.
• USD figures convert at about KES 129 per USD on this page. KWSPay applies its own rate on the day. Prices are checked against KWS at booking.

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What is the Nairobi National Park entrance fee in 2026?

An adult East African citizen pays KES 1,000 and a child pays KES 500. Kenya residents pay KES 1,350 per adult and KES 675 per child. Non residents pay USD 80 per adult and USD 40 per child. Citizens of other African countries pay USD 40 and USD 20.

Nairobi sits in its own KWS group called Urban. It costs the same as Tsavo East and Tsavo West. It is cheaper than Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, which are Premium parks at KES 1,500 for citizens. Before October 2025 a citizen paid far less, so do not trust older blog posts.

The ticket is valid for one entry and up to 24 hours. If you leave the park and come back the next day, you pay again.

Who counts as a citizen, resident or non resident?

Your rate depends on your papers, not where you live. KWS uses four groups and the gate checks your document against your ticket.

Pick the wrong group on eCitizen and you may pay the difference at the gate. Keep the ID you used to book in your pocket.

• East African citizen: a citizen of an EAC country. Show your national ID or passport.
• Kenya resident: a foreigner living in Kenya with a valid resident permit or alien card.
• African citizen: a national of any African country outside the EAC. Show your passport.
• Non resident: everyone else, including tourists from the UK, US and India.

How much do children, students and seniors pay?

Children pay half the adult rate until they turn 18. Children aged 5 and under do not pay at all. So a Kenyan family of two adults and two kids aged 8 and 12 pays KES 3,000 in park fees.

Students up to age 23 pay the child rate when they come on an organised trip with their school, college or university. The trip must be arranged through the institution with papers to show it.

Kenyan citizens aged 70 and over enter free. Persons with disabilities are also exempt. Bring proof, such as your ID or your disability card.

How to pay the Nairobi National Park entrance fee on eCitizen

You pay online through KWSPay, which runs on eCitizen. KWS gates do not take cash. Paying the night before saves you a slow queue and weak network at the gate.

If you come with a tour company, the fee is part of your tour price. On our Nairobi National Park safari we buy the tickets for you and send them before pick up.

• Open kwspay.ecitizen.go.ke and pick single park entry for Nairobi National Park.
• Choose your date, your visitor group and the number of adults and children.
• Add your vehicle by seat count if you are driving yourself.
• Pay with Mpesa or card. A small eCitizen convenience fee is added.
• Save the QR code ticket as a screenshot. The gate scans it.

What does it cost to take a car into the park?

Every vehicle pays a daily fee on top of the people inside it. The fee follows seat count, not the number of passengers.

A self drive family in a saloon car pays KES 600 for the car. A tour van with 7 seats pays KES 1,500. Tour drivers and guides registered with the Tourism Regulatory Authority do not pay a personal entry fee.

• Under 6 seats: KES 600 per day
• 6 to 12 seats: KES 1,500 per day
• 13 to 24 seats: KES 3,000 per day
• 25 to 44 seats: KES 4,500 per day
• 45 seats and above: KES 5,000 per day

Is the Nairobi Package with the Orphanage and Safari Walk worth it?

Yes, if you plan to see all three in one visit. The Nairobi Package costs KES 1,300 for an adult citizen. The park alone is KES 1,000 and the Animal Orphanage alone is KES 300. So the Safari Walk is basically free.

For residents the package is KES 1,750. For non residents it is USD 105, against USD 80 for the park plus USD 25 for the Orphanage. If you only want the Orphanage and Safari Walk, the Nairobi Sanctuary Package is KES 500 for citizens, KES 675 for residents and USD 40 for non residents.

Do you pay the park fee to visit the Sheldrick elephant nursery?

Yes. KWS now requires every visitor to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust nursery to pay the full park fee, even if you never drive past the nursery. The nursery gate is the Mbagathi Gate on Magadi Road.

That fee is separate from the Sheldrick entry donation. See our Giraffe Centre and Sheldrick fees guide for the booking rules and costs.

What the Nairobi National Park entrance fee does not cover

The ticket lets you in. It does not include transport, a guide, fuel or food. Plan for these too.

• Your vehicle fee, which is charged per day by seat count
• A driver guide and a pop up roof vehicle if you do not own a 4×4
• Separate tickets for the Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum and Sheldrick nursery
• Snacks and water, since there are few places to buy food inside

How does Nairobi compare with other KWS parks?

Nairobi is one of the cheaper big game parks in Kenya. Only the scenic parks such as Hell's Gate and Mount Longonot cost less, at KES 500 for an adult citizen.

Amboseli and Lake Nakuru are the most expensive KWS parks at KES 1,500 for citizens and USD 90 for non residents. Tsavo East and Tsavo West match Nairobi at KES 1,000 and USD 80. The Masai Mara is run by Narok County, not KWS, so it has its own rates. Our Kenya park entry fees guide lists every park side by side.

• Hell's Gate and Mount Longonot: KES 500 citizen, USD 50 non resident
• Nairobi, Tsavo East and Tsavo West: KES 1,000 citizen, USD 80 non resident
• Amboseli and Lake Nakuru: KES 1,500 citizen, USD 90 non resident

Gates, opening hours and the best time to go

The park opens at 6am and closes at 6pm. The Main Gate on Langata Road works best from Karen, Langata and the city. East Gate is closer if you stay near JKIA or Syokimau.

Go at 6am. Lions and cheetahs move in the cool of the morning and the light is soft for photos. By 10am most cats are lying in the shade.

Have a long airport layover? Our Nairobi layover tour fits a morning game drive between flights. Want more? Add the giraffes on a Giraffe Centre tour the same day.

Questions people ask

Sources we checked: Kenya Wildlife Service conservation fees, October 2025 (official PDF); Kenya Wildlife Service conservation fees, re-published 2026 (official PDF); KWSPay on eCitizen (official payment portal); KWS FAQ: paying park fees; Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: KWS fee rule for nursery visitors; Business Daily: court halts higher park fees (Oct 2025). Rules and fees change, so we confirm them again when you book.

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