Kenya National Park Fees 2026: Every Park, Every Rate, From the Official Tariff

Most Kenyan parks are run by Kenya Wildlife Service and charge foreign visitors between USD 25 and USD 90 per adult per day. The Maasai Mara is the exception that skews every comparison you will read: it is not a KWS park, it is run by Narok County, and its fee doubles from USD 100 to USD 200 on 1 July. Fees are per person per day, vehicles are charged separately, and none of it can be paid in cash at the gate any more.

Every KWS figure on this page comes from the official KWS conservation fees tariff, not from another travel site. Checked 25 August 2026. Rates do change, so open that document before you budget a big trip.

The Maasai Mara is not a national park and it is not run by Kenya Wildlife Service. It is a national reserve managed by Narok County, which sets its own prices, its own ticket rules and its own seasons. That single fact explains why the numbers you find online never seem to agree.

So when someone publishes a table of "Kenya park fees" with the Mara in the same column as Amboseli, the table is wrong. They are two different systems.

These are the non resident rates in US dollars, per person, per day, taken straight from the KWS tariff. Children are counted from five years old up to eighteen.

Two of those categories are worth a second look. Lake Nakuru is a premium park at the same price as Amboseli, which surprises people expecting it to be cheaper. And the marine parks at USD 25 are the cheapest wildlife access in the country by a distance.

Multi park packages

This is the rule that quietly costs people money and it is barely mentioned anywhere. The KWS tariff defines a daily fee as payable for a single access, valid for a period not exceeding twenty four hours. The Maasai Mara ticket, by contrast, is valid for twelve hours, with gates operating 6am to 6pm.

The practical consequence is that a three night Mara stay is charged as three separate days regardless of when you arrive, while a KWS park gives you a genuine twenty four hour window. Plan arrival times accordingly, and do not assume you can leave and come back on one ticket.

Kisite Mpunguti, Watamu, Malindi, Mombasa, Kiunga and Diani Chale are all KWS marine protected areas, and entry is USD 25 for a foreign adult and USD 15 for a child. For residents it is KSh 675 and KSh 350, and for East African citizens KSh 500 and KSh 250. For the price of a quarter of an Amboseli ticket you get a coral reef.

A few marine specific charges are worth knowing. A dhow excursion inside a marine protected area is USD 10 per person, sport fishing per line outside the marine parks is USD 15, and there is a marine annual pass at KSh 10,500 which pays for itself in about four visits.

If you are on the north coast, the marine park sits directly off Watamu’s beaches and most snorkelling trips include the fee in their price. Check whether yours does, because operators are not consistent about it. Our Watamu guide has more on the reef and when to go.

Park entry is per person. Almost everything else is billed separately, and this is where a budget quietly grows.

One more that is not a fee but will end your day badly: every KWS park, reserve and sanctuary is a single use plastic free zone. Water bottles and bags are checked at the gate.

There are four payer tiers and the gap between them is large. The tariff defines each one precisely, and the definitions matter more than most visitors realise.

• A child is five years old or above but under eighteen. Under fives are free.
• A student means someone not older than twenty three, from a recognised school, college or university, visiting under a documented educational arrangement.
• Resident status needs a valid permit, and you will be asked to show it. Bring the physical card.
• The African Citizen tier is roughly half the non resident rate and is frequently missed by travellers who qualify for it.

The tariff lists specific exemptions from conservation fees, and they are almost never published anywhere else:

• Kenyan citizens aged seventy and above.
• Persons with disability, as defined in the Persons with Disabilities Act.
• Children aged five years and younger.
• Tour drivers, guides, boat crew and porters registered with the Tourism Regulatory Authority and belonging to a registered association.
• Beach Management Unit fishing boats are exempt from boat anchoring fees.

KWS parks are cashless. You cannot rock up to a gate with dollars and expect to get in. Fees are paid through KWSPay on the eCitizen platform, by card or M-Pesa, and you arrive with a digital receipt and a QR code that the gate scans. Fees are quoted in dollars for foreign visitors but settled in shillings at the prevailing rate.

• Pay before you travel, not at the gate.
• Save the receipt as a screenshot as well as a PDF. Signal at gates is often poor.
• Book the correct tier and carry the document that proves it.
• Bring the passport or ID that matches the booking.

If you have not set up mobile money yet, our guide to money in Kenya covers how visitors register for M-Pesa with a passport in about twenty minutes, which makes paying for all of this considerably easier.

Two foreign adults with a small hired vehicle, ignoring accommodation and fuel, purely on fees:

How much is entry to a Kenyan national park?

For foreign visitors, between USD 25 and USD 90 per adult per day at KWS parks. Marine parks are USD 25, Tsavo East and West and Nairobi National Park are USD 80, and the premium parks Amboseli and Lake Nakuru are USD 90. The Maasai Mara is separate at USD 100 or USD 200 depending on the month.

Why is the Maasai Mara more expensive than other parks?

Because it is not a KWS park. The Mara is a national reserve run by Narok County, which sets its own rates independently and has adopted a low volume, high value pricing model. Its fee is USD 100 per foreign adult per day from January to June and USD 200 from July to December, covering the migration season.

How long is a Kenya park ticket valid?

At KWS parks, a daily fee covers a single access valid for up to twenty four hours. At the Maasai Mara the ticket is twelve hours and the gates run from 6am to 6pm. In both cases it is single access rather than unlimited re entry, so plan your movements around it.

Can I pay park fees in cash at the gate?

No. KWS parks are fully cashless. Fees must be paid in advance through KWSPay on the eCitizen platform using a card or M-Pesa, and you present a digital receipt with a QR code at the gate. Save it offline, because network coverage at park gates is frequently poor.

Do children pay park fees in Kenya?

Children aged five up to eighteen pay a reduced rate, generally about half the adult fee. Children aged five and under are exempt entirely. Students up to the age of twenty three can also qualify for the child and student rate when visiting under a documented educational arrangement.

Are park fees cheaper for residents in Kenya?

Substantially. Amboseli is KSh 1,500 for an East African citizen and KSh 2,025 for a Kenya resident, against USD 90 for a non resident. There is also an African Citizen tier at USD 50 for nationals of African countries outside East Africa. You must be able to prove your status at the gate.

How much are Watamu and Malindi marine park fees?

USD 25 for a foreign adult and USD 15 for a child, the same across Kisite Mpunguti, Watamu, Malindi, Mombasa, Kiunga and Diani Chale. Residents pay KSh 675 and East African citizens KSh 500. There is also a marine annual pass at KSh 10,500 that is excellent value if you visit often.

Do I need to pay extra for my vehicle?

Yes, and it is charged per day on top of every person in it. A vehicle with fewer than six seats is KSh 600 per day, six to twelve seats is KSh 1,500, and thirteen to twenty four seats is KSh 3,000. Camping, night drives, balloon safaris and drones are all separate charges again.

Park fees are the largest fixed cost of a Kenyan safari and the one most people underestimate, because entry is quoted per person per day and everything else is billed on top. The two decisions that actually move the number are which park you choose and, if it is the Mara, which side of 1 July you travel.

Verify anything here against the official KWS tariff before you commit, browse the parks themselves on kws.go.ke, and pay through KWSPay. Mara bookings go through Narok County rather than KWS.

Planning the wider trip? Our guide to Kenya’s national parks covers which ones are worth the fee, the 10 day Kenya itinerary shows how bush and beach fit together, and if you are finishing on the coast, start with Watamu or Kilifi. The seaweed season guide tells you which coastal months to aim for, and getting there is covered in our transport guide and the Mombasa airport route.