KWS announces new park entry charges, Nairobi fees triple

A day after Kenyans enjoyed free entry into national parks across the country, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) announced new fees for the country’s national parks, reserves and sanctuaries.

It will now cost Kenyans between Sh200 and Sh3,000 to access various parks managed by KWS under new regulations that will take effect on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.

Kenyans visiting Amboseli and Lake Nakuru National Parks will now pay Sh2,025, while the new entry fee for Nairobi National Park is Sh1,350, up from Sh430. Citizens from East African countries will pay Sh1,500 to access Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, and Sh100 to access Nairobi National Park.

In the new conservation fees, KWS introduced a package of Sh1,750 for Kenyans who wish to tour Nairobi National Park, Nairobi Animal Orphanage and Nairobi Safari Walk, while East African citizens will pay Sh1,300 for the same package.

Tours to Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks will cost Sh1,350 for Kenyans and Sh1,000 for East African citizens, while new fees for Meru, Kora and Aberdare National Parks will be Sh1,100 and Sh800 for Kenyan and East African citizens respectively.

Kenyans visiting Mt Kenya National Park will pay Sh1,100, while those touring Hell’s Gate, Mt Longonot, Mt Elgon, Ol Donyo Sabuk National Parks and Lake Elementaita Wildlife Sanctuary, Shimba Hills and Kakamega National Reserves will now pay Sh675.

Access fees for children and students visiting Amboseli and Lake Nakuru National Parks will be Sh1,050, and Sh675 for Nairobi National Park, Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Meru, Kora and Aberdare National Parks.

The Nairobi Package for children and students, which includes Nairobi National Park, Nairobi Animal Orphanage and Nairobi Safari Walk, will now be charged Sh950 per head, and Sh1,550 for the Tsavo West–Amboseli Package.

According to KWS, the fees will be implemented after The Wildlife Conservation and Management (Access, Entry and Conservation) (Fees) Regulations 2025 were approved and acceded to by Parliament on Thursday, September 25, 2025.

Director General Prof Erustus Kanga stated that measures have been put in place to facilitate visitors who had already booked and paid for their trips through e-Citizen prior to the release of the new fees.

“KWS will honour all e-Citizen payments made before this announcement, and the revised fees will therefore apply only to new bookings made for 1st October onwards,” Prof Kanga stated in a statement.

“The new regulations are the outcome of a year-long open, consultative and participatory process involving stakeholders from across conservation, tourism and the general public.

“The last comprehensive review of conservation fees was carried out 18 years ago, despite a significant increase in the cost of parks and reserves management, and the expansion of Kenya’s tourism and wildlife conservation,” reads the statement released on Monday.

KWS announced that the new regulations are intended to “strengthen the financial sustainability of wildlife conservation and enhance visitor experiences.”

Fees for foreign tourists will range between $4 and $215.

In the new regulations, a person who wishes to enter, access or undertake an activity in a national park, national reserve or sanctuary shall provide the relevant identification, including a national identity card for a Kenyan citizen, a valid passport for an East African citizen, a valid passport for an African citizen, a valid residence permit for a resident, a valid passport for a non-resident, and a valid disability identification card for a person with a disability. Students will be required to provide a valid student identification card.

The new regulations further state that a Kenyan citizen aged seventy years and older, a person with a disability, a child aged five years and younger, a tour driver, a guide, boat crew and a porter who is registered by the Tourism Regulatory Authority and is a member of a registered association will be exempted from the entry fees.

Beach Management Units’ fishing boats shall be exempt from paying boat anchoring fees.

Camping fees will range between Sh200 and Sh700.