Nairobi National Park ToursHome › Guides › Nairobi National Park for Free
Nairobi National Park for Free
Nairobi National Park Free Entry exists for one group only: children aged five and under, who pay nothing per the KWS eCitizen portal. Every other visitor pays, and an adult non-resident now pays $80 at the gate.
Quick answer Who gets in free and what everyone else pays
Adult entry to Nairobi National Park is not free. The only free category is children below 6 years, per the KWS eCitizen portal, and an adult non-resident pays $80 per day. KWS has run occasional free-entrance promotions for Kenyans, so watch for those if you qualify.
Key takeaways
- Every current fee by category is in Nairobi National Park entry fees
- The cheapest guided way in is a Nairobi National Park Half-Day Game Drive at $33 plus the park fee
- Pairing the park with elephants and giraffes is covered in Nairobi National Park Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre Tour
- More free and low-cost ideas sit in Things to Do in Nairobi National Park
Can you enter Nairobi National Park for free?
Yes, but only children below the age of 6 enter free, and KWS has occasionally run free-entrance promotions for Kenyans.
The park is not free for adults on any ordinary day. Here is exactly who pays nothing and who pays a reduced rate.
Who gets in free
The KWS eCitizen ticket portal states that entry is free for children below the age of 6 years. That is the only standing free category published for the park. KWS has also run free entrance promotions in the past, which attracted many Kenyans, some on their first visit to a protected area, with patrol teams managing the crowds.
These promotions are announced by KWS itself and do not run on a published schedule, so a Kenyan traveller should follow KWS announcements rather than assume a free day. Travellers under 3 are also listed as free on some fee pages, so very young children cost nothing at all.
| Visitor | Entry cost |
|---|---|
| Child below 6 | Free |
| Adult, any nationality | Not free |
| Free-entrance promotion days | Free, announced by KWS, no published schedule |
Why your ticket is never reusable
Tickets are single-entry. One ticket cannot be reused for a second visit, so even a cheap or free ticket covers one day inside the park only.
Source: KWS eCitizen portal.
How much is the entry fee for Nairobi National Park?
A non-resident adult pays $80 and a child $40 per day, with lower rates for African citizens, Kenya residents and East African citizens.
The current structure is a flat annual rate by category, no longer split into low and high season. The table below is the full rate card.
Entry fees by category
The KWS conservation fee schedule and the park rate card agree on these figures. Prices for the African and resident categories are published in Kenyan shillings or US dollars exactly as listed by KWS.
| Category | Adult per day | Child or student per day |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident | $80 | $40 |
| African citizen outside East Africa | $40 | $20 |
| Kenya resident | KES 1,350 | KES 675 |
| East African citizen | KES 1,000 | KES 500 |
That was the old structure.
| Figure you saw | What it is |
|---|---|
| $80 adult, $40 child | Current non-resident rate |
| KES 1,350 adult | Current Kenya resident rate |
| KES 1,000 adult | Current East African citizen rate |
Student and school rates
Students pay KES 500 as East African citizens, $20 as other African citizens and $40 as non-residents. School groups can access the KWS Wild Scholars student and bus offer, plus a school bus special, so organised school trips pay less than the standard rates.
Source: Kenya Wildlife Service.
What Does Each Way Into Nairobi National Park Cost?
The cheapest legitimate day for an adult starts at $33 for a shared half-day drive plus the $80 non-resident park fee, or the park fee alone if you self-drive.
Here is every realistic way to get inside the gate, with the price you actually pay as a non-resident adult.
All the options compared
Tours below are the catalog prices per person. The KWS park fee is listed separately because most listings leave it outside the price, and you buy it yourself on eCitizen.
| Way in | Listed price | What you add |
|---|---|---|
| Self-drive in your own car | $80 KWS adult fee | Vehicle charge, paid separately |
| Half-Day Game Drive | $33 | $80 KWS adult fee, bought online before the drive |
| 5-Hour Guided Game Drive | $33 | $80 adult, $40 child non-resident KWS fee |
| 5-Hour 4x4 Safari | $33 | $80 adult, $40 child non-resident KWS fee |
| Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre Shared Day | $35 | Park fee, orphanage $20 and Giraffe Centre entry on the day |
| Nairobi National Park 5-Hour Guided Game Drive with Pickup | $33 | KWS fee $80 adult, $40 child |
| Private Tour in a 4x4 Land Cruiser | $130 | KWS fee not included: $80 adult non-resident |
The cheapest adult day
If you are a non-resident adult, the KWS fee of $80 is unavoidable. Kenyan and East African citizens pay far less, so the cheapest realistic adult day depends entirely on your category, not on the tour.
Source: Kenya Wildlife Service.
Can you enter national parks for free?
Normally no, but KWS has run free-entrance promotions in the past and children aged five and under always enter free.
Free park days exist in Kenya, but you cannot plan a trip around them.
How the free days have worked
KWS previously ran a free entrance promotion that attracted many Kenyans, some on their first visit to a protected area, and patrol teams managed the crowds. No dates for future free days are published in advance on a regular schedule. If a free day matters to you, follow KWS announcements directly.
Paying instead
Tickets are bought through the KWS eCitizen portal, and support is reachable on 0800 597000 or customerservice@kws.go.ke if a payment fails. Buy before you travel to the gate so a payment problem does not cost you your morning.
Source: KWS eCitizen portal.
Who pays which rate at the gate?
Your rate follows your status, so a non-resident adult pays $80, an African citizen $40, a Kenya resident KES 1,350 and an East African citizen KES 1,000.
Bring identification that matches the category you book, because the rate card is strict about it.
Categories at a glance
Non-residents are visitors from outside Africa. African citizens outside East Africa pay a mid rate. Kenya residents live in Kenya, and East African citizens hold citizenship in Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania.
Students qualify for the child-rate column in every category.
| Category | Adult | Child or student |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident | $80 | $40 |
| African citizen | $40 | $20 |
| Kenya resident | KES 1,350 | KES 675 |
| East African citizen | KES 1,000 | KES 500 |
Families and the free rule
Children below 6 are free on the eCitizen portal, so a young family pays adult rates plus nothing for the youngest. A child non-resident rate of $40 applies above that age. A Nairobi Package that also covers the Animal Orphanage and the Safari Walk costs a non-resident adult $105 and a child $55 if you want all three sites on one ticket.
Sources: Kenya Wildlife Service, KWS eCitizen portal.
Can I visit Nairobi National Park with my car?
Yes, you can drive your own car in, but you pay your own entry plus a separate vehicle charge.
A self-drive visit is the closest thing to a low-cost day for a Kenyan resident, and the rules are simple.
Self-drive rules and timing
Tickets are single-entry and vehicle fees are charged separately, so budget for your passenger tickets and the vehicle as two items. The exact current vehicle charge for a private car is not stated on the linked pages, so confirm it on the KWS eCitizen portal before you go. Gates open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM unless you are spending overnight in the park.
The park covers 117 square kilometers, was gazetted in 1946 as Kenya's first national park, and sits about 10 kilometers from Nairobi's Central Business District, so a self-drive day trip is easy to organise. KWS visitor tips list clean drinking water, a camera, binoculars, sunscreen, insect repellent and sunglasses. Visitors describe the park as easy to navigate with open plains and levelled roads and recommend carrying a map.
Watch your pin when navigating: ride-hailing users should check the pin leads to Nairobi Safari Walk or KWS headquarters rather than deep into the park.
Source: Kenya Wildlife Service.
Tours That Fit
The lowest-cost guided ways into the park, before the KWS fee.
Nairobi National Park Half-Day Game Drive
Four hours on the plains in an open-roof van, morning or afternoon, with hotel pickup. The $80 KWS fee is bought online on top.
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- Kenya Bush Expeditions
Nairobi National Park 5-Hour Guided Game Drive with Pickup
A five-hour drive with Wi-Fi in the vehicle and guides in English, German, French and Spanish. Pickup time confirmed the day before.
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- Giovanni Safaris
Nairobi National Park 5-Hour 4x4 Safari with Pickup
The same five hours in an open-roof 4x4 rather than a van, with a stop at the Ivory Burning Site. Morning, afternoon or evening.
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- Eloquent Tours
Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre Shared Day
Dawn game drive, the 11am baby-elephant hour at Sheldrick and the Giraffe Centre in one shared day. Park, orphanage and giraffe fees extra.
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- Rumaa Tours and Safaris Africa
Is it worth going to Nairobi National Park?
Yes, travellers rate it highly as a first stop in Kenya, with a strong chance of seeing rhino about 10 kilometers from the city centre.
Even at $80 for a non-resident adult, most visitors judge the park worth the fee.
What you get for the fee
The park offers a high chance of seeing rhino and a family-friendly safari, and it is Kenya's and East Africa's first national park, gazetted in 1946. A traveller on the Kenya forum calls it absolutely worth visiting, especially as the first stop on a Kenya itinerary. Time of day decides how much you see.
Animals are most active before the heat of the day, and the high season runs July to December and December to March, when short grass and sunny weather make wildlife easier to spot. April to June brings the long rains and muddy tracks where a 4x4 may be needed.
Source: Kenya Wildlife Service.
When is a paid tour worth it instead of going alone?
A paid tour is worth it when you have no car, want a guide who finds the animals, or need airport pickup.
The free and self-drive routes save money but leave all the work to you.
What you give up without a tour
Driving in yourself means no guide to spot wildlife, no hotel pickup and no open-roof vehicle. A shared drive at $33 gives you a driver-guide, an open-roof vehicle and pickup from your Nairobi hotel, with the ride to the gate taking about 30 minutes from central Nairobi. You also avoid the vehicle charge that self-drivers pay.
Private options go further. The Private Tour in a 4x4 Land Cruiser at $130 is rated 4.9 from 73 reviews and lets photographers hold the vehicle at a sighting, with everyone getting a window seat. If you want the full day arranged, the shared park, orphanage and Giraffe Centre day sequences a dawn game drive with the 11 AM to 12 noon Sheldrick window and the Giraffe Centre, which is hard to time on your own on a first visit. Feeding giraffes there is covered in the Giraffe Centre Nairobi guide.
Source: Kenya Wildlife Service.
What are the practical steps for a cheap visit?
Book your ticket on eCitizen, enter at the 6:00 AM opening, and stay until the 6:00 PM close to get a full day from a single-entry ticket.
A single-day ticket rewards an early start. Here is the order of things.
Step by step
1. Confirm your category and rate in the table above. 2. Buy your ticket on the KWS eCitizen portal.
If payment fails, call 0800 597000 or email customerservice@kws.go.ke, and the park hotline is 0758854363 with WhatsApp on +254 726 610509. 3. Arrive for the 6:00 AM gate opening. Animals are most active before the heat of the day. 4.
Remember the ticket is single-entry, so plan food, water and any stops before you enter. 5. Stay until late afternoon if you can. Gates close at 6:00 PM, and a full 12-hour day is the best value a single ticket can give. 6.
If you would rather not drive, book a shared drive from nairobi national park tours, where every option is priced with the park fee shown separately.
Sources: Kenya Wildlife Service, KWS eCitizen portal.
Free Entry Questions
Is Nairobi National Park free entry ever available for adults?
Only during KWS free-entrance promotions, which have run in the past without a published schedule. Normally adults pay, from KES 1,000 for East African citizens to $80 for non-residents. See the full fee table in Nairobi National Park entry fees.
Who enters Nairobi National Park completely free?
Children below the age of 6 years, per the KWS eCitizen portal. Very young children under 3 are also listed as free on some fee pages.
How much is the entry fee for a non-resident child?
A non-resident child or student pays $40 per day, and African citizen children pay $20.
Can I visit Nairobi National Park with my own car and skip a tour?
Yes. You pay your own entry plus a separate vehicle charge, and gates open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM. Details are in the self-drive section above.
Do students get a discount at Nairobi National Park?
Yes. Students pay KES 500 as East African citizens, $20 as other African citizens and $40 as non-residents, and school groups can use the KWS Wild Scholars student and bus offer.
Is the park fee included in the $33 shared tours?
No. The Half-Day Game Drive and the other shared drives list $33 per person, and the $80 adult non-resident KWS fee is paid on top, bought online before the drive.
Can I combine the park with the elephant orphanage for less?
The Sheldrick nursery costs $20 per adult in cash on the day and is booked only through the Trust itself. The sequencing is explained in the Nairobi National Park Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre Tour page.
How far is the park from central Nairobi?
KWS states the park is 10 kilometers from the Central Business District, and the drive from central hotels to the gate takes about 30 minutes.
More Guides
- Giraffe Centre Nairobi: Fees, Hours and Feeding
Hand-feed Rothschild's giraffes in 2027. Entry is $15 (Ksh 1,500) for a non-resident adult, open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. See the prices.
- Things to Do in Nairobi National Park
Game drives from $33, the Black Rhino Sanctuary, Hippo Pools and 400 plus bird species in 2027. See the prices and compare tours.
- Is Nairobi National Park Worth It?
Yes: 2027 entry is $80 plus a shared drive from $33, with about 111 black rhinos 10 km from the city centre. See what you get.