Masai Mara Entry Fees 2026

Two seasons, one switch-over date: fees step up on 1 July and drop back on 1 January.

The Mara uses a two-season fee calendar. The green (low) season runs 1 January to 30 June and the high season runs 1 July to 31 December, which overlaps the months when the wildebeest migration is usually on the Kenyan side. The season is decided by the calendar date of each day you enter, so a safari that straddles 30 June and 1 July pays both rates.

Tap a month to see the daily adult and child rate for that month.

Pick your residency. Non-residents pay in US dollars; Kenyan citizens and residents pay in Kenya shillings.

Your rate depends on the document you can show at the gate. Non-residents (international visitors without a Kenyan or East African residence permit) pay the dollar rate. Kenyan citizens pay the lowest national rate with a national ID, East African residents (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi) pay a shilling rate with valid residency papers, and Narok County residents have their own local rate with proof of residence. Rates are the same whether you sleep inside or outside the reserve.

Sort any column or filter by residency. The KES columns put dollar and shilling rates on one scale.

A non-resident adult in high season pays the most of any category, roughly 8.6 times the KES 3,000 Kenyan-citizen adult rate and nearly 26 times the KES 1,000 Narok-resident green-season rate, at an exchange rate near 129. At the other end, children aged 8 and under are free in every category, and certified student groups from East Africa and Narok enter free in the green season.

Tip: tap a column heading to sort. Scroll sideways on small screens.

KES equivalents for dollar rates use the exchange rate set in the chart above (default 129). They are planning figures, not gate prices.

Enter your group, dates and vehicle. The calculator applies the right season to each day, even across 30 June and 1 July.

Estimates use the 2026 schedule on this page. They exclude private conservancy fees, balloon flights, aircraft landing fees and anything your lodge or operator adds. Gate staff apply the current schedule on the day.

The ticket runs 06:00 to 18:00 on the day you enter. It does not start a 12-hour countdown.

A Masai Mara entry ticket is a 12-hour day ticket valid from 06:00 to 18:00, regardless of the time you enter, and it does not carry over to the next day. The county moved from a 24-hour ticket to this 12-hour rule in July 2023. Two linked rules matter when you leave: guests departing by road must exit by 10:00, and guests flying out must reach the airstrip before 10:00; staying longer adds another day’s fee. Guests staying outside the reserve who only pass through to an airstrip inside it are issued a two-hour transit ticket at the gate.

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A per-vehicle, per-day charge on top of everyone’s entry fee, set by seating capacity.

Every vehicle entering the reserve pays a daily vehicle entry charge in Kenya shillings, in addition to the per-person fees. The band depends on the number of seats. A standard pop-top safari Land Cruiser or safari van falls in the 6–12 seat band, so most private safaris pay KES 1,500 per vehicle per day.

Seating capacity	Fee per day
Less than 6 seats	KES 1,000
6–12 seats	KES 1,500
13–24 seats	KES 3,500
25–44 seats	KES 4,500
45 seats and above	KES 5,000

Charged per person per night, on top of the daily entry fee.

Campers pay a nightly camping fee in addition to the daily entry ticket. Private (special) campsites cost more than public sites and carry a KES 10,000 reservation fee. Campers who want armed ranger security overnight pay a separate night fee, and any group can hire a ranger to ride along on game drives.

At the KAPS office in Nairobi, or on arrival from authorised KAPS staff at gates and airstrips.

Tickets are sold by KAPS, the reserve’s appointed ticketing agent, either at the KAPS offices in Nairobi or on arrival from authorised KAPS staff at the gates and airstrips below. Plan to pay cashless, by M-Pesa or card: the Mara Triangle accepts no cash at all, and cashless payment is the dependable option on the Narok side too. Bring the original ID that proves your rate; in the Triangle a driver’s licence is not accepted, and visitors without the right document are charged the non-resident rate.

• Sekenani Gate Gate
• Oloolaimutia Gate Gate
• Talek Gate Gate
• Musiara Gate Gate
• Keekorok Airstrip / lodge
• Olkiombo Airstrip
• Musiara (Governors) Airstrip / camp
• Ewaso Nyiro Airstrip Airstrip
• Simba Lodge point
• Fig Tree Lodge point
• Purungat Bridge Triangle
• Oloololo Gate Triangle
• Serena Airstrip Triangle

Gate-day checklist

• Passport for every non-resident (with permit page for residents)
• Kenyan national ID, or birth certificates for citizen children
• Proof of Narok County residency, if claiming that rate
• M-Pesa balance or a Visa / Mastercard that works abroad
• Student letter, IDs and authorisation, if using a student rate
• Vehicle seating capacity known (logbook or operator note)
• Departure plan that clears the gate or airstrip before 10:00

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Yes. Fees are paid to whoever manages the land where you stay and drive.

The Greater Mara has three fee-charging zones. The Narok side of the reserve (Sekenani, Talek, Oloolaimutia, Musiara) is managed by the County Government of Narok. The Mara Triangle, west of the Mara River, is managed by the Mara Conservancy, which sells its own tickets at Purungat Bridge, Oloololo Gate and Serena Airstrip and follows the same seasonal dollar rates. The private conservancies on the reserve’s northern and eastern edges charge their own conservation fees, normally built into the nightly rate of the camps on that land. Mara Triangle fees are paid according to where you stay: if you are booked in the Triangle and drive in through Sekenani, the Conservancy tells visitors not to pay until they reach Purungat Bridge.

Planning which side of the river to base yourself on is a bigger decision than the fee itself. Our guide to where to stay in and around the Masai Mara compares the reserve, the Triangle and the conservancies by game viewing and access.

Five worked examples. Open one, or load it straight into the calculator.

Tap each card to flip from the myth to the reality.

Fees are fixed, but how many days you are charged is largely up to your plan.

1. Travel between January and June if your dates are flexible. A non-resident adult saves USD 100 per day, and the long-rains months of April and May are the quietest of the year.
2. Enter close to 06:00. The ticket ends at 18:00 whatever time you arrive, so a midday entry pays a full day for half the viewing.
3. Plan departure-day drives to end before 10:00. A slow breakfast that pushes your exit past 10:00 adds a full day’s fee for the whole group.
4. Avoid half days at the end of a road transfer. If you arrive mid-afternoon at a camp outside the reserve, consider settling in and entering at dawn the next morning.
5. Carry the right ID for everyone. Residents and citizens without accepted documents can be charged a higher rate on the spot.
6. Count young children correctly. Children aged 8 and under are free, so give exact ages when an operator quotes you park fees.
7. Share a vehicle. The vehicle charge is per vehicle, so a full 6–12 seater spreads KES 1,500 across more people.

The Mara is one stop on most Kenya trips. If you are still choosing how many days to give it, see our Masai Mara itineraries and the safari logistics guide for road and flight times from Nairobi.

Gates, rivers and the migration, from the reserve your ticket opens.

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Published by Mara Reserve – Dedicated Masai Mara Expert Visitors’ Guide (MaraReserve.org)