Masai Mara Park Fees and Conservancy Fees Explained

Entice Africa October 26, 2026Safari Planning, Travel Guides & Practical Advice

Masai Mara park fees for a non-resident adult are USD 100 a day from 1 January to 30 June and USD 200 a day from 1 July to 31 December. Children aged 9 to 17 pay USD 50 in both seasons, and younger children enter free. Private conservancies charge a separate fee, which camps normally include in the nightly rate, so always ask.

This guide sets out the 2026 figures, what the 12-hour ticket means, how the Mara Triangle differs, how fees are paid and where sources disagree, so you can budget with no surprises. It is part of our complete Masai Mara safari guide.

Planning this trip? Get a free quote in 6 hours →

Masai Mara park fees at a glance

Fees last verified: October 2026. Rates can change, so confirm before you travel in 2027.

Park fees are one line in a safari budget. A short trip such as our 3-Day Maasai Mara Roar & Roam Safari starts from USD 1,420 per person, and prices depend on season, group size and lodge choice. Our guide to what a private Masai Mara trip really costs covers the other lines.

Maasai Mara reserve fees 2026

Narok County Government runs the reserve. We could not read a Narok County fee schedule directly, so these figures come from news reports, the Mara Conservancy and camp notices. A Business Daily report dated 6 May 2026 gives USD 100 for January to June and USD 200 for the rest of the year. The two-rate system began in 2024, when Narok County Government confirmed it in a statement. The Mara Conservancy had announced the plan on 13 September 2023.

Children

Non-resident children aged 9 to 17 pay USD 50 a day. Governors’ Camp and Kenyans.co.ke say children 8 and under are free, while the Mara Conservancy says under 8. Confirm age 8 with your operator.

Kenyans, residents and East Africans

• Foreign nationals from within East Africa: KSh 4,500 per adult.
• Kenyan citizens from outside Narok County: KSh 3,000 per adult.
• Narok County residents: KSh 2,000 per adult.

A commercial 2026 guide lists different, season-based rates, such as KSh 1,500 low and KSh 3,000 high for a Kenyan adult. These conflict, so check the current rate before booking.

What “per 24 hours” means: the 12-hour ticket

Guides often say the fee covers 24 hours. None of the pages we read use that wording. The Mara Conservancy and Kenyans.co.ke describe a 12-hour ticket, valid from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm whatever time you enter, which does not carry over overnight. Business Daily says billing is per day. Expect one fee for each day you spend in the reserve, and guests lodged outside it pay a daily entry fee.

Your departure morning matters. Kenyans.co.ke says guests leaving by road must exit by 10 am or pay another entry fee, while Governors’ Camp says departures after 11 am pay a further full-day fee. Guests on the morning flight schedule are not affected, according to Governors’ Camp. Its 2024 notice adds that a balloon flight inside the Mara Triangle or Mara Conservancy area on departure morning needs a full-day park fee. Ask your camp for its cut-off.

What park fees add up to

These examples are simple arithmetic from the non-resident rates above, not a quote.

Mara Triangle fees

The Mara Triangle sits inside the reserve but is run by the Mara Conservancy, which sells its own 12-hour ticket, valid 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Its 2023 notice used the same non-resident figures as the Narok side: USD 100 in low season and USD 200 per 12-hour ticket in high season. The current fee tables are published as images we could not read as text, so check the 2026 amount with the Mara Conservancy.

Bring a passport, a national ID or, for Kenyan children, a birth certificate. Driver’s licences are not accepted, and without suitable ID you pay the non-resident rate. Visitors staying in the Triangle pay only at Purungat Bridge, not at Sekenani Gate. To choose a side, read our comparison of the Mara Triangle and the Greater Mara.

How park fees are paid

For the Triangle, tickets can be bought online with a Visa card through KAPS, the e-ticketing company, or on arrival from KAPS staff at Purungat Bridge, Oloololo Gate or Serena Airstrip. The Mara Conservancy says cash is not accepted, but M-Pesa and credit cards are.

KAPS has been Narok County’s electronic ticketing agent since 2014. A commercial 2026 guide describes online payment by Visa, Mastercard or M-Pesa, with a digital receipt shown at the gate. No official page we read says whether cash is accepted at Narok-side gates, so ask your operator how your fees will be settled.

Mara conservancy fees

Conservancy fees are separate from the reserve’s entry fee. In the conservancies, landowners lease their land for tourism and receive a lease fee or a share of profits. Africa Geographic says conservancy nightly rates are generally higher than reserve rates and that land-lease fees are paid to Maasai landowners.

We found no official tariff for Mara North, Naboisho, Olare Motorogi or the other conservancies. One commercial 2026 guide gives USD 80 to 120 for a non-resident adult and USD 45 to 75 for a child. Other travel guides put it between about USD 80 and USD 150 per person per night. These are guide ranges, not tariffs, and sources differ on whether the fee is per day or per night.

Conservancy fees are normally part of the nightly camp rate for guests staying inside the conservancy, but we could not confirm that on a published tariff. Ask whether conservancy fees are included in the rate, and how they combine with the reserve’s daily fee on a day you visit both, which we could not find stated anywhere.

For camps that offer these extras, see our guide to Masai Mara conservancy camps.

How to avoid fee surprises

• Ask for an itemised quote that shows park and conservancy fees as separate lines, or says they are included.
• Count every day in the reserve, including arrival and departure days.
• Ask your camp for its exit cut-off on the last morning.
• Ask how the park fee applies on a balloon morning. Our optional Masai Mara balloon is USD 550 per person.
• A longer stay such as our 5 days Masai Mara Migration Safari (from USD 2,750 per person) means more fee days, so check how they are handled.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Masai Mara entrance fee for a foreign tourist in 2026?

A non-resident adult pays USD 100 a day from 1 January to 30 June and USD 200 a day from 1 July to 31 December. Children aged 9 to 17 pay USD 50.

Is the Masai Mara park fee charged per 24 hours?

The sources we read describe a 12-hour ticket valid 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Business Daily says per day. Plan on a fee for each day inside the reserve.

Are conservancy fees included in my camp rate?

Normally yes for guests staying inside the conservancy, but we could not confirm this on a published tariff. Ask the camp before you book.

Can I pay Masai Mara park fees in cash?

The Mara Conservancy says the Triangle does not accept cash but takes M-Pesa and credit cards. We could not confirm the rule for Narok-side gates, so ask your operator.

Why did Masai Mara park fees change?

The Mara Conservancy announced the two-rate plan in September 2023, and Narok County Government confirmed it in 2024. The sources we read describe the change rather than explain the county’s reasons.

Do I need ID at the gate?

The Mara Conservancy accepts a passport, national ID or a birth certificate for citizen children, but not a driver’s licence. Without suitable ID you pay the non-resident rate.

Photo: Maasai Mara, Kenya – 52519324186 by Ninara, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons