November 5, 2026
Key takeaways
- The Masai Mara National Reserve is run by Narok County Government, not the Kenya Wildlife Service, so KWS fee tables do not apply.
- The county’s fee schedule has two seasons: low season from 1 January to 30 June and high season from 1 July to 31 December.
- The county defines the entry fee as covering 6.00 am to 6.00 pm, whatever time you enter. It is a daytime ticket, not a rolling 24-hour pass.
- Conservancies around the reserve charge their own fees, usually collected by the camp you stay in. We found no public conservancy fee table to quote.
- We could not find a separate 2027 schedule on the county website at the time of writing, so confirm the rate for your dates before you pay.
Who sets Masai Mara park fees?
Narok County Government sets the fees for the Masai Mara National Reserve through its annual Finance Act. The reserve is a county-run national reserve, so the Kenya Wildlife Service fee tables that cover parks such as Lake Nakuru do not apply here.
The figures in this guide come from the First Schedule of the Narok County Finance Act, 2023, published on the county website. The county’s draft Finance Bill for the following year carried the same entry fees forward. We did not find a newer schedule for 2027 on the county website at the time of writing (November 2026).
The Mara Triangle
The western part of the reserve, known as the Mara Triangle, is managed by the Mara Conservancy, a not-for-profit body. It publishes its own conservation fees page with the rules on residency, children and tickets. It states that Mara Triangle fees are paid according to where visitors stay.
How much is the Masai Mara entry fee for non-residents and residents?
On the published county schedule, a non-resident adult pays USD 100 per day in the low season and USD 200 per day in the high season. East African residents and Kenyan citizens pay in Kenya shillings at lower rates.
| Visitor category | Low season (1 Jan to 30 Jun) | High season (1 Jul to 31 Dec) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-resident adult | USD 100 | USD 200 |
| Non-resident child (9 to 17) or student | USD 50 | USD 50 |
| East African resident adult | KSh 2,500 | KSh 5,000 |
| East African resident child (9 to 17) | KSh 1,000 | KSh 2,000 |
| Kenyan citizen adult | KSh 1,500 | KSh 3,000 |
| Kenyan citizen child (9 to 17) | KSh 300 | KSh 500 |
| Child aged 8 and under | Free | Free |
Source: Narok County Finance Act, 2023, First Schedule. Rates published at the time of writing (November 2026). Per person, per ticket. Confirm before travel.
Who counts as a resident?
The Mara Conservancy states that resident rates apply to residents of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. Kenyan citizens show a national ID. Other residents show a passport with a valid work permit or visa.
Is the Masai Mara ticket valid for 12 hours or 24 hours?
The ticket covers the daytime only. The Finance Act defines park entry fees as an amount charged for entry into the Maasai Mara from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm, “time of entry notwithstanding”.
The Mara Conservancy words it the same way for the Mara Triangle and adds that the 12-hour ticket does not carry overnight.
Older articles still describe a 24-hour ticket, which is why this question causes confusion. In practice, the published wording means:
- Arriving at 3.00 pm does not give you until 3.00 pm the next day. Your ticket ends at 6.00 pm.
- If you are inside the reserve on two different days, plan for a ticket on each day.
- Arrival and departure days are the ones to query. Ask how they are charged for your itinerary before you confirm.
What do Masai Mara conservancy fees cover, and how much are they?
Conservancy fees are separate from the reserve ticket and are set by each conservancy, not by Narok County. They fund lease payments to Maasai landowners and the running of the conservancy.
The Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association, the umbrella body, lists more than 20 conservancies on its website, including Mara North, Mara Naboisho, Olare Motorogi and Ol Kinyei.
Why we do not quote a conservancy figure
At the time of writing we could not find a public fee table from the association or from the individual conservancies we checked. Access is generally through the camps that are tourism partners of each conservancy, and the conservancy fee is normally collected by the camp, often as a per-person, per-night charge on your invoice.
Three questions to put to the camp in writing:
- What is the conservancy fee per person per night for my dates, and is it included in the rate?
- If we drive into the main reserve for a day, is the Narok County ticket extra?
- Are night drives and walks, which the main reserve does not allow, included or charged separately?
Our guide to night game drives in Kenya explains why those activities happen in conservancies and not in the reserve itself.
What other charges apply besides the entry ticket?
The county schedule lists several charges on top of the per-person ticket. Most are handled by your operator or camp, but it helps to know they exist.
- Vehicle entry. The schedule lists a daily vehicle fee in Kenya shillings that rises with the number of seats.
- Balloon flights. The schedule lists a per-person balloon landing fee payable to the county. Ask whether it is inside your balloon price. Our Masai Mara balloon safari guide covers the flight itself.
- Airstrips. Aircraft landing fees are charged per aircraft and are normally built into the air fare on a fly-in trip. See fly-in versus road safaris to the Masai Mara.
How do you pay Masai Mara park fees?
Payment is cashless. For the Mara Triangle, the Mara Conservancy states that it does not accept cash for park fees and that tickets can be bought online by card or from authorised staff at the gates and at Serena airstrip, with M-Pesa and credit card as the options. On a packaged safari your operator or lodge normally buys the tickets, so check whether park fees are included in your quote.
How should you budget for park fees on a 2027 Masai Mara safari?
Work out the number of days you are inside the reserve, multiply by the seasonal rate for each adult and child, then add any conservancy nights separately. Season matters more than anything else: the published non-resident adult rate doubles on 1 July.
A worked example using the published rates: two non-resident adults with three chargeable days in the reserve would pay USD 600 in total between January and June, and USD 1,200 between July and December. That is reserve tickets only, before vehicle, camp or conservancy charges. Count chargeable days, not nights, when you compare quotes, and ask for fees to be itemised.
How Ramja Safaris can help
Ramja Safaris plans road and fly-in trips to the reserve and can show park fees as a separate line so you can see exactly what goes to Narok County. Browse our Kenya Masai Mara safari packages or the full list of Masai Mara National Reserve tours, then request a quote for your dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Masai Mara entry fee for a non-resident adult?
On the Narok County schedule published at the time of writing (November 2026), a non-resident adult pays USD 100 per day from 1 January to 30 June and USD 200 per day from 1 July to 31 December. Confirm the rate for your travel dates, because the county can revise fees through a new Finance Act.
Are Masai Mara park fees charged per day or per 24 hours?
Per daytime ticket. Narok County defines the entry fee as covering 6.00 am to 6.00 pm, whatever time you enter, and the Mara Conservancy states that the 12-hour ticket does not carry overnight. If you are in the reserve on two different days, plan for a ticket on each day.
Do children pay Masai Mara park fees?
Children aged 8 and under enter free on the published schedule. Non-resident children aged 9 to 17 pay USD 50 in both seasons. Kenyan citizen and East African resident children pay lower rates in Kenya shillings.
Are conservancy fees the same as the reserve entry fee?
No. Conservancy fees are set by each conservancy and are usually collected by the camp you stay in. They do not cover entry to the main reserve, and the reserve ticket does not cover a conservancy. Ask your camp for the fee per person per night for your dates.
Have the Masai Mara park fees for 2027 been published?
We did not find a separate 2027 schedule on the Narok County website at the time of writing in November 2026. The figures in this guide are the rates published at the time of writing. Ask your operator to confirm the current rate before you pay your balance.
