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Nairobi National Park entrance gates
Use Langata Main Gate from city hotels. Use East Gate from JKIA. Cheetah Gate sits on the southern Kitengela side. Every gate is cashless. Guest tickets on kwspay.ecitizen.go.ke.
| Gate | Use it when | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Langata Main Gate / KWS Headquarters | Hotels in the CBD, Westlands, Karen, Langata, Kilimani | Langata Road, about 7 km from the CBD. Animal Orphanage and Safari Walk sit next to this gate. Sheldrick Nursery is a short drive. Ivory Burning Site is just inside. |
| East Gate | JKIA layovers and Mombasa Road hotels | 8 to 12 km from JKIA. Fastest onto the Athi plains, dams, and Hippo Pools. The usual layover entry. |
| Cheetah Gate | Kitengela, Athi River, southern lodges | Quieter southern access. Not the default for a city-hotel morning. Tell us if you are sleeping south of the park. |
Langata Main Gate
This is the visitor default. KWS headquarters, ticket desks, and the interpretation area sit here. From Langata Road you are minutes from the Ivory Burning Site, Hyena Dam, and the western circuit. Full-day guests often exit here for Sheldrick at 11:00. Group tours meet 15 minutes early at this gate.
East Gate
Southeastern edge, industrial area and Mombasa Road. About 20 to 35 minutes from JKIA in light traffic. The plains open quickly: Athi Dam, Hippo Pools, skyline viewpoints. We use this gate on the layover safari so you do not cross the city. If immigration is slow, we still have a shorter run than Langata.
Cheetah Gate
Southern boundary toward Kitengela. Useful if you stay at a park-edge lodge on the Mbagathi side. Not a shortcut from JKIA. We will not send a first-time hotel guest here unless they ask.
Hours and payment
Gates 06:00 to 18:00. Last entry 17:15. Hippo Pools walkers out by 17:15. KWS is cashless. Categories are East African citizen, Kenya resident, African citizen, and non-resident. Children have their own tariff. A 5 percent eCitizen gateway fee may apply. When you book our tour, guest tickets are extra. Vehicle and driver entry for our van or Landcruiser is in the safari-service rate.
| KWS category | USD / KSh |
|---|---|
| East African citizen adult | $8 (KSh 1,000) |
| East African citizen child | $4 (KSh 500) |
| Kenya resident adult | $10 (KSh 1,350) |
| Kenya resident child | $5 (KSh 675) |
| African citizen adult | $40 (KSh 5,200) |
| African citizen child | $20 (KSh 2,600) |
| Non-resident adult | $80 (KSh 10,400) |
| Non-resident child | $40 (KSh 5,200) |
| Private vehicle under 6 seats | $5 (KSh 600) |
| Minivan 6-12 seats | $12 (KSh 1,500) |
USD shown at 130 Kenyan shillings to 1 US dollar, updated 4 September 2026. Confirm on WhatsApp before you pay.
How to get there
Hotel pickup, JKIA East Gate, Uber, matatu 24, or self-drive. The park is 20 to 40 minutes from town.
Best time to visit
Open all year. Dry months for cats on open grass. Wet months for birds and calves. Morning 06:00 is the default.
Park gates
Langata Main from hotels. East Gate from JKIA. Cheetah Gate on the south. Cashless eCitizen at every gate.
Wildlife and Big Four
Lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino. No wild elephants. Giraffe, zebra, and 400-plus birds against the city skyline.
Things to do
Game drive, Hippo Pools walk, ivory site, birding, picnic dams, orphanage, Safari Walk, night drive.
Where to stay
No hotel inside the park. Park-edge lodges, Karen, Langata, and Mombasa Road. We pick up from all of them.
What to wear
Khaki and olive. Fleece at 06:00. Closed shoes for Hippo Pools. eCitizen screenshot at the gate.