Entry fees for various national parks and reserves across the country are set to go up with effect from January 1, 2011. This follows the gazettement of the new rates by the Minister for Forestry and Wildlife, Hon. Dr Noah Wekesa in a Special Issue of the Gazette Notice No. 207.

The new rates will mostly affect foreigners visiting Lake Nakuru, Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Amboseli and Meru national parks – five popular but ecologically fragile national parks.

The new conservation fees will be applied during the high season months of January, February, March, July, August, September and October.

The name of the charges has been changed from ‘park entry fees’ to ‘conservation fees’ to reflect the fact that whenever visitors enter national parks, they are making a contribution to the conservation and the continued survival of wildlife and their habitats for generations to come.

The fees for premium national parks like Lake Nakuru and Amboseli moves from USD 60.00 to USD 75.00 for foreigners while that for wilderness parks like Tsavo East, Tsavo West, and Meru rises from USD 50.00 to USD 60.00.

The fees review aims at encouraging visitation during low season in highly visited parks and reducing congestion during peak seasons to maintain the ecological integrity of such wildlife areas.

The biannual review is necessary to meet the rising cost of improving infrastructure within national parks to meet visitor demands as well as enhance conservation activities. The last review was carried out in 2009.