Nairobi National Park Night Game Drive With Kws Rangers 🌙

A KWS-approved night safari with two armed rangers, 18:00 to 21:00

• 🕔 In the park 18:00–21:00
• 🛡️ Two armed KWS rangers in your vehicle
• Adults only: KWS does not allow children
• 🎟️ USD 440 each for two, down to USD 275 each for six, every KWS fee included

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Licensed by Kenya's Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA1/47/C01/25895) · TOSK member No. 0082 · ⭐ 4.9 on TripAdvisor · 🏆 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice 2024 · 2025 · 2026

A Nairobi National Park night game drive is a private game drive inside the park from 18:00 to 21:00, after the gates close to day visitors. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) approves every guest by name in advance, two armed KWS rangers ride in the vehicle, and only filtered torches are used. Children are not allowed. With Wild Springs Adventures it costs USD 440 per person for two non-resident adults, every KWS fee included, with pickup from your Nairobi hotel.

Night drive at a glance

By Tim Kamau, Director, Wild Springs Adventures · Prices and KWS rules checked: October 2026

Why does a night drive cost more than a day drive? 🎟️

🎟️ Two tickets for every guest, and more

A night game drive in Nairobi National Park costs more than a daytime drive, and we would rather explain why before you ask.

• Two KWS tickets for every guest. A daytime visit needs one ticket, the park entry fee. A night drive needs two: the park entry fee and the night game drive fee.
• Night tickets for the vehicle and the driver as well, on top of the vehicle's daytime entry.
• Two armed KWS rangers ride in every vehicle, and their fee is paid per vehicle.
• A longer evening. Your Land Cruiser and driver-guide are with you from mid-afternoon until about 22:00, for three hours inside the park.

For two guests, more than a third of the price goes straight to KWS. Every one of these charges is already in your price, and your quote lists them line by line, so nothing is added at the gate.

KWS's payment charges are added when these are paid. They are included in your price too.

How much does the night game drive cost?

One private Land Cruiser takes up to six guests, because two of its eight seats are for the KWS rangers. The price per person falls as the group grows: the vehicle, the rangers and the night tickets cost the same for one guest or six.

Non-resident adults (USD)

Kenyan citizens and residents (KES per person)

• Groups of 7–12 travel in two vehicles, each priced at its own group size (8 guests = 4 + 4 at USD 315 each), when KWS approves two vehicles for the date.
• Mixed groups pay one vehicle price, with each guest at their own KWS category. Ask us for the exact total.
• Other African citizens have their own KWS park fee. Ask us for your price.
• Bring the passport or ID you were booked under: KWS checks it at the gate.

What's included

• ✅ Both KWS tickets for every guest: park entry and the night game drive fee
• ✅ Two armed KWS rangers, and the vehicle's and driver's KWS tickets
• ✅ KWS payment charges
• ✅ Your own closed Land Cruiser with a TRA-licensed Wild Springs driver-guide, and fuel
• ✅ Pickup and drop-off at your Nairobi hotel or home
• ✅ Drinking water
• ✅ KWS-approved filtered torches
• ✅ Arranging the KWS approval with your names and passport or ID numbers

Not included

• ❌ Dinner and alcohol
• ❌ Tips for the guide and rangers (always optional)
• ❌ Travel insurance
• ❌ Kenyan eTA fees, for layover guests
• ❌ Your payment method's charge, shown below

📋 Deposit and payment

Nothing is paid until KWS approves your date. A 50% deposit then confirms the booking, and the balance is due 72 hours before the drive. Account details come only on your Wild Springs invoice, never through social media or a personal number.

How does booking work? 📋

KWS approves every night drive in advance, guest by guest, and limits the number of night vehicles each day. So dates are by request, and nothing is charged until KWS says yes.

1. Ask for a date on WhatsApp with these details: the date, how many adults, where you are staying, and whether each guest is a non-resident, a Kenya resident or a citizen. On a layover, add both flight numbers. Or send the booking form, and we'll contact you for the details.
2. We check the date with KWS Nairobi National Park the same day.
3. Send your guest details through our secure form: each guest's full name as in the passport, passport or ID number, and nationality. Please don't send passport photos on WhatsApp. We use these details only for the KWS approval and delete them after your drive.
4. KWS approves. We send you the KWS reference, the vehicle registration, your guide's name and your pickup time.
5. Pay the 50% deposit to confirm. The balance is due 72 hours before the drive.
6. On the day, we message you at noon and share our live location from pickup.

When to book

For December and school holidays, ask 30 days ahead: those dates fill first.

Your request moves through: Request received → Details received → Sent to KWS → Approved → Confirmed → Completed

What happens on the evening? 🕔

Everything is timed back from KWS's 17:20 check at the Main Gate, so your pickup time depends on where you are staying. This example starts from a Westlands hotel in October.

Door to door, the evening takes about 5½ to 6¾ hours, three of them inside the park.

Pickup and return times by area 📍

With guests at two addresses, we start at the one farthest from the gate, and each extra stop adds about 15 minutes. On wet afternoons every pickup moves 30 minutes earlier.

What animals can you see at night? 🦁

On an 18:00–21:00 drive you will usually see plains animals in the last light, and you may see lions, rhinos, hyenas or jackals after dark. Leopards are rare, the park has no elephants, and nothing is guaranteed.

The park's big animals, in numbers 🦏

• Rhinos: 126 black and 49 white rhinos, by KWS's count in July 2025. The park is one of Kenya's key rhino sanctuaries.
• Lions: about 45 lions plus cubs at KWS's 2019 count, in three named prides.
• Leopards: a few live in and around the park, and sightings are rare.
• Elephants: none live in the park.

How dark is it, month by month?

Times are for the middle of each month, calculated for Nairobi. "Fully dark" means the sun is 12° below the horizon.

The moon. On about half of all evenings the moon is below the horizon from 19:30 to 20:30, so the park is truly dark. On moonlit nights the plains turn silver and shapes show without the torch. Ask us which evenings are moonless when you choose your date. Neither is known to give better sightings.

Honest expectations

Night drives are about behaviour, sound and atmosphere, not a checklist. In the first 20–50 minutes you will usually see plains animals in the last light. After dark we search with filtered torches. On some nights we find lions, rhinos or hyenas; on quiet nights the reward is the sound of the park and the city lights on the horizon.

Sightings log. We record every drive: the date, the animals seen and heard, the moon and the weather. The monthly summary appears here, starting with our first published month.

What to wear, bring and expect on board 🧥

Wear warm layers and a windproof jacket, even in the dry season. Evenings are cool, around the mid-teens °C and coolest from June to August, and a moving vehicle feels colder. Closed shoes help, and a hat for the dark hours. Blankets are on board. April, May and November are the wettest months, so bring a rain jacket then.

Bring

• The passport or national ID you were booked under, because KWS checks it at the gate
• A phone or camera and a charged power bank; a small beanbag steadies a camera on the window frame
• Binoculars, if you have them: they work well in torchlight
• Any medication you may need
• A little cash in KES or USD if you would like to tip

Money, tips and phone signal. Everything in your price is paid in advance, so you need no money in the park. Tips are never expected; if you would like to tip, give it to your driver-guide and the rangers at the end of the drive. Our guides carry Safaricom lines, and we share our live location from pickup.

Rules on board

Photographing the park at night 📸

Film video while the torch is on an animal; it usually works better than still photos. Brace your phone or camera on the window frame and avoid digital zoom. With a camera, use your fastest lens, RAW files, a high auto-ISO limit, about 1/125–1/250 second and −1 to −2 exposure compensation. Expect grain and silhouettes: that is what wildlife looks like at night.

Tell us at booking if anyone has limited mobility. The Land Cruiser has a high step, and guests stay seated inside for the three hours in the park.

Can I do the night drive on a Nairobi layover? ✈️

Yes, if your layover is about 12 hours or more: land at JKIA by about 13:15 and fly out after about 01:05 (scheduled times). We meet you at arrivals, drive you to the Main Gate for the 18:00 drive, and drop you at departures at about 22:05, at least three hours before your flight. It costs USD 465 each for two non-resident adults, or USD 285 each for six.

• Onward flights that fit (checked 24 Sep 2026; schedules change, so check your ticket): Kenya Airways KQ498 to Zanzibar at 01:20, Ethiopian ET309 to Addis Ababa at 03:00 and Turkish Airlines TK608 to Istanbul at 03:10 run daily. Qatar Airways QR1342 to Doha at 01:20 runs most nights, and some nights add flights to Jeddah, Riyadh, Cairo and Dar es Salaam.
• Too early: most flights to Europe, Dubai, New York and Asia leave between 21:00 and 01:04. Choose our daytime layover game drive instead.
• You need an approved Kenyan eTA unless your nationality is exempt (from USD 30; allow up to 72 hours; apply at least two weeks ahead at etakenya.go.ke), your bags checked through to your final destination, and both flight numbers when you book.
• If your inbound flight is late, we decide at 15:55 from live flight and traffic data. If the gate can no longer be reached by 17:20, you get back all KWS charges and half of our service charge, and we take you to an airport hotel or back to the terminal at no cost.

💬 Ask about a layover date on WhatsApp

Sheldrick, the Giraffe Centre and the night drive in one day 🦒

For travellers who land by about 06:50 and fly out after about 01:05, or who have a last full day in Nairobi. Meet the orphaned elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust nursery at 11:00, feed the giraffes at the Giraffe Centre in the afternoon, take the night drive from 18:00 to 21:00, and reach JKIA departures by about 22:05. It costs USD 570 each for two non-resident adults, or USD 375 each for six, with lunch, the Sheldrick donation, Giraffe Centre entry and the KWS fees on one park ticket included. If KWS requires a second park ticket for the evening, add about USD 93 per person. The Sheldrick nursery takes bookings by email only, so book this day at least 14 days ahead.

Families can take the daytime part as our Giraffe Centre and Sheldrick day tour, because the night drive is adults only.

💬 Ask about this day on WhatsApp

Is the night game drive safe? 🛡️

You stay inside a closed Land Cruiser for the whole drive, with two armed KWS rangers on board and a TRA-licensed Wild Springs driver-guide at the wheel. KWS knows every guest and every vehicle in the park that night, because it approves the names in advance. A standby vehicle is on call near the Main Gate until the 17:20 check, and the guide carries a first-aid kit and emergency contacts.

Why two KWS rangers ride with you

KWS requires two armed rangers in every night-drive vehicle. They keep everyone safe in the dark, enforce the park rules and know the park well. Because two of the Land Cruiser's eight seats are theirs, each vehicle takes at most six guests.

Who runs your night drive ⭐

Wild Springs Adventures is a Nairobi tour operator licensed by Kenya's Tourism Regulatory Authority (licence TRA1/47/C01/25895) and a member of the Tour Operators Society of Kenya (No. 0082). We run the night drive in our own Land Cruiser with our own TRA-licensed driver-guides. Rated 4.9 on TripAdvisor · 🏆 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice 2024 · 2025 · 2026 · Read our reviews on TripAdvisor

Office: City Park Drive, Valley View Office Park, Tower A, First Floor Room 4, Nairobi · Phone and WhatsApp: +254 729 257 317 · [email protected]

Who this night drive suits, and who may not enjoy it

It suits couples and small groups with a free evening in Nairobi, layover travellers with the right flights, photographers happy to film by torchlight, Nairobi residents who have never seen the park after dark, and travellers who arrive a day before their safari.

It may not suit:

• families with children, because KWS does not allow children on night drives;
• anyone who needs a guaranteed sighting, because nights vary;
• travellers fresh off an overnight flight, who will enjoy a later evening more.

Cancellation and changes

Every rule for what happens if something changes is set out here, before you pay.

The drive runs in the rain unless KWS stops it. On wet afternoons we collect you 30 minutes earlier.

Frequently asked questions

Prices and KWS rules checked: October 2026

How much does a Nairobi National Park night game drive cost?

USD 440 per person for two non-resident adults, USD 315 each for four and USD 275 each for six, with every KWS fee included. Kenyan citizens pay KES 38,500 each for two, and Kenya residents KES 39,000.

Why does a night drive cost more than a day game drive?

Each guest needs two KWS tickets, the park entry fee and the night game drive fee, and the vehicle and driver need night tickets too. Two armed KWS rangers ride in every vehicle, and the vehicle and guide are with you from mid-afternoon until about 22:00. All of this is included in the price.

Are the park fees included?

Yes. The price includes the KWS park entry and night game drive fees for every guest, the two rangers, the vehicle's and driver's KWS tickets, and KWS's payment charges.

What time does the night game drive start and end?

You are in the park from 18:00 to 21:00, the hours KWS sets for night drives. Pickup is between 15:20 and 16:05 depending on your area, and you are back at your hotel at about 21:35–22:05.

Why do we have to be at the Main Gate by 17:20?

KWS checks payment and every guest's documents at the Main Gate by 17:20, before its offices close. Our pickup times leave a margin for Nairobi traffic.

Do you need KWS rangers for a night drive?

Yes. Two armed KWS rangers ride in every night-drive vehicle, which is why one Land Cruiser takes at most six guests.

Is the night game drive private?

Yes. Each Land Cruiser carries one booking only, for up to six guests.

Can children go on the night game drive?

No. KWS does not allow children on night game drives. Our daytime game drives welcome children.

How far in advance should I book?

At least 7 days ahead for a hotel pickup and 14 days for a layover, because KWS approves every guest and limits night vehicles each day. Later requests are possible if KWS can still approve them, and nothing is charged until it does.

What details do you need to book?

Each guest's full name as in the passport, passport or ID number, and nationality or residency category. We collect them through a secure form and send them to KWS for approval.

What animals can you see at night in Nairobi National Park?

Usually zebra, giraffe, buffalo and antelope in the last light, and possibly lions, black and white rhinos, spotted hyenas and jackals after dark. Leopards are rare, the park has no elephants, and no sighting is guaranteed.

Is the night game drive safe?

It runs under strict KWS safety rules: you stay inside a closed Land Cruiser with two armed KWS rangers and a TRA-licensed Wild Springs driver-guide, and KWS knows every guest and vehicle in the park in advance.

Can I do a night game drive on a Nairobi layover?

Yes, if you land at JKIA by about 13:15 and fly out after about 01:05, with an approved Kenyan eTA unless your nationality is exempt. We meet you at arrivals and drop you at departures at about 22:05.

Can I take photos? Is flash allowed?

Yes, by the light of the filtered torches; video usually works better than still photos. Flash, phone torches and drones are not allowed.

What should I wear?

Warm layers and a windproof jacket, even in the dry season, because evenings are cool and a moving vehicle feels colder. There are blankets on board.

What happens if KWS doesn't approve the date, or my flight is late?

If KWS declines your date, you pay nothing; if KWS cancels or changes an approved drive, you get a full refund or a new date. On a layover, we decide at 15:55 whether the gate can still be reached by 17:20; if not, you get back all KWS charges and half of our service charge, with a free transfer to an airport hotel or the terminal.

Related trips: evening game drive (sunset, in daylight) · daytime layover game drive · Giraffe Centre and Sheldrick day tour · Nairobi National Park guide

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