Kenyans are set for easier entry into national park holiday outings this festive season following an announcement by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which has brought back its bus shuttle services for holidaymakers in three major national parks.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 16, KWS announced that the shuttle services shall resume operation on Saturday, 20th December 2013, as part of their initiative to provide a means for tourists to engage in a game drive affordably and conveniently during the holiday season.
The buses will run in Nairobi National Park, Aberdare National Park, and Lake Nakuru National Park, where there will be timetables and pick-up points.
Within Nairobi National Park, the buses will make two trips between 9am and 2pm. The visitors will be picked from Nagol Ivory Park and the main gate of the Nairobi National Park. Kenyan citizens aged above eighteen years and members of the EAC will pay Ksh1,500, while children will pay Ksh750. Non-Kenyan and EAC nationals will pay Ksh2,000, with children paying Ksh1,000.
For those proceeding to Aberdare National Park, the shuttle shall offer a daily trip departing at 9:00 am from the Nyeri Post Office. For citizens and members of the EAC, the ticket shall cost Ksh 1,000. Children shall pay Ksh 750. For non-citizen residents, the rate shall be Ksh 1,500.
At Lake Nakuru National Park, the buses will carry out two trips a day at 9am and 2pm. Kenyan citizens and nationals of the East African Community will pay Ksh 1,750. Children, on the other hand, will pay Ksh 850. Kenyan residents pay Ksh 2,000 and Ksh 1,000 for adults and children, respectively. Pickup will be at the Railways station adjacent to the police station.
KWS explained that the shuttle services offered on weekends and holidays target visitors who would want to enjoy the parks without the inconvenience of driving their own cars.
“From this weekend, 20th December onwards, we have reintroduced the bus shuttle service on weekends and holidays only until the end of the festive holiday as part of the Jiachilie in Kenya Parks campaign,” KWS explained.
This is as the government has strengthened safety standards along major transportation routes in advance of the holiday season travel rush, as more and more Kenyans travel by road during this holiday season.