Namibia raised its park fees on 1 April 2026, and for foreign visitors most of them roughly doubled. A costing built on the old tables now undercharges every foreign adult by N$130 a day at Etosha. Namibia also charges per vehicle as well as per person, a line that is easy to leave out when you price per head.
The rates below come from the source that sets them: Government Gazette No. 8877 of 1 April 2026, Government Notice No. 115. In it, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism amends the Regulations Relating to Nature Conservation under the Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1975, with effect from 1 April 2026. The copy linked is the gazette as archived by Namibia’s Legal Assistance Centre. The previous rates come from the ministry’s own schedule in force from 1 January 2021 (PDF).
Which parks are in which fee group?
The gazette puts the state parks into three fee groups:
| Group | Parks |
|---|---|
| Top group | Ai-/Ais Game Park, Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Dorob National Park, Etosha National Park, Namib-Naukluft Park (except Sandwich Harbour), Tsau //Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park, Skeleton Coast Park, Waterberg Plateau |
| Second group | Bwabwata, Mudumu, Khaudum, Nkasa Rupara and Mangetti national parks; Popa Falls, Daan Viljoen, Hardap, Naute and Von Bach game parks; South West Nature Reserve |
| Sandwich Harbour | The Sandwich Harbour section of Namib-Naukluft Park |
The gazette gives the groups no names. “Top group” and “second group” are this guide’s labels.
What do people pay?
Every gazetted rate is two equal halves, a park entrance fee and a conservation fee. The totals below are what a person pays.
Top group (including Etosha)
| Age | Namibian citizens | SADC nationals | Other foreign nationals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 and over | N$60 | N$180 | N$280 |
| 9 to 15 | Free | N$100 | N$180 |
| 8 and under | Free | Free | Free |
Second group
| Age | Namibian citizens | SADC nationals | Other foreign nationals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 and over | N$40 | N$130 | N$200 |
| 9 to 15 | Free | N$80 | N$150 |
| 8 and under | Free | Free | Free |
Sandwich Harbour
| Age | Namibian citizens | SADC nationals | Other foreign nationals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 and over | N$50 | N$100 | N$150 |
| 9 to 15 | Free | N$50 | N$100 |
| 8 and under | Free | Free | Free |
Note the age bands. The adult rate starts at 16, not 12 or 18, and a child of 9 to 15 pays well over half the adult rate. A family quote that uses another country’s age bands will be wrong here.
What do vehicles pay?
Every vehicle pays its own fee, set by seat count:
| Vehicle | Top group and second group | Sandwich Harbour |
|---|---|---|
| 10 seats or fewer | N$60 | N$50 |
| 11 to 25 seats | N$150 | N$100 |
| 26 to 50 seats | N$600 | N$400 |
| 51 seats and over | N$1,000 | N$700 |
Because it is per vehicle, its cost per client depends on how full the vehicle is. At Etosha, a couple in a 10-seat vehicle pays N$30 each for the vehicle. Seven clients in the same vehicle pay under N$9 each. Price the vehicle line from the vehicle you will actually use, since the jump from 10 seats to 11 more than doubles it.
How much did the fees go up?
The ministry’s schedule in force from 1 January 2021 set these rates for the same parks:
| Rate | From 1 Jan 2021 | From 1 Apr 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Top group, foreign adult | N$150 | N$280 |
| Top group, SADC adult | N$100 | N$180 |
| Top group, foreign child | N$100 | N$180 |
| Second group, foreign adult | N$100 | N$200 |
| Vehicle, 10 seats or fewer | N$50 | N$60 |
| Vehicle, 11 to 25 seats | N$100 | N$150 |
The foreign adult rate at Etosha rose 87%. Any costing, package price or rate sheet made before April 2026 needs checking against the gazette.
Are the fees charged per day?
The gazette sets the amounts but doesn’t restate how long an entry lasts. The ministry’s 2021 schedule set out these rules:
- Fees are valid for a 24-hour period starting at the time of entry, per person, per park.
- Fees are payable for every day, for visitors and for vehicles.
- The minimum charge is 24 hours, and after that in units of 24 hours.
- Fees are non-refundable.
The worked example below applies those rules. They come from the 2021 document, so confirm with the ministry that they still apply before you fix a price.
How do you build Namibia park fees into a costing?
Use two lines per park, each with its own unit:
- People: travellers × days in the park × the rate for their age band, nationality and the park’s group.
- Vehicles: vehicles × days in the park × the rate for the vehicle’s seat count.
Worked example: two foreign adults and one child aged 12, three days in Etosha, in one vehicle with 10 seats or fewer.
- People: (2 × N$280 + N$180) × 3 days = N$2,220
- Vehicle: 1 × N$60 × 3 days = N$180
- Total: N$2,400
Under the 2021 rates the same trip came to (2 × N$150 + N$100 + N$50) × 3 = N$1,350. The new fees add N$1,050 to one family’s three days.
Parks in different groups on one itinerary, say Etosha then Bwabwata, need separate lines, because each group has its own rate. The tour costing sheet keeps quantity, unit and rate separate so a per-vehicle line doesn’t get multiplied by headcount. The fees are in Namibian dollars. If you quote in another currency, state the exchange rate on the quote. A clear safari quote also names the gazette the fees come from and the vehicle size it assumes.
For the neighbouring parks, see Kruger park fees, which SANParks charges per night, and Zimbabwe park fees, priced in US dollars.