Safari Rally Kenya 2027 Returns to Naivasha on 18 March

EXPATS & NOMADS · NAIVASHA, KENYA

Safari Rally Kenya 2027 is set for Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 March, with Naivasha as its base, after the World Rally Championship confirmed Kenya on its 2027 calendar. Tickets, the route and the service park are not published yet, so this guide separates what is confirmed from what is not.

Safari Rally Kenya 2027 will run from Thursday 18 March to Sunday 21 March 2027 around Naivasha, as a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The championship published the date on 8 October 2026, and President William Ruto confirmed the same day that Naivasha would host.

What Is Confirmed for Safari Rally Kenya 2027

The WRC calendar places Kenya third in a 15-round 2027 season, after Rallye Monte-Carlo on 21 to 24 January and Rally Sweden on 18 to 21 February. The FIA, the sport’s governing body, approved the calendar through its World Motor Sport Council.

Ruto announced the news on Thursday 8 October 2026 with the words that the Safari Rally stays home. He added that the world’s finest drivers would again take on the plains, valleys and roads of Naivasha.

The 2027 season introduces new technical rules called WRC27, which the promoter says are meant to cut costs and widen participation. The United States returns with Rally US from 26 to 29 August, the series’ first visit there since 1988.

Why Kenya’s Place Was in Doubt

Kenya came back to the championship in 2021 after a 19-year absence, and its agreement with the FIA ran through 2026. The October announcement ended the uncertainty about 2027.

In March 2026, at the closing ceremony, Ruto said the 2026 rally would be the last supported with public money. From 2027 the event moves to private-sector financing, and the funds once used to promote it go to school sport and other sporting activities.

In June the Sports Cabinet Secretary, Salim Mvurya, appointed the Kenyan rally driver Carl Tundo as chief executive of the WRC Safari Rally Project. In October Ruto thanked that project, private-sector partners, the FIA and the WRC Promoter for securing Kenya’s place on the 2027 calendar.

What the 2026 Rally Tells Us About 2027

The 2026 rally ran from 12 to 15 March and was the 73rd edition, which the organisers call the longest-running annual sporting event in Kenya. It was held entirely in Naivasha because new FIA rules limit a rally week to four days.

The service park stood at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Naivasha. The ceremonial start moved there from the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, and the Kasarani super special stage was dropped.

Takamoto Katsuta and his co-driver Aaron Johnston won the rally in a Toyota, the first WRC victory for Katsuta. Trouble for his Toyota team-mates on the Saturday handed him the lead.

The organisers set designated spectator zones on every Saturday stage across the Rift Valley. A shakedown stage on the Thursday morning was open to spectators for the first time.

Whether 2027 repeats that layout is not yet known. Treat the 2026 route as a guide to the area and not as a promise.

Where the Action Happens Around Naivasha

Naivasha is a Rift Valley town about 91 km (56 miles) northwest of Nairobi on the Nairobi-Naivasha-Nakuru highway. The 2026 shakedown stage was a short walk from that road.

The 2026 stages included Camp Moran, Loldia, Kedong, Soysambu, Elementaita and Sleeping Warrior, with Oserengoni and Hell’s Gate on the final day. The finale was the Wolf Power Stage inside Hell’s Gate National Park.

The 2026 rally covered 350 km (about 217 miles) of timed stages and 843 km (about 524 miles) of road sections between them. Loldia was the longest stage at 25.6 km (about 16 miles), and Mzabibu the shortest at 8.27 km (about 5 miles).

Mzabibu, on Morendat Farm, also hosted the Rally Village with sponsor displays and driver autograph sessions. Fans can expect something similar, but no 2027 fan programme has been announced.

Tickets and Spectator Access

No ticket seller has been named for the 2027 rally, and no prices have been published. The official site, safarirally.ke, still carried the 2026 edition when we opened it on 17 October 2026.

The 2026 spectator guide named viewing zones for each stage and printed no ticket prices. Treat any 2027 ticket offer as unverified until the organisers or the WRC name an official seller.

Entry and Safety for US Visitors

US citizens need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) before boarding a flight to Kenya, and the US State Department says the passport must stay valid for six months after arrival with two blank pages. Our guide Kenya Makes US Visitors Buy US$44 Insurance explains the new health-insurance step inside the ETA process.

The State Department advisory for Kenya is Level 2, exercise increased caution, issued on 28 July 2026. It describes the road from Nairobi to Nakuru as two lanes with slow trucks and risky passing, and it advises against driving between cities at night.

The advisory also flags landslide risk in central Kenya during heavy rains from March to May, and the Safari Rally was traditionally held in the rainy Easter period. Medical care is mostly limited to Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, so the advisory urges medical evacuation insurance.

Getting There and Planning the Trip

Most visitors will fly into Nairobi and drive or take a transfer to Naivasha, a journey of about 91 km (56 miles). The 2026 organisers urged fans to use public transport or car pools and not to park along the competitors’ route.

Ruto said every edition fills hotels in the area, so book Naivasha and Lake Elementaita beds early once the route is known. At the 2 October rate of KSh 130 to US$1, any shilling price that appears later is easy to convert.

The organisers call the Safari Rally Africa’s answer to the Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first edition ran in 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari, and the rally left the world championship in 2002 before returning in 2021.

Safety Rules Every Spectator Should Know

The organisers tell fans to watch from marked spectator areas and to stand behind barriers or something solid. They warn against standing on the outside of a bend, in front of trees or on escape roads.

Never rely on the sound of an approaching car, and stay in one spot until the stage ends. Children must be kept under constant watch, and the guide holds adults fully responsible for them.

Marshals can cancel a stage if people ignore their instructions. The guide’s golden rules for drivers are to keep left, never drink and drive, and remember that your car is not a rally car.

What Is Not Confirmed Yet

The 2027 route, service park, ceremonial start and spectator zones have not been published. The ticket seller, the prices and the fan programme are also still open.

We found no 2027 entry list, and the site of the rally village is not named. How private financing will change facilities for fans has not been explained.

Check safarirally.ke and wrc.com again from November, when route and ticket news is most likely to appear. We will update this guide when the organisers publish them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: WRC calendar announcement, 8 October 2026 · WRC calendar · Safari Rally Kenya official site · Safari Rally Kenya 2026 Spectator Guide · The Standard · Kenyans.co.ke · ChimpReports · Capital FM via allAfrica · US State Department, Kenya travel advisory · Kenya eTA portal