Festivals and events. Updated November 2026. 5 min read.
For four days each March, the volcanic dust of the Rift Valley belongs to the fastest drivers in the world. World Rally Championship cars come over the crest at Hell's Gate trailing plumes of powder, slide through the fine fesh-fesh sand on the shores of Lake Elementaita, and splash through whatever the first rains have left. Zebra graze a few hundred meters from the stage. Kenyans line the hillsides with flags, radios and picnics, and Naivasha is full.
The Safari Rally is Kenya's round of the World Rally Championship, based at Naivasha, about two hours from Nairobi. At the time of writing, the 2027 rally is on the WRC calendar for March 18 to 21, a Thursday to Sunday, as Citizen Digital reported; the championship and the organizers confirm the final schedule and stages in the weeks before. You watch from designated spectator zones along the stages, stay around Lake Naivasha or Elementaita, and add a few days of safari. Our sports page covers sports travel to Kenya in general; this page is the rally itself.
A short history of the toughest rally
The rally began in 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari, run across Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It became the East African Safari Rally and then the Safari Rally, and from 1973 to 2002 it was a round of the World Rally Championship, famous as the hardest event on the calendar: thousands of kilometers on open public roads, mud, washouts, wildlife and heat. Kenyan drivers made their names on it. Joginder Singh won it three times, and Shekhar Mehta won it five times, four of them in a row from 1979 to 1982.
Costs and changes in the sport took the Safari out of the championship after 2002, and for years it ran as a regional event. It returned to the World Rally Championship in 2021 in a new form: shorter, closed special stages around Naivasha, with a service park nearby. The terrain is still the toughest in the series, and rain in March can turn a fast gravel stage into a mud bath overnight.
The stages
The route changes each year and is published by the organizers before the event. The 2026 rally, held March 12 to 15, used stages at Camp Moran, Loldia, Kedong, Soysambu, Elementaita, Sleeping Warrior and Oserengoni, finishing with the Hell's Gate power stage, where the fastest drivers earn bonus points on the final day. Expect a similar map in 2027, but check the official itinerary.
| Stage area | Landscape | Why watch here |
|---|---|---|
| Hell's Gate | Inside Hell's Gate National Park: cliffs, gorges and geothermal steam | The power stage on Sunday, and the most dramatic backdrop |
| Soysambu and Elementaita | Conservancy land on the shore of Lake Elementaita, with fine dust and open plains | Fesh-fesh sand, wildlife nearby and flamingos on the lake |
| Sleeping Warrior | Rocky ground below the hill near Elementaita named for its profile | Rough, technical driving and good views from the slopes |
| Kedong | The Kedong valley south of Naivasha, sandy and fast | Long sightlines over the valley floor |
| Loldia and Oserengoni | Ranch and sanctuary land west of Lake Naivasha | Close to the lake lodges, so short transfers |
How spectating works
You watch from designated spectator zones, set back from the road at points the organizers choose for safety and view. Marshals and, inside the parks, Kenya Wildlife Service rangers manage the crowds. In recent editions, access to some zones has needed a ticket or a park entry fee, with details released in the weeks before through the official Safari Rally channels; we buy what is needed for you. Arrive early: access roads close before the first car, and you cannot move between zones while a stage is live.
- Stand only where the marshals allow, never on the outside of a bend or in a runoff area
- Keep children within arm's reach; rally cars on gravel arrive faster and closer than you expect
- Bring a scarf or mask for dust, a hat, sunscreen and a rain jacket
- Carry water and food; stalls exist but queues are long
- Do not fly a drone near a stage; the airspace is controlled during the rally
- Wildlife is around you inside Hell's Gate and Soysambu; follow the rangers
Where to stay
Naivasha's lodges and camps fill for rally week and raise their rates, so book by December for a March rally. The south lake road has the widest choice, from simple camps to lake lodges, and is close to Hell's Gate. Elementaita and Nakuru, 30 minutes to an hour away, are good if Naivasha is full or you want to watch the Soysambu stages. Day trips from Nairobi are possible, about two hours each way, but traffic on rally days is heavy. Our where-to-stay page for Naivasha compares the areas.
A four-day rally weekend
| Day | Rally | Around it |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Shakedown and the opening of the rally | Arrive in Nairobi or drive to Naivasha; boat on the lake in the evening |
| Friday | First full day of stages | A spectator zone near Naivasha; dinner at the lodge |
| Saturday | The longest day, often around Elementaita and Soysambu | Flamingos and Rothschild's giraffe nearby; an early night |
| Sunday | Final stages and the Hell's Gate power stage, then the podium | Back to Nairobi, or on to your safari |
Two add-ons work well. Lake Nakuru, about an hour away, adds rhinos, lions and the lake's birdlife on the Monday. The Maasai Mara is a few hours further by road or a short flight, and March there is quiet, green and good value, with the reserve fee in its lower band, $100 per adult per day from January to June at the time of writing. Fees change, so check our park fees page before you pay.
March weather, and Easter in 2027
March is the turn of the season. Early in the month is usually hot and dry, with dust; later in the month the long rains often begin, and an afternoon storm can change a stage completely. Pack for both. In 2027 Easter falls a week after the rally, on March 28, so the Easter long weekend will fill lodges and roads again; if you want both, book early.
Rally week is one of the busiest times of the year at Naivasha, so if you are planning a quiet lake stay in March and do not care for the cars, choose a different week. Kenya Experience trips can be paid in full or monthly, with no deposit.
