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Price wars loom as Bolt prepares to rival Uber in Kenya safaris
Bolt Kenya and Tanzania General Manager Dimmy Kanyankole speaks during the launch of Bolt Comfort at Radisson Blu Hotel Arboretum, Nairobi on June 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Estonian ride-hailing and delivery startup Bolt plans to enter Kenya’s safari experience market by the end of 2025, setting the stage for fresh competition with rival Uber, which this month launched an in-app service allowing tourists, both foreign and local, to book game drives to Nairobi National Park.
Bolt said it targets ‘affordable’ safari services in wildlife parks and conservancies — pointing to an imminent price war with the US firm.
“While most people know Bolt for everyday mobility, we’re looking at how we can extend that convenience into unique Kenyan safari experiences as well,” Dimmy Kanyankole, the General Manager, Bolt Kenya and Tanzania, told Business Daily.
“One of the areas we’re actively studying is making the safari experience more affordable and accessible for everyday Kenyans, not just foreign tourists,” he added.
Bolt did not give details on its plans, including pricing, nor the wildlife parks or conservancies it intends to cover with its planned safari services.
“While we can’t reveal full details yet, I can share that Bolt is engaging with local stakeholders and testing models that could lower the barrier for Kenyans to enjoy wildlife parks and conservancies, right from their phones,” Mr Kanyankole said.
On September 17, 2025, Uber launched Uber Safaris service, which is only available in Nairobi and costs Sh25,000 for a daytime safari for up to seven passengers, and Sh40,000 for a night safari limited to five passengers.
Developed in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Tourism Regulatory Authority and Magical Kenya, the Uber product has been integrated into the standard Uber app. However, it relies on extended-wheelbase Land Cruisers operated by licensed safari companies. It has also signed up established safari operators with licensed vehicles and certified guides to deliver the product.
“Nairobi is one of the only cities in the world that has a fully-fledged national park within the city limits. That is what makes it unique, and we saw an opportunity to tap into that,” Imran Manji, Uber’s Head of East Africa and Head of Business Development for Africa, told Business Daily ahead of the launch.
“What we have done is take the accessibility and simplicity that people associate with Uber and bring it into this safari space. The Nairobi National Park, combined with our technology, is what inspired this product,” he added.
Unlike the standard Uber trips, where vehicles range from small saloons to sports utility vehicles, Uber Safaris is a controlled service restricted to safari-ready Land Cruisers. Customers can pre-book safaris up to three months in advance, with a minimum of two days for daytime safari bookings and five days for nighttime safari bookings. Once booked, the same vehicle and guide will pick riders from their homes, take them through the park, and drop them back afterwards.
Kenya received 2.4 million visitors in 2024, representing a 14 percent increase. In 2023, the country had 2.09 million tourists, up from the 1.4 million in 2022.
