Safari Rally Kenya 2026 Route Changes Confirmed After Nairobi Stage Axed
The tradition of the Kasarani Super Special Stage will be dropped in next year’s edition of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya, marking a major shift in the event’s routes since its debut on the global calendar in 2021.
Since 2021, Nairobi has been hosting the super special stage, serving as the ceremonial start of the rally, drawing a huge number of spectators from within the country and East Africa.
This comes with other changes, with the rally week being shortened by one day and the shakedown stage pushed from Wednesday to Thursday in the morning. Nawisa, which is a five-kilometer stretch, will serve as the official shakedown ahead of the competitive race.
The 2026 WRC Safari Rally will now start on Thursday afternoon, and drivers will tackle Camp Moran and the Mzabibu Stage that’s in Naivasha.
Friday will feature eight stages; these are Lodia, Kengen Geothermal, Kedong, and Camp Moran. This will be the longest day, as all the stages will cover about 136.55 kilometers.
On Saturday there are about six stages to be competed on, including Soysambu, Elementaita, and Sleeping Warrior; each run is twice, covering a total of 123 kilometers.
The last day will be on Sunday with four stages to be competed on with repeat runs of Oserengoni and Hell’s Gate, and the Hell’s Gate power stage will once again decide the final standings.
Rally headquarters and the service park remain in Naivasha, and the 2026 Safari Rally Kenya will be the third round of the 2026 WRC season, which will run from March 12 to March 15, 2026, and about 20 special stages will be covered, amounting to 350 kilometers.
The WRC season for 2026 will begin with Rallye Monte-Carlo, which runs from 22 to 25 January 2026; Rally Sweden follows up, starting from 12 to 15 February 2026, and the WRC Safari Rally Kenya is to begin from 12 to 15 March 2026.
