Is Kenya safe for solo female travelers? Kenya is an attractive place to travel to broaden your insight about Africa for sure. If you prepare as much as you can, you can enjoy your trip to Kenya. So, here is my Kenya travel advisory that I prepare for women.

First, you have to keep in mind that Kenya is a place where you have to be careful during all your trip for your safety. I went to travel to Kenya for a week myself through a Kenya tour package to do a Masai Mara national park safari tour where I can see wild animals with my eye.

It was an amazing experience to be sure that I can’t forget this trip forever in my life. But there were moments when I had to face some situations like pickpocketing. If you want to go on a trip to Kenya as a female traveler, Here is information for your safety that will be good to know before you leave.

Is Kenya safe to do a solo trip for women?

Before I went to travel to Kenya, I had been to Prague, New York alone. So it was not my first time going to a foreign country. But even though you are an experienced female traveler, finding as much travel advice about Kenya as you can is always good for your safe travel. Because you will see totally different world here beyond all your expectation.

I recommend that if you plan to travel as a female traveler, you need to watch out while traveling. Here were real situations that I run into during my trip.

Situation 1️⃣: At the airport in Nairobi

When I landed at Kenya airport around 5:00 am which is located in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, there were no passengers who took the same airplane with me after I got back from the restroom. For a moment, I was confused about if I had to find and look through customs inspection or not(because there was no sign). I went to the place where the conveyer was placed and one man who looked like an airport staff stood behind it. I put my backpack on it. Then suddenly he said to me, “do you have money?” For a second, I knew instinctively that something was wrong.

And then he pointed out my small shoulder bag and said again, “do you have money there? open this small bag”. I showed him some 1 dollar bills which were lucky for me it was not 100 dollar bills. Obviously, the combination of a backpack(no luggage), an old sweatsuit that I wore, and 1 dollar bills were enough to make him think that I’m not rich at all and that maybe you are richer than I am. With hearing a little sigh from him, I can come out of the airport safely to meet my travel company agent.

Advice💁‍♀️: I recommend not wearing expensive cloth or jewelry. It makes you their target. Also, If you need to bring cash just in case, change your cash with a small unit of money like a 1-dollar, or 2-dollar bill and keep them in several places in your small bag, pocket, or luggage. Check and ask for more tips to other travelers on the NomadHer is a good way to get advice for your trip.

Situation 2️⃣: On the center of the street

On the last day of my travel, I had to stop by the government office to show my passport before arriving at the airport. After I got in my travel agent’s car after getting back from the office, an armed man came to the car and asked again for my passport. There was no reason that I had to show him. My driver who was a travel agent at the same time, raised his voice strongly for me saying that why she had to show you her passport even though she already went through the process 5 min ago. After a little confrontation, this armed man moved back and disappeared. This kind of case could happen often.

Advice💁‍♀️: If you want to travel to Kenya, I recommend you book all your trip through a Kenya travel company and choose a group tour with other travelers. The tourism industry here is huge so you can find well-organized travel programs easily and they are helpful. A solo trip as a female traveler without a travel company can be risky in Kenya. Using public transportation alone is not recommended during your trip.

Kenya Health & Safety Travel Tips

Before you go to Kenya, make sure to do more research on what you need to prepare and Kenya's travel requirements for leaving. Here are recommendations to bring for your safe travel.

• Yellow fever vaccination: Kenya is a high-risk malaria destination. If you want to enjoy your trip to see mother nature, you need to be careful about your health to prevent bites by mosquitoes and insects all the time.
• Pack plenty of mosquito repellents
• Prepare some medicine for emergency
• Wear long sleeves and pants
• Protein bars and snacks: If you go on a safari game drive tour in Masai Mara national reserve for a few days which is the most famous activity in Kenya, it would be hard to find a place to buy snacks. Just in case local food does not suit your taste, bringing some snacks could be a good idea. Also considering the price is not cheap in Kenya, it is good for your travel budget.
• Bring plenty of portable power banks that you need. Kenya is a beautiful country for sure. So you want to take lots of photos and videos, especially when you see wild animals like lions, leopards, buffalo, and so on. As much as you prepare, you can fully enjoy the travel.

Food Hygiene in Kenya

When you stay at top hotels and safari camps, the quality of food that is served to you would be quite good to enjoy the local taste. But when you choose food, you need to check if is well-cooked or not. Don’t eat raw food such as fruits that cannot be peeled. Also, I advise you to always drink bottled water instead of tap water. You need to be aware of what you eat during your trip to Kenya.

Without a doubt, Kenya is definitely a beautiful place to travel. If you see mother nature with wild animals there, I’m sure that you will fall in love with this country. Prepare as much as you can before the trip then you can enjoy all the moments.

Over 30000 female travelers from 178 countries are waiting for meeting you. Download the NomadHer app now and connect and meet travelers.  You can participate in various meetups, and travel camps and read the travel guides which are made for women now!

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💁♀️ Soyeon Bae from South Korea is a bookworm, content creator, digital nomad, and travel lover. Including Kenya, she has traveled to Prague, New York, Kenya, New Zealand, and Paris herself. Now, she dreams to travel to the Antarctic and the Arctic to see mother nature with her eye.