Kenya Solo Female Travel Safety Tips and Advice

On this page you will find first-hand, unbiased, and real safety tips, advice and reviews from women traveling solo, submitted directly from their personal experiences in the country.

Their opinions are unfiltered and submitted independently as part of the Solo Female Travel Safety Index, a ranking of 210 countries and regions based on how safe they are for women traveling solo.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers.

You don’t need to login to read the below reviews. But do sign up or login to share your solo travel experiences, country safety rating and comments.

Kenya Country data

We have compiled a few data points below that can help you better understand Kenya and have more context when thinking about travel safety.

Official country name: Republic of Kenya.

Etymology: Named for Mount Kenya. The meaning of the name is unclear but may derive from the Kikuyu, Embu, and Kamba words "kirinyaga," "kirenyaa," and "kiinyaa", all of which mean "God's resting place".

Capital: Nairobi.

Independence / foundation: In 1890, Germany and the UK divided up the region, with the UK taking the north and the Germans the south, including present-day Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. The British established the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, which in 1920 was converted into a colony and named Kenya after its highest mountain.

Numerous political disputes between the colony and the UK subsequently led to the violent Mau Mau Uprising, which began in 1952, and the eventual declaration of independence in 1963. Jomo KENYATTA, the founding president and an icon of the liberation struggle, led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when Vice President Daniel Arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession.

Population: 57 million.

Currency: Kenyan Shilling (KES)
1 USD = 130 - 144 KES
1 EUR = 140 - 158 KES

Time zone: UTC+3

Languages spoken: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages.

Religions: Christian 85% (Protestant 33%, Catholic 21%, Evangelical 20%, African Instituted Churches 7%, other Christian 4%), Muslim 11%, other 2%, none 2%, don't know/no answer <1%.

Climate: Varies from tropical along the coast to arid in the interior.

Real GDP (ppp – purchasing power parity): $263.7 billion.

Real GDP per capita (ppp): $4,900.

Main airports: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kisumu International Airport, Moi International Airport.

World heritage sites in Kenya

There are over 1,100 world heritage sites spread across more than 165 countries. New ones are added every year, and some may be removed from the list for various reasons.

Number of UNESCO listed sites: 7.

Top world heritage sites:

- Fort Jesus (Mombasa).
- Thimlich Ohinga Archaeological Site.
- Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest.
- Lake Turkana National Parks.
- Lamu Old Town
- Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests
- Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley

Interesting facts about Kenya

- Kenya has more than 40 ethnic groups. Native to Central Kenya, the Kikuyu is the biggest ethnic group with over eight million people.

- Some of the most beautiful beaches in Africa can be found in Kenya.

- Kenya is home to the Big Five: lions, elephants, leopards, rhinoceros and Cape buffalos, and over 50 wildlife reserves and parks.

- Kenya is recognized as the "Cradle of Humankind". Africa's oldest human remains were found in the Tugen Hills in Kenya, and go back 7 million years.

Further reading: N/A.

---

Kenya Travel tips

More about Kenya on Solo Female Travelers

Coming soon.

Did you spot any errors? We do our best to keep this information updated and accurate, but things change. If you saw anything that is not right, let us know so we can fix it: [email protected].

About the Solo Female Travel Safety Index

Safety matters to solo female travelers, you told us so in our annual Solo Female Travel Survey, where year after year, women prove that this is their most important concern when traveling solo.

We wanted to do something about it, so we built these country-specific pages where you can find reviews and scores for 7 key variables affecting the safety of women traveling solo.

How to use the Safety Index

On this page, you will find the country score and the personal opinions on safety of other women traveling solo.

You can sort the comments by:

• The level of experience traveling solo of the reviewer (beginner = <5 trips solo, Intermediate = 5 to 10 trips solo, Experienced = >10 trips solo).
• The age of the traveler.
• Whether they are a visitor or local.
• The date they were posted.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers. 

Thus, the lower the score, the safer the country.

---

Looking for more safety resources?

This entire website is devoted to helping women travel solo. Check out the links below to learn more:

Solo Female Travel Stats: Results from the the largest, most comprehensive and only global research study on solo female travel trends, preferences and behaviors published.

Thanks to Jacobo Vilella for creating the Solo Female Travelers Safety Index ❤️