Is Kenya Safe for Tourists? Read on

The recent unrest in Kenya has worried tourists calling their travel agents, and the common advice is: Safari trips to the bush are safe, but avoid the southern coast.

With elections expected soon in the East African country, the situation appeared stabilized last week following political violence in which scores of Kenyans died this summer and fall. The violence has not targeted tourists, agents added. The latest State Department report, on Sept. 12, advised U.S. tourists to “avoid unnecessary travel” to several coastal districts, including Mombasa, affected by violence. John Karanja, Kenya Tourist Office director in Los Angeles, last week said the coast is now safe for tourists but that coastal travel may be difficult due to recent heavy rains.

Safari-goers generally fly into the capital, Nairobi, in Kenya’s interior and then travel in escorted groups to Masai Mara and other wildlife parks. Kenya’s coast draws mainly Europeans, according to Eric Gordon, vice president of New York-based Park East Tours. He said only a handful of his American clients have canceled trips.

However, both Gordon and Anne Bellamy, general manager of Glendale-based African Travel Inc., advise tourists to travel in groups and to avoid going out at night alone in Nairobi and other cities, where street crime is “an ongoing issue,” as Bellamy put it.

Kenya’s peak tourism season is normally the fall and winter.