All big cities are dangerous, and Kenyan cities are not an exception. Maybe they could be more dangerous than others, but caution in all situations is a great ally. It may sound obvious, but certain cases one may have heard make it necessary to remark.

When walking through Nairobi, do not carry large amounts of money, nor valuables or jewels. Leave your documents in the hotel's safe and do not make ostentation of an expensive photographic gear. Do not carry backpacks or waist bags. Hide your money and documents in one of those wallets that are carried inside the clothes. Always walk in groups and never walk at night, even through crowded areas. Never walk through solitary places or slums.

When driving through Nairobi, keep your windows closed and the doors locked. Never leave objects inside the car.

When going out for dinner, take a car, better a taxi. Ask for the taxi to the hotel or restaurant staff, and agree the fare in advance.

If unfortunately you are attacked, never offer resistance, this could be the worst thing you could do. If you keep cool and obbey the attacker you will probably get away unharmed.

Finally, one oddity: in Nakuru there is a strongly rooted local tradition, namely robbery to white tourists travelling in rented cars. When driving through Nakuru you will tell that some people make signs from the sidewalk pointing at your wheels, as if you had a puncture or something. Ignore them. They want to make you stop, and taking advantage of the confusion, steal your belongings, or take you to some friend's workshop to empty your wallet. Don't worry, smile at them and simply pass by.

Public transport:

In trains, buses or matatus, the basic advice is to keep an eye or both on your personal belongings. Someone might approach you just for a chat, but he might also be expecting for a leak in your awareness. Don't be neurotic, just be cautious. Some documented cases have happened in which backpackers have accepted food or drinks from apparently friendly travelmates, to finally wake up from a deep sleep and realise that both their belongings and their new friend had fled away.

Roads:

This is a thorny issue and the topic that usually arises more questions and worries. In some occasions, people would ask me looking for a categorical answer, absolutely yes or absolutely no. Such answer does not exist, and even less considering each traveller's personal appreciations and peculiarities. You must balance the information available and take your own decision.

Certainly, road safety is an issue. Unfortunately Africa is usually conflictive, but specially the large development of tourism from rich countries to poor countries is an invitation for criminals to set upon the tourists' fat purses and wallets. Never forget that, no matter how poor you may be, you are always wealthy to their eyes. Never underestimate your ostentation capacity.

Attacks on the road happen, mainly at night but not only. They are usually committed by organised groups of bandits or poachers, the infamous "shifta". Sometimes they will try to stop the vehicle, and occasionally they will spray the car with bullets when they don't succeed. In occasions they simply get into the car through the back door when the driver stops before a large pothole. Keep the back door locked at all times.

Avoid driving through unpopulated areas or far away from parks and towns. Never ever drive at night. This recommendation refers both to safety and accidents. Remember that the accident rate in Kenya is sky high, and driving at night is always riskier because lorry drivers don't sleep as much as they should.

The Nairobi-Mombasa highway, the most important in the country, is a paramount target for bandits. Some cases of diurnal attacks have happened, but the risk is much higher at night.

You should avoid all the northern and northeastern regions, from the borders with Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia to the limits of the most visited parks (Samburu complex). These areas include the towns of Garissa, Marsabit and Mandera. Bandits cross the borders illegally from the neighbouring countries, searching for European and North American tourists that are less abundant in their native countries. Never travel to Turkana or Marsabit on your own or even in a small group, to these areas it is mandatory to travel in large convoys.

Ethnic riots happen occasionally in Isiolo. In principle they do not involve foreigners, but seek some information about the status of this region before travelling, since clashes can be very violent. Isiolo is on the way to Samburu, so this road is usually very busy.

Parks and reserves:

Although it may sound paradoxical to our European ears, parks are not always safe for the sole fact of being national parks. In parks like Meru, Tsavo, Masai Mara and Samburu, poachers wander about looking for prey and some attacks have been recorded. In Samburu, Kenya Wildlife Service rangers were themselves responsible for the attacks. Fortunately this case is anecdotic and the authorities reacted rapidly. Masai Mara also seems now to be relatively safe.

The Amboseli-Tsavo road through Oloitokitok was very problematic some years ago. Kenya Wildlife Service replied offering a free armed escort service. The measure was effective, since the area seems quiet now.

Meru national park, for long a poachers' realm, has lately recovered peace, allowing us to enjoy again one of the most beautiful spots in the country.

As mentioned above, the north and northeast are unsafe. The same applies to the parks in these areas. Losai, Marsabit and all the Turkana region must be visited in groups, which usually travel northward in convoys.

Night driving is forbidden in the parks, so the advice against this practice is not necessary.

Probably the safest places in all the country are the lodges in parks and reserves. No attack has ever occurred there, so you can feel absolutely safe.

Looking for a general rule, here it is: seek information on the safety status of the regions you plan to visit, because the situation fluctuates periodically. Your travel agency will surely give you the scoop.

Beaches:

If you spend some days at one of the coastal resorts, you will tell that the hotel has a private ground next to the beach, in which most tourists remain except for briefly crossing the public area to take a bath in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. Beaches are not really dangerous, as long as you take some basic precautions.

You can safely lay down on the public beach to tan your skin, but if you do so, do not carry beach bags nor other items, and of course never leave your belongings unattended on the sand while you swim. Don't get deceived by the presence of askaris or private guards in the hotel grounds, as long as you are outside the hotel you are outside their responsibility.

More than one of safety, the problem at the beach is one of privacy: forget the romantic moment alone with your sweetheart on the tropical white sands. You will receive consecutive visits from many men, the so-called beach boys, who will attempt to sell everything, from a sarong to a safari. They never give up and they won't let you alone even below the water: some of them use a boat to approach the bathers and sell their goods. The hotel management will recommend not to talk with the beach boys, but there is no problem in doing so, they will just want to know about you and exchange some items. You can buy sarongs, but obviously never hire a safari here.

This paragraph is specially targeted to men. If you are alone or with a group of pals, the beach boys may attempt to sell you drugs. You must know that in Kenya, possession or consumption of any type of drug, including marijuana, is a severely punished crime. I can't talk about how the Kenyan prisons are. It is also possible that you are offered girls. Remember that at least half of the prostitutes in Kenya are carriers of the AIDS virus.

Now, a paragraph for women. If you are young and at the beach with no apparent mate, the beach boys will probably flirt with you. Naturally, for women wishing to broaden their horizons, this is the place. But be cautious, do not mean things you don't want to happen. If something undesirable occurred, remember that the hotel would have warned you and you wouldn't have followed their advice, so for them you would have been responsible for ignoring their advice. If conversely you do want to let something happen, don't forget that in Kenya, sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, are as usual as a common cold, but much more dangerous. In Africa, the most frequent way for AIDS transmission is heterosexual intercourse.

All the above applies to the daylight hours. At night things change and the public beaches are unsafe. Save your romantic moonlight beach walk for a different occasion...

Police and rangers:

The Kenyan police is extremely kind and polite with foreigners. This is a sample of the strategic importance of tourism and the income generated by this activity. Of course, there are always black sheep and corruption is a serious and endemic problem in Kenya, but the uncovered cases are usually cut straight away. Not long ago, the police dismantled a hijacking band which was led by a police elite unit, the Alfa Romeos, a division devoted precisely to the prevention and research of these very same crimes.

The same applies to Kenya Wildlife Service rangers. These men and women play an essential role in nature conservation, with wretched salaries and fighting poachers with hardly any resources or weapons. Leaving apart the sad episody of the Samburu rangers, their behaviour is always exemplary, don't be confused by their sometimes hieratic aspect, in many cases it's just the character of their Maasai origin.

In many premises and private grounds you will see security guards, the askaris. They are not policemen, they belong to private security forces. Hence, in principle they do not deserve the same trust, they serve their lord but don't expect their help if you need it.