Do you think Kenya is a safe place for a family holiday ?

[LardLizard]

Thinking for Possibly next year ?

I have been there, I felt completely safe. It’s a wonderful country, Tanzania is equally safe and nice.

I know anything foreign is often frowned upon on MN but I'd just like to understand the logic behind the FGM argument.

Urm, what?

After watching that Stacey Dooley doc, I wouldn't want to knowing how badly they treat their workers (and scam tourists)
The fgm argument is why would you pay into a country that does that if you don't agree with it. Not that it would happen to your children

Malaria is far more fatal in children than in adults and ghe younger the child, the worse it is. The children of tourists regularly catch malaria and deaths are not unknown.

If you have a young child and must go in the next few years then think about South Africa, Botswana or Namibia where the malarial risk is much lower.

I would, but not Sun City because it's a bit fake and not my thing.
As for suddenly getting eaten by a great white, haaaaha ha, really?

Go to Namibia. It’s a beautiful country, fantastic coastline, amazing dunes, safari, friendly people.

Great white sharks are common in the seas off East Africa as well as southern

PMSL at the 'won't go coz of FGM' comments. Da fook has that got to do with a holiday in Kenya? You do know, do you not, that this happens in many other countries? Including Britain!

FFS, do these posters think someone will grab the OP and her daughter and perform FGM on them?

I have been to Kenya AND Uganda AND South Africa, and have found all 3 countries to be perfectly fine and safe, as long as you are sensible. I also know a young woman who went for 6 months on a gap year from her medical degree.

Obviously you have to get the right shots and tablets before you go.

But yeah go! And do enjoy it.

....but if sharks are a ral worry then Botswana is landlocked with lions

FGM happens here in the UK.

What exactly do you man by recent trouble with herdsmen?

I think the poster may have been referring to the murder last year of a safari lodge owner by pastoralists. There are conflicts over land rights in some areas (this incident was in Laikpikia). But the Masai Mara should be OK.

I advise you go to Skegness, or Southend.

We had an amazing holiday in Kenya. We didn't feel unsafe at all. There were some recent protests about the elections but to be honest, you probably would not be hanging out in the places they occurred in. The Masai Mara was incredible and will stay with us all forever. FWIW; FGM is illegal in Kenya and there is much work being done to try to change attitudes towards it. OP - I would say go!

I have travelled around quite a bit in Kenya - Nairobi, Mombasa, Diani, Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Nyeri, Nyahururu. I am visibly non Kenyan being fair skinned, blonde haired and blue eyed, with a RP accent and nobody was nasty to me or attempted to perform FGM on me.

I felt far safer there than I did in say Blackpool, LA, or Japan.

It's an incredibly beautiful country - quite breathtaking. People are generous and kind. Perfect place for an exciting and memorable holiday.

We're about to go to South Africa with dc 9, 8 and 6 - we chose it for malaria free safari in the Eastern Cape. I am a bit anxious about crime, but I've done my homework and will be vigilant/take precautions. The vast majority of violent crime takes place in townships and we won't be going into them. To be fair to a poster above, the very experienced and well travelled agent we booked through did tell me that you can't really go into the water because it is very cold and there are sharks.

FGM is illegal in Kenya. I'm not denying it still happens but it is not state supported anymore. On that logic you'd have to avoid the UK as FGM is still surprisingly widespread here.

Why not use the trip as a chance to educate your children on these issues?

It makes me sad how un-ethically conscious people are when choosing where to spend their tourism dollars. It has been said several times on this thread that those mentioning FGM are doing so from an ethical standpoint and not because they think it will happen to them or their children, yet moronic posters are coming along and mocking the point being raised.

There is a lot of evil in the world (yes here in the uk too) and one of the few ways us ordinary people get to have even the tiniest effect is by choosing where we spend tourism money. For example I will not set foot in the US while trump the pussy grabber is in the White House, despite having holidayed there often previously. People need to be more aware and socially conscious and that extends to choosing holiday destinations, IMO.

It's totally fine as long as you're silly which you don't sound like you would be. Highly recommend Masai Mara safari & the sands hotel in Diani. Or there's some lovely villas near Diani which we booked through air bnb abnb.me/PGtABMpEPK

As long as you're not out walking on the streets after dark you're fine.

Not sure about malaria with little ones. We took anti-malarials & were fine

I wouldn't I think Botswana

LardLizard

Its very safe if you stay in the South of the country as someone has already suggested. I have been a number of times. Diani is gorgeous, white sand, palm trees and cold Tusker beer. Please do visit Forty Thieves bar, situated right on the beach, paradise. Oh, and please ignore all the 'Save the planet' bores. You may also want to consider Zanzibar.

@amatree

moronic posters come along on the thread

aka people who do not agree with you.

Don't wanna go? Don't go sweetie. Stay in your own little town and leave the globetrotting to the grown ups.. I don't think anyone will care.

I’d take my children to Kenya absolutely, but I wouldn’t take a child on safari if they are under 10 as an absolute minimum. I have primary aged kids and I’ve looked into “kid friendly safaris,” and it just doesn’t exist, at least not if you want anything like a real safari experience. A safari consists of long, bumpy drives with lots of waiting and no guarantees of seeing anything. There’s usually a few hours drive in the morning and again in the early evening, and not much to do in between. A luxury camp might have a pool but there’s nothing else for kids, at all. And I think Kenya’s a pretty big trip if you’re not going to do a safari, so unless there was something else more compelling about going there I probably wouldn’t take my kids until they’re older. But not because of safety or FGM or anything.

Out of interest Amatree which countries do you think are OK for the ethically-concious to visit?

“It makes me sad how un-ethically conscious people are when choosing where to spend their tourism dollars. ”

Yes, heaven forbid you should support their economy and self sufficiency. Better to just be smug and donate to a charity.

It makes me sad how un-ethically conscious people are when choosing where to spend their tourism dollars.

This type of sanctimonious virtue-signalling post always makes me laugh.