Kenya Safety concerns for family on Safari

I will be going to Kenya with my family (Me, wife, children ages 14, 11 and 8) and was concerned about safety and the political situation I read about on the news.

Has anyone been there recently? Your observations and advise would be much helpful in keeping my anxiety in check.

Any input, positive or negative would be much appreciated.

Hi there Ozziworld,
let me put your mind at ease. Kenya is as safe now as it has ever been. In fact due to the fact that so many people are still worried about travelling to Kenya when you get there you will have the parks virtually to yourselves which is a real luxury.
I'm going back in four weeks time (and was even there last March after the trouble and the whole situation had calmed completely).

Your kids will love you forever for the chance to visit this amazing country. It's everything the visitor imagines it to be and then multiply that by 100.

The only drawback of Kenya is in my opinion, Nairobi. Nairobi is not a safe city after dark. Do not travel by foot after dark in Nairobi, always use a taxi. But it's perfectly safe (as far as I've seen) during daylight hours once personal safety is considered(no jewellery, outward signs of affluence, etc., ) and common sense are used.

Besides that, the people are great and really welcoming to visitors, don't forget, tourism is the No. 1 economic generator for the entire country, it's in their interest to look after you.

So go and enjoy, and watch your children's faces as they encounter a lion or elephant for the first time, you can't beat that anywhere.

Thanks for the input Zaksame, always good to hear from someone who has actually been there. The articles in the media can be quite alarming and the travel advisories posted by the U.S. government are really alarming.

I live in the Philippines now and the travel advisory on the Philippines are very alarming. I would never describe the Philippines as dangerous. I would agree that, like everywhere else, certain threats exist in certain locations. If one were to follow the Tavel advisories, they would end up staying at home and would be warned about the safety of staying at home.

I hope other people chime in to further put my mind at ease.

I've sent you a PM to fill you in with some more detail, hope it helps.
Zaksame

hi,
Let me give you assurance that Kenya is a very safe country. You can travel safely anywhere around the country with your family. Though there was some friction in January 2008, everything is back to normal now.
Although like any country there are usually dos and don'ts mostly in the city. For Nairobi avoid walking at night alone without a guide and always watch out for your camera. And in mombasa and coastal area in general try as much as possible to avoid the beach boys. Otherwise everything will be fine.

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]

Oooh Kenya is very safe,you can do anything and travel to any part of the country,those are just but rumours,but just like the other Cities,you have to keep safety for yourself first,avoid walking at night in not well light areas,and avoid going to the slums without assistance from the a person who has know-how of the area(guide).

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]