2.5 Months Solo-Travel In Kenya — It’s a Wrap…

Looking at the skyline of Nairobi, the city where it all began, it is hard to believe that I spent 2.5 months here, getting to know this beautiful country.

Between Excitement and Inner Resistance

I know this might sound strange to a lot of people, but when you travel a lot (like I do), moving around can get really tiring. I’ve been wanting to visit Kenya for a long time, and especially since the beginning of the year.

But strangely enough, when I finally made my way here, I felt an inner resistance. But I also know now that this is quite normal — this resistance is not about not wanting to be in the place, but rather the fear of the unknown, of going out alone again, not knowing what to expect.

Especially since I started this trip with a wonderful friend of mine in Nairobi. After 8 beautiful days in the city that I fell in love with from the first moment, I was faced with a lot of decisions that I had to make myself and really struggled with: Where am I going to go after this? How do I get there? And most importantly, how long will I stay?

From Nairobi to Diani

When you are navigating different things such as work, travel, sports, and mental well-being, it is very important to be very conscious about making those kinds of decisions. I need to know if I can find a good gym to train in, if I can find good places to work, to be creative, and of course safety and comfort. I was torn between two places: Diani, and Watamu. I didn’t want to take another flight, and I really made it my goal to travel exclusively by land during my stay in Kenya — for sustainability reasons, but also because you experience a country differently when you travel by land than when you travel by air.

After a lot of back and forth, I finally decided to go to Diani first, since you can take the train from Nairobi to Mombasa, and from there it’s another hour by car to Diani. So I thought: let me give it a try and I booked an accommodation for only 4 days.

The train from Nairobi to Mombasa takes 6 hours and I would recommend booking the VIP class if you want to travel more comfortably. The VIP ticket costs 3,000KES, which is about $20. The economy class ticket costs 1,000KES, which is about $7. You can book the tickets on the Madaraka Express website, and it is recommended to do it a bit in advance. Here is the link: https://metickets.krc.co.ke/

I booked a private transfer from Mombasa to Diani, which costs about 6,000KES ($40), and was picked up at the train station. I booked the transfer through my accommodation in Diani, and most places offer this service. You can also take the local transport, called Matatu, which will cost you much less.

And here I was in Diani — and it felt so good to be back on the Swahili Coast! I was especially thrilled to find my favorite dish, Octopus in Coconut, on my first day. But still — I could feel my inner resistance creeping up on me, and I was having a hard time being in the now, just being there, without planning my next steps. But as much as we talk about being in the now — after all, I was only booked for 4 days, so I had to somehow decide whether to stay, go to Watamu, or take the bus down to Tanzania, which was my original plan. And at the same time, I really didn’t want to decide anything.

Settling In

On my first day in Diani, I ventured out in the heat on a mission to find a gym. And finally I found one, so that was settled. After that I went to a beach restaurant.

I clearly remember walking down to the ocean, and the moment I saw the turquoise water, my heart was just full. My eyes teared up and I was overwhelmed by so many beautiful feelings, the exact same feeling that I knew from Zanzibar. And suddenly I thought, maybe I could stay here for a while. I was reminded of the lifestyle of the Swahili Coast, which I fell in love with from the first moment, but which also challenged me like nothing else.

The next day I met another really cool female solo traveler in my accommodation and we immediately bonded. Unfortunately, she only had 7 days left in Kenya, but we made the best of it and spent every day together. I still couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. I kept checking air bnb, but all the places I could find to stay for a few weeks were overpriced or didn’t appeal to me. It is quite hard to find good accommodation on these platforms sometimes. So I decided to ask someone I met in a cool vegan restaurant in Diani if he knew anyone who rented places.

And the day my hotel reservation expired, he put me in touch with a friend of his who happened to rent out beautiful accommodations — and here I was agreeing to rent one of her cottages for a month. Without any planning, without any coercion. Just from one minute to the next, everything had fallen into place. And I was still thinking: do I really want to stay in Diani for a month? But I knew I wouldn’t be able to find such a good deal anywhere else in such a short time, and I knew I needed some time to figure things out. So I decided to stay.

From Running Away to Taking Time

And I think that’s the thing I’m most thankful for during my whole stay here in Kenya: that I took TIME. When I got back to East Africa, I felt like I wanted to crash and burn. I felt that way for a long time. But Kenya, and especially Diani, somehow made me stay. As I explained above — it was all completely unplanned, but if I have learned anything in the last 2 years, it is that it is important to listen to signs: and Diani was signaling me to stay. Not to run away and to deal with things. To just be.

And the moment I surrendered to it, magic happened. I suddenly felt at peace, things suddenly started to make sense, and I started to feel like myself again. Blocking out the noise in my head, focusing on what was important, not being afraid to jump anymore.

There were still moments of doubt and decision making, and it was only when my mom asked me to visit that I really actively decided to stay in Kenya until my visa expired in mid-December. I made the difficult decision not to go to Zanzibar and see my friends because deep down it didn’t feel right in that moment. As much as I was still unsure about Diani, my intuition told me to stay. And I also know that feeling at peace in a place is not something to be taken for granted. And I was so grateful for that. So I let go of some expectations and surrendered even more.

The Best is Saved For Last

Towards the end of my stay in Diani, I had some difficulties with my accommodation (power cuts, construction work,…) — so I had to move for the last two weeks. My land-lady told me that I would be sharing the house with another girl, and at first I was hesitant. I was used to being alone. But I decided to give it a try.

It was also around this time that I made some major career decisions, and I slowly started to come back to myself. In a way I hadn’t felt for a long time. I knew great things were in store for me.

And then I met Olivia, and the time I spent with her was probably one of the highlights of my whole stay. Diani was suddenly no longer the place where I happened to be, it started to feel like home. I started to build my own little family there, and I felt more at peace and comfortable than I’d felt in a long time.

Because of the way I live, I don’t have a stable group of friends. But I have family (and I count friends as family, too) all over the world. And I think that is incredibly beautiful. It’s not important for me to meet hundreds of people — in fact, I usually avoid gatherings or parties. I have become very protective of my energy. And that is why I appreciate the people I connect with even more. And Diani brought me some of those deep connections, and for that alone I couldn’t be more grateful for my time there, and that to me is the sign that I was meant to be there.

But as we all know, sadly, even the best times are fleeting, and my time in Diani was coming to an end.

Diani <> Watamu

My mom’s visit was on the horizon, and I still had my eye on Watamu, so I booked an accommodation for us there. Leaving Diani felt like leaving home, the home I had just made. But I also found beauty in that sadness, and comfort in knowing that I could always return to visit.

On my last day in Diani, my energy stone, which I wear every day as a necklace, broke and the start of a new beginning became even clearer to me. So I left for Watamu with mixed feelings, and most of all I found myself again between excitement and resistance.

I took the car from Diani to Watamu, and the trip took about 5 hours, which was much longer than I was told — but I know that Swahili time is never accurate. A private transport costs about 12,000KES ($70). You can also take the matatu to Mombasa and then take another matatu from there. Another option is to take a bus like Tahmeed (https://www.tahmeedexpress.com/#/) — a ticket will cost you between 3,000–4,000 KES ($20–25).

Navigating all the Emotions

Of course, my time in Watamu was very different: it was much shorter, and I spent one out of every two weeks with my mom. But it was incredibly beautiful. I spent the first few days indoors a lot, reflecting and navigating all these emotions about where I’m going and where I am. There was sadness, insane fear, excitement, peace, and ups and downs. And I’m grateful for all of it.

No place is perfect, and when people ask me which is my favorite place, I can’t give a concrete answer. But one thing I can say for sure, the Swahili Coast is truly special to me. There is something about this place that makes me feel so much like myself. It’s not always easy, and there have been many times when I wanted to leave or wondered if I could really accept certain things. But I also thought that this is part of it: traveling means getting to know different places, and these places are just that: DIFFERENT. And places don’t live up to your expectations. Places are just the way they are, and it’s your choice where you feel like your best self or what you need at that moment.

I think before I came to Kenya, I really needed to be reminded of what matters. That I mattered, that my dreams mattered. That I could love a place and not have to agree with everything. To feel a deep connection with nature and my heart. To slow down, to take time, to share laughter, to do things that lighten my soul, to spend time with people who make me feel good. To do nothing while doing something. To really feel the beauty of life, but also the pain it sometimes has to offer.

Kenya: asante sana. I’m beyond grateful to have found a home here, and I know that the sadness of leaving is because I truly love you.

Ending The Trip Where It Started

So, after returning from Watamu to Diani and back to Mombasa to catch the train to Nairobi (not the best travel route, by the way), I am grateful to have a (short) time here in the big city before resuming on my path. Nairobi is where it all started and I am reminded of how amazing the last 2.5 months have been and how much I have grown.

I’m leaving Kenya richer than before: rich in experiences, rich in memories, rich in new friendships, and rich in connection and trust in myself.

To Kenya, and all the amazing humans I met here: I shall see you soon!