Nairobi & Kenya

Safaris & wildlife, adventure travel & bustling energy

Meet your travel co-pilot, Maria

Book a 1:1 personal travel consultation with travel advisor Maria to download everything you need to know.

Jambo! I’m Maria, a lifelong adventurer born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, with the world as my playground. After 20+ years in the non-profit sector across Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan (while feeding my wanderlust!) I turned my passion into a career—running a successful travel agency before embracing my true calling as a Travel Coach. Now, I empower women to experience the freedom of solo or self-managed travel, while continuing my mission to explore every country I haven’t been to—yet.

✔️ Nairobi born & raised

✔️ Traveled to 47/47 Kenyan counties

✔️ Traveled to 90+ countries—mostly for adventure.

✔️ Specialises in seeking out the best spots for adventure lovers, nature enthusiasts, and culture seekers.

📍 Nairobi, Kenya and can advise on East Africa generally, including Tanzania, Somalia & South Sudan

Book with Maria

Get to know Maria

  • I love outdoor-based, activity-packed, high-adrenaline, type of adventures planned on-the-go. I usually target the most popular iconic sites to tick them off in places I’ve never been before, while striving to include day trips outside the cities to see a bit of the countryside as well. When deciding on activities, a new experience will win me over every time. I’m a country-counter, preferring the buffet-style taste-a-little of each within reach, rather than do a slow meander over a long period of time, across just one. There just isn’t enough time to go deep in each one, and cover them all, in one lifetime!

  • Travelled to Europe to meet up with friends who were heading to Spain (where I’d never been). None of my travel buddies were available. Armed with my Schengen Visa, I bought a one-way ticket, scheduled an itinerary for the first 2 days and 1 night in Barcelona, and set off on my first milestone solo adventure of a lifetime! I ended up travelling to 19 countries (15 new) over the course of 3 weeks, including 5 on the Eastern non-Schengen side of the continent. It was epic and endeared me to do this (solo-travel) more often as a lifestyle.

  • Travelling to down under (Australia) for the first time and exploring 4 other island countries of New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu within just 2 weeks! In that brief period of time, I was dazzled by bioluminescence in Auckland and Waitomo Caves, indulged in river-tubing in Fiji, spontaneously joined a hike in Samoa, completed a circuit by road all around Vanuatu and met up with 2 school friends to tour the Blue Mountains, as we caught up on what-happened-next in life since high school over 30 years ago! The best trip ever!

  • Because no guidebook or travel blog can match real, honest, and up-to-date advice from someone who knows the destination intimately and puts your interests first. Just one consultation will save you hours of pre-trip angst and research time and give you all the confidence you need to hit the ground running.

  • Our Advisors are savvy, knowledgeable women with unique perspectives on their destinations. From sommeliers and pastry chefs to art insiders and modern historians to sun-seekers and nature lovers, they bring deep local expertise to every trip. And, as women, they inherently understand the importance of safety, authenticity, and connection while traveling

  • Every Advisor in our network is carefully vetted through a multi-step verification process to ensure she’s knowledgeable, trustworthy, reliable, and uniquely equipped to help independent travelers plan their dream trip.

    Want to become one? Book a 15-minute 1:1 call with our Community Manager to get started.

  • Advisor consultations happen in a private 1:1 WhatsApp chat, facilitated by SoloTrvlr. You’ll be added to a chat by our SoloTrvlr number (+44 7457 411378) up to five days before your scheduled consultation. Your Local Advisor will join the chat at the scheduled time, ready to help.

    From there, it’s all about you—ask questions, get advice, and discuss whatever you need for your trip. There’s no set structure; the session is completely collaborative and tailored to your travel plans and interests.

    Once your hour is up, the chat will close. Within 48 hours, you’ll receive a personalized Field Guide + Map featuring all the intel and recommendations from your session, plus a few extra tips from your Local Advisor.

    Have more questions afterward? Just DM us on WhatsApp and we’ll help you book additional time.

    If your privacy settings block group chat invites from unknown numbers, you'll need to save our number (+44 7457 411378) to your contacts or receive our invite via WhatsApp DM.

  • You can ask anything travel-related, from whether (and where) it’s safe to walk alone at night to practicalities like where to buy tampons (and how to ask for them!) Need dining advice? Your Local Advisor will share her go-to neighborhood spots and steer you to a hyper-local Italian cooking class taught by a beloved nonna. She’ll also be quick to jump in and let you know if something you’re considering doing is overrated—and tell you what to do instead.

  • No problem! If you need more time with your Local Advisor, just contact us via WhatsApp or by email and we’ll help you book a follow-up session. 

  • Our Advisors do their best to keep their calendars up to date, however, if you would like to book further in advance (i.e. upcoming months where an Advisor hasn't added her availability yet) or none of the listed times work for you, please email us at support@solotrvlr.com and we’ll work with you to find an alternate time.

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