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Tanzania · Summit
Summiting Kilimanjaro
The climb where my courage felt quiet and steady: one slow breath, one careful step, and a summit I still carry in my bones.
Africa's most trusted travel coach
Who is Maria “Mkay” Kamau?
Travel is a desire for many. It was mine too. I was born and raised in Kenya, a place the world dreams about, and travel found me early: coastal buses, overnight trains, and road trips that turned horizons into classrooms.
My first time abroad was a high-school exchange to Germany in 1989. I loved it, and that one trip widened the map for the rest of my life. Some journeys since have been solo, many were shared, and each one taught me something about courage, curiosity, and the quiet joy of being on my own timeline.
- 100 countries
- 39 in Africa
- 5 continents
- All 47 Kenyan counties
- ICF-certified coach
Certified
Well traveled, and trained to coach
Thirty-seven years on the road taught me what works. Coaching training taught me how to help you find what works for you. I completed The Travel Coach Network's certification program and I'm a Certified Travel Coach. My words on why travel coaching fills a real gap sit on their program page.
See the certification programMoments I Still Carry
A path of scenes that shaped how I travel
Zambia · Victoria Falls
Leaping at Victoria Falls
For a few seconds, I was just a body in the air, heart racing louder than the roar of the falls, landing with a new kind of bravery.
Egypt · Pyramids & Temples
Wandering through Egypt
Golden light, ancient stone, and the strange feeling that my little story was walking beside thousands of years of history.
France · Paris
Exploring Paris
From the Eiffel Tower to one world-famous sight after another, all on foot and none of it slow: a reminder that I'm allowed to take up space, fully.
USA · Grand Canyon
Breathing at the Grand Canyon
Standing on the rim, feeling tiny in the best way, and realizing just how much life is still left to explore.
São Tomé and Príncipe · 2026
Country 100
Thirty-seven years after my first trip abroad, the hundredth stamp. No lottery win, no sponsor. Just planning, done over and over.
100 countries in four lines
What travel taught me
These are the lessons I wish someone had handed me before my first trip. They shape every plan I make with my clients.
Your why is the most important item on the itinerary.
Not a place, not a plan: the reason you're going. Get that clear and the destination, the pace and the budget start choosing themselves.
Preparation is where the magic begins.
The calm, unhurried moments on a trip are usually paid for in planning. Good preparation creates the space for real magic to unfold.
Safety isn't who you are. It's a skill.
Nobody is born a confident traveler. Safety is something you build through awareness and practice, and it can be learned at any age.
Smart trade-offs stretch a budget further than you think.
The right route, the right season, and knowing where to save and where to spend take you further than a bigger budget ever will.
Your trips don't have to look like anyone else's
I've leapt from the bridge at Victoria Falls, and I've spent slow afternoons exploring the rich history of Rome, one iconic site at a time. Both were the right trip at the time. From full-adrenaline leaps to slower exploring, I help you design trips that match your courage, your comfort level and your season of life.
Full adrenalineSummits, bungee jumps, early starts and big days.
Slow exploringUnhurried days with history and iconic sites, rest days built in.
Why I write
My blog is my scrapbook and my study notes: stories, tips and the tiny details I wish someone had handed me before each trip. The posts are here to entertain you, to teach you, and to nudge you into action, so your “maybe one day” becomes dates on a calendar.
Read the blogAll 100 countries, on one map
Numbered in the order I reached them. Hover over any number for a sneak peek of where and when I went. On your phone, tap the dot.
Swipe the map sideways
Kenya, home
Countries visited
São Tomé and Príncipe, country 100
Still on the list
See all 100 countries in the order I reached them
- 001KenyahomeHome. All 47 counties, the summit of Mount Kenya and a balloon safari over the Maasai Mara · story
- 002Germany1989A school trip in 1989, my first time abroad
- 003Uganda1995White-water rafting on the Nile at Jinja
- 004Tanzania1996Summited Kilimanjaro, 5,895 m (2012)
- 005Ethiopia2000Addis Ababa, more than a stopover · story
- 006South Africa2000Cape Town, Robben Island and a hike up Table Mountain · story
- 007Mozambique2003
- 008Namibia2004A hot-air balloon for my 50th birthday and a skydive over the Namib Desert
- 009United Arab Emirates2004
- 010Syria2004Damascus, by shared taxi from Amman for a conference
- 011Jordan2004Amman
- 012India2005
- 013Egypt2006Cairo, the pyramids of Giza and the temples
- 014Rwanda2007
- 015United States2007A road trip from Boston to Los Angeles, Washington DC, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon · story
- 016Somalia2008
- 017Comoros2009
- 018Djibouti2009
- 019Canada2011
- 020United Kingdom2013Stonehenge · story
- 021France2013Paris and the Arc de Triomphe · story
- 022Slovakia2013Bratislava, a random pick that won me over · story
- 023Austria2013
- 024Hungary2013
- 025Czechia2013
- 026Belgium2013
- 027Luxembourg2013
- 028Italy2013
- 029Holy See (Vatican City)2013
- 030Cambodia2013Angkor Wat, Siem Reap · story
- 031Malaysia2013Tagged along on my sister's conference trip · story
- 032Singapore2013
- 033Netherlands2014
- 034Greece2014
- 035Turkey2014Istanbul · story
- 036Denmark2015
- 037Norway2015
- 038Sweden2015
- 039Russia2015St Petersburg, on a seven-country Baltic Sea trip with my sister · story
- 040Estonia2015Tallinn, by overnight bus from St Petersburg
- 041Finland2015
- 042Latvia2015
- 043Madagascar2016
- 044Malawi2016
- 045Zambia2016Bungee jump at Victoria Falls and rafting on the Zambezi
- 046Zimbabwe2016
- 047Lesotho2017Snow in Africa's coldest country · story
- 048Eswatini2017Africa's last absolute monarchy · story
- 049Thailand2017Bangkok and the Damnoen Saduak floating market · story
- 050Laos2017Vientiane and the COPE centre · story
- 051Oman2017
- 052South Sudan2018
- 053Ghana2018
- 054Morocco2019Marrakesh and the Ourika Valley · story
- 055Mauritius2019Trois Mamelles · story
- 056Senegal2019
- 057Gambia2019
- 058Seychelles2020
- 059Nigeria2022
- 060Burundi2022The southernmost source of the Nile · story
- 061Democratic Republic of the Congo2023
- 062Cameroon2023Invited by a Cameroonian friend, after a visa process worth a story of its own
- 063Botswana2023Gaborone
- 064Qatar2023One day in Doha · story
- 065Japan2023
- 066Vietnam2023
- 067Indonesia2023Bali
- 068Philippines2023
- 069Sri Lanka2023
- 070Saudi Arabia2024Newly open to tourism · story
- 071Pakistan2024Islamabad and the northern mountains · story
- 072Spain2024
- 073Andorra2024
- 074Portugal2024
- 075Croatia2024
- 076Liechtenstein2024
- 077Switzerland2024
- 078Slovenia2024
- 079Bosnia and Herzegovina2024Not the war-torn place I expected · story
- 080Serbia2024
- 081North Macedonia2024Skopje, lost after 8 pm · story
- 082Bulgaria2024
- 083Romania2024
- 084Togo2024
- 085Benin2024Cotonou
- 086Côte d’Ivoire2024
- 087Australia2024Sydney
- 088New Zealand2024A 28-page visa application, and worth every page
- 089Samoa2024
- 090Fiji2024
- 091Vanuatu2024My passport was stamped in seconds
- 092China2025Beijing
- 093South Korea2025
- 094Mongolia2025Near Ulaanbaatar
- 095Sierra Leone2025
- 096Guinea2025
- 097Congo2026Brazzaville, country 97 · story
- 098Equatorial Guinea2026
- 099Gabon2026Country 99 · story
- 100São Tomé and Príncipe2026Country 100, under Pico Cão Grande · story
A note from where I am now
Why I created Travel with Mkay
I'm 50-plus today, a woman who has wandered across 100-plus countries. If I knew years ago what I know now, I would have saved hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars, traveled more days for the same money, and done it all with far less stress. That hindsight is why I document what I've learned, and why I created Travel with Mkay.
Friends still ask, “Mkay, where are you going next?” My answer is almost always different, and it almost always starts with, “I'm going to…”
Now it's your turn. Where are you going next?
If you'd like company while you figure it out, tell me. We can plan it over a short call and get you from “someday” to “I'm going.”
Plan it with me over a short call
37Years of travel
300+People helped plan trips
ICFCertified coach
As featured in
From dreaming to doing, ready to say “I'm going to …”?
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