In a short answer – yes, Kenting is very safe for female travelers, being a solo or group.
Kenting and surrounding areas are very safe from crimes, the only warning is – to be aware of stray dogs, they sometimes walk around in more remote villages or mountainous areas, and this might be an issue. If accidents ever happen, they are in a type and scale as this incident that happened in Kenting Night market during the Dragon Boat festival holidays in 2022.
However, there are other issues you must be at least aware of, which we will discuss below.
Be informed and aware of natural disasters in Taiwan
Unfortunately Taiwan gets hit by frequent natural disasters, such as earthquakes, typhoons, heavy rains and landslides, which usually happens same time with typhoons.
Typhoon Season in Taiwan (and so in Kenting) usually starts at July and ends at September, therefore – prepare for at least 1 or 2 typhoons in summer in Kenting. Not all typhoons are devastating, but if they are – it is better to be safe, and not in mountainous areas, where you can easily get under the landslide. You can read here, what Typhoon Morakot did to Pingtung county, where Kenting is located in 2009.
Where do I get information about Typhoon coming while in Kenting?
Bookmark this site for your trip. It will show information about possible typhoon formations long before they reach Kenting. Moreover, it will also show possible route of typhoon with a time when and where it will be strongest. You will see real time updated picture similar to this:
It is very safe, for both men or woman, even considering that amount of bars and drunk people concentration here is really high. However, as any crowded areas – nightmarkets are prone to pickpocketing, so watch out.
I once took a camera and walked through Kenting Nightmarket until my battery ended – you can have some feel how is it in below video:
This video below gives you a feel how a Typhoon in Kenting looked like back in 2016. Video Courtesy of Youtube Channel: Orebound Images:
I am sensitive to air quality - is there a polution in Kenting?
Polution can be a problem in Taiwan – especially in cities, recently Taichung city is plagued by this issue, as well as Kaohsiung. Kenting – less, but still there are times when it is affected. Use this website for up to date pollution statistics in Kenting.
Is Kenting safe for LGBT travelers?
The answer is yes, and note that Taiwan became first country in Asia to legalize same sex marriage in 2019, when lawmakers passed a bill that would allow LGBT couples to apply for marriage registration.
It is almost certain that you will see such couples in Kenting beaches or walking in Kenting Nightmarket. However, most vibrant city for a gay and lesbian visitors is Taipei, which has also gained the reputation as the place for gay nightlife in Asia. More information can be found on this website.
Is there any terrorism risks in Kenting?
In Taiwans recent history there is no any record of any terrorist attacks and there is no reason to expect any in future.
Is there a places in Kenting to stay away from?
Besides the common sense – that tells you that if place looks shady, then it probably is – so do not go there, one thing to know about Taiwan is that – all darker and criminal side usually happens around barbershops and some KTV’s and nightclubs.
Learn to differentiate real barbershop from a criminal one – in a real barbershop you will see it through the window, it will be all bright and well lit, while bad ones – dark and not transparent.
Conclusion
Kenting is very safe for everyone, including solo female travelers, however be sensible and take precautions while walking alone in dark areas at night. Taiwan is also pretty progressive when it comes to gender issues, however, society still borders on somewhat conservative approach – you COULD get a stare, if you dress particularly revealing, however, in most recent years a bikini in Kenting beaches are seen more frequent than not, and it does not get that much looks as it was before 2005, when the only ones who really wore bikini were foreign tourists.