Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Perhaps a strange destination for the solo female traveler, but an intriguing one, certainly. A big, sprawling city, surprisingly walkable and quite safe, friendlier and with a lot less hassle than one would expect. Addis doesn't have a great deal in the way of traditional tourist attractions, though it does have a couple of interesting museums, including one with the skeleton of Lucy, thought until recently to be the world's earliest human skeleton.