Travel Insurance for a Safari

Last checked 15 October 2026.

Many of the places we take you are hours by road from a major hospital, and a journey is often paid for months in advance. A good travel insurance policy protects both your health and your investment. This guide explains what your policy should cover for a safari or a journey through the Americas, where insurance is now compulsory on entry, and how it works alongside our booking terms.

We do not sell or recommend specific insurance policies. The choice of insurer is yours; this page is here to help you choose well.

What your policy should cover

Emergency medical treatment abroad, with a high limit. Private hospitals in safari countries can be costly for visitors.
Medical evacuation and repatriation by air from a remote camp to a major hospital, and home if needed. This is the cover that standard policies most often limit, and the one that matters most on safari.
Cancellation and curtailment high enough to cover the full cost of your journey, including deposits paid months ahead.
The activities on your itinerary: hot-air ballooning, walking safaris, gorilla and chimpanzee trekking, light aircraft transfers, snorkelling and diving, and high-altitude trekking in the Andes.
Pre-existing medical conditions, declared and accepted by your insurer.
Baggage and personal effects, including cameras and binoculars. Check the limit for any single item.
Travel delay and missed connections, particularly on journeys connecting through Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg or Panama City.
Everyone in your party, named on the policy, and any age limits that apply.
The full dates of your journey, including any stopovers before or after.

Where insurance is compulsory on entry

A small but growing number of destinations now require visitors to buy a local insurance policy on arrival or before travel.

Kenya: since 6 October 2026, non-African visitors applying for the eTA must also buy Kenya’s mandatory inbound travel health insurance, at US$44 per person plus small fees. See our Kenya visa page.
Zanzibar: foreign visitors have been required to buy a US$44 policy from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation since October 2024.
Mainland Tanzania: regulations for a similar US$44 policy were published in September 2026, with no enforcement date yet announced. See our Tanzania visa page.

These compulsory policies provide a basic minimum. They are not a substitute for a full travel insurance policy with evacuation and cancellation cover, and we recommend both.

Medical evacuation on safari

In remote areas, evacuation usually means a light aircraft or air ambulance from the nearest airstrip to Nairobi, Johannesburg or another regional hub, and onward if needed. Regional air ambulance memberships can sit alongside a travel policy; ask us about the options for your route.

Keep your insurer’s 24-hour assistance number and your policy number on paper as well as on your phone, as signal is limited in many reserves.

Insurance and our booking terms

Our bookings carry a non-refundable service charge from confirmation, and cancellation charges rise as departure approaches. A policy with cancellation cover, bought on the day you pay your deposit, protects you against those charges if illness or an emergency stops you travelling. We therefore recommend arranging insurance as soon as your journey is confirmed, not in the week before you leave.

Questions to ask your insurer

Does the policy cover every activity on my itinerary?
What is the limit for medical evacuation, and does it cover an air ambulance from a remote airstrip?
How do I make a claim from a remote area, and is there a 24-hour assistance line?
Are my pre-existing conditions covered?
Does cancellation cover start from the day I buy the policy?

For visas, yellow fever and everything else to arrange before you travel, see Before You Travel. If you are planning a journey, we would be pleased to begin with a conversation.

Sources

This page is general information, not insurance or financial advice. Please read your policy wording carefully and speak to your insurer about your own circumstances.