Why insurance matters more on safari.
Three things make a Botswana safari different from a city break:
- Distance. Camps are deep in concessions without roads. Medical evacuation is by light aircraft or helicopter, and serious cases are usually transferred on to private hospitals in Johannesburg or Gaborone.
- Payment in advance. Peak-season camps take deposits a year or more ahead and full payment months before travel, and those payments are largely non-refundable close to departure. Without cancellation cover, a broken leg at home a week before you leave costs you the whole trip.
- Activities. Walking safaris, mokoro trips, light-aircraft transfers and helicopter flights are ordinary on safari but can be excluded by policies written for beach holidays.
What our emergency evacuation cover does, and does not, do.
Every journey we sell includes emergency medical evacuation cover arranged through the camps and their air-rescue providers. If you are injured or seriously ill in the bush, it pays to get you out by air to the nearest appropriate medical facility, usually in Maun.
It is not travel insurance. It does not pay for hospital treatment once you arrive, for onward transfer to Johannesburg, for flying you home, for a family member to join you, for cancellation, or for lost luggage. Think of it as the first link in a chain that your own policy has to complete.
What a good safari policy covers.
When you compare policies, check each of these in the wording, not just the summary:
- Emergency medical expenses with a high limit. We suggest no less than US$500,000, and many advisers recommend US$1 million or more, because private hospital care in southern Africa is expensive.
- Emergency evacuation and repatriation, including air ambulance from a remote area and repatriation to your home country.
- Cancellation and curtailment for the full non-refundable cost of your safari and flights, not a capped amount that covers a fraction of it.
- Safari activities named or not excluded: game drives, walking safaris, mokoro and boat trips, and scenic helicopter flights if you plan one.
- Light aircraft travel as a fare-paying passenger on scheduled and charter flights.
- Pre-existing medical conditions, declared honestly. An undeclared condition can void the whole policy, not just that claim.
- Baggage, cameras and personal money, with single-item limits high enough for your binoculars and camera lenses.
- A 24-hour emergency assistance line, because that is the number the camp will call with you.
Common gaps in standard policies.
- Age limits. Some policies cap age or raise premiums sharply above 70; specialist insurers cover older travellers well.
- Adventure add-ons. Bungee jumping, white-water rafting and microlight flights at the Victoria Falls are often excluded unless you buy an upgrade.
- Annual policies with short trip limits. Many annual policies only cover trips up to 31 days, or have low cancellation limits that do not match the value of a safari.
- Supplier failure. Check whether you are covered if an airline or supplier ceases trading.
- Government travel advice. Most policies do not cover travel against your government’s advice. For Botswana that is rarely an issue, but it is worth knowing.
When to buy safari insurance.
Buy it the day you pay your deposit. Cancellation cover protects you only from the date the policy starts, so a policy bought a month before travel does nothing for the eleven months before that, when most cancellations actually happen. Some insurers also offer extra benefits, such as cover for pre-existing conditions, only if you buy within a set number of days of booking.
We ask for your insurer’s name, policy number and emergency line before departure, so the duty desk and the camps can act quickly if they ever need to.
