Exceptional Private Safari and Travel Experience by Bush Geek Safaris

Organising travel insurance is vital for any trip to Africa. We’re often asked why, as travel insurance can be viewed as an avoidable extra cost. Please read on to find out why we consider it essential.
On this page we aim to help you identify what to look out for and what to avoid with potential policies. However, please research your options thoroughly for yourself, as only you know your personal circumstances and what policy will suit you best.
This information is given in good faith, but without liability. Every traveller is different, and your needs may vary – again, please make sure you research the options thoroughly and purchase the policy that’s right for you.

When to take out travel insurance?

It’s best to take out a policy as soon as you have booked your trip. This means that you’re immediately covered for cancellation, although we only insist on the policy being in place before you travel. Please be aware that some policies state you must purchase insurance within a certain period of booking, so it’s always worth checking your specific policy to avoid invalidating your cover.
Medical cover and repatriation: without doubt, the most important element of travel insurance is medical cover and repatriation. Of course, most of our clients have a trouble-free trip, but it is far better to be safe than sorry. Our trips take you to remote parts of Africa and it’s vital that, if there is an accident, you have adequate cover to evacuate you to the nearest major hospital for your care, and for medical repatriation to your home country too.
We advise a per person minimum of $125,000 to cover medical treatment and a minimum of $300,000 to cover repatriation due to accident or illness. Though in reality, almost all policies offer cover far in excess of these figures. We strongly recommend that you ask your insurer to ensure that you are covered sufficiently for both. Of course, full coverage for medical treatment once you have returned to your home country is absolutely essential too, but it won’t usually be covered privately by travel insurance. Your policy should include cover for loss of any valuable items, as well as personal liability, legal expenses, and cancellations abroad, and any delays at your point of departure, whether you are outward or homeward bound.

What to think about when taking out insurance:

Pre-existing illnesses
Please seek advice from an insurance broker if necessary to ensure that your policy covers any pre-existing illnesses.
Cancellation
Most travel insurance will cover this thoroughly, but we advise you to check and most importantly to look out for the value of the trip covered as standard. Many policies will cover a trip costing up to $6000 to $8000 per person. If your safari and international flights cost more than that, you might need to purchase additional cover to insure the full value of your safari.

How much does travel insurance cost, and where can I compare policies?

The cost of travel insurance varies, based on your personal circumstances and if you have any pre-existing health conditions. It used to be the case that all travellers had to be insured by a company based in their home country. But today there’s a handful of insurance companies that cover travellers no matter where in the world they live. For some clients, these companies offer much better value policies than those available in their home country. Insurers we have come across include:

• Journeyman Services, a long-standing travel insurance company offering policies underwritten by AXA, to travellers of any nationality and any home country.
• Worldwide Global Travel Insurance, which also offers a policy to people based anywhere in the world, travelling to anywhere in the world.