Why do I need travel insurance for my safari?

Booking a safari is a significant investment — in time, money, and experience. That's why Wild Wings Safaris requires all guests to purchase comprehensive travel insurance with sufficient cancellation, curtailment, and emergency cover. This protects not just you, but also your fellow travellers and our ability to assist you if something unexpected happens.

Even though COVID-19 is no longer a major travel disruption, its aftermath has shown how essential travel insurance is. Most quality policies now include pandemic-related cover, but there are several other reasons to ensure you're fully protected.

Please make sure your policy includes, at a minimum:

• Trip cancellation and curtailment cover. This protects you if you need to cancel or cut your trip short due to illness, injury, family emergencies, or other unexpected events.
• Emergency medical expenses. Covers hospitalisation, doctor visits, and emergency treatment while abroad.
• Medical evacuation and repatriation. If you need to be airlifted from a remote location or returned home for treatment, this cover is essential.
• Delay, missed connection, or itinerary change coverage. Includes protection for costs incurred from flight delays, missed tours, or rescheduled itineraries.
• Cover for COVID-19-related disruptions. Many insurers now include this as standard, but always check the fine print.
• Baggage and personal item loss or delay.
• Personal liability cover. In case of accidental damage or injury to others.

We strongly recommend that you add Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) cover to your policy. This allows you to recover up to 75% of your trip costs even if you cancel for reasons not covered by standard insurance — like a change of plans, personal concerns, or political unrest.

Note: CFAR policies must usually be purchased within 24 hours of your first trip deposit, so don't delay.

• Relying on credit card travel insurance. These policies often do not provide adequate cancellation, curtailment, or emergency cover, especially for international safaris. You'll likely need to top up or purchase a separate policy.
• Skipping the fine print. Always check:
  • What's excluded
  • Cover limits (especially for medical and cancellation)
  • Excess amounts (how much you must pay out-of-pocket)
  • Whether adventure activities (like walking safaris or hot air balloon rides) are covered

We've partnered with Safari and Tourism Insurance Brokers (SATIB) to offer our clients a reliable, Africa-specific travel insurance option. Their SATIBgo product is flexible, easy to purchase online, and tailored for travellers visiting Southern and East Africa. You can choose between different levels of cover, including options for cancellation protection, curtailment, emergency medical expenses, and evacuation — all essential for a safari in a remote location. SATIB has decades of experience in the African travel industry, and their policies are underwritten by international insurers with a strong reputation for service and claims handling.

View our SATIBgo travel insurance FAQ.

You're free to use any insurer you prefer. Other reputable travel insurance providers include:

• AXA Assistance USA
• HTH Worldwide
• Trawick International
• TravelSafe
• April International
• Hollard
• SafetyWing

For easy comparison of trusted providers, visit: InsureMyTrip Travel Insurance Comparison