Safari Travel Insurance

How do I buy safari travel insurance online?

Getting covered with Rise & Shield is easy. Follow these simple steps to secure your trip:

Safari travel insurance FAQs

Does travel insurance cover safari holidays?

Yes, provided the safari activity is included under your policy and meets its conditions. Rise & Shield lists eligible Safari Tours within its standard Adventure activity level, alongside the wider travel-insurance benefits in your selected plan.

Are safari tours included with Rise & Shield travel insurance?

Yes. The current activity table lists Safari Tours as included without an additional activity add-on.

The safari must be pre-booked through a professional tour operator and meet the applicable activity conditions.

Are safari game drives covered?

Professionally operated game-viewing trips can fall within the Safari Tours activity where the itinerary meets the applicable conditions, including the professional-operator requirement.

If your itinerary includes anything beyond an ordinary safari tour, such as a specialist wildlife encounter or aerial activity, check that activity separately.

Does my safari need to be booked through a professional tour operator?

Yes. The current Safari Tours entry specifically requires the safari to be pre-booked through a professional tour operator.

The applicable activity condition also requires a professional, qualified and licensed guide, instructor or operator.

Are walking safaris and bush walks covered?

Potentially, but I would not assume every independently arranged bush walk automatically falls within the Safari Tours activity.

The current policy expressly lists Safari Tours rather than a separate “walking safari” activity and requires a professional operator. If your itinerary includes walking in wildlife areas, check the exact arrangements before travelling.

Are aerial safaris covered?

Yes, with Adventure Plus. The current activity table lists Aerial Safari as an Adventure Plus activity.

You must be a passenger only in a light aircraft, helicopter or hot-air balloon, and the applicable professional-operator condition applies.

Is a hot-air balloon safari covered?

Passenger hot-air ballooning is separately listed under the standard Adventure activity level, while an activity specifically classified as an Aerial Safari requires Adventure Plus.

Because those are separate entries, check how your operator describes the activity on your itinerary.

Is gorilla trekking covered by safari travel insurance?

Yes, but Gorilla / Chimpanzee Treks require Adventure Plus.

You must follow the professional-guide and recognised-route conditions and remain at least seven metres from the animals. Solo or unsupervised walks, feeding and handling are excluded.

Is chimpanzee trekking covered?

Yes. Chimpanzee trekking is included in the same Adventure Plus activity as gorilla trekking.

The seven-metre wildlife-distance rule applies, together with the guide and recognised-route conditions. Solo or unsupervised walks, feeding and handling are excluded.

Are elephant encounters covered?

Walking with elephants is separately listed under the standard Adventure activity level, subject to its professional-guide condition.

That activity specifically excludes riding elephants, so do not assume one elephant experience automatically covers every other type of elephant encounter.

Are horse-riding safaris covered?

Eligible leisure, social and non-competitive horse riding is listed under the standard Adventure activity level, subject to its activity conditions.

Hunting, eventing, racing, polo and jumping are excluded from that leisure-riding classification.

Are canoe or kayak safari excursions covered?

Eligible canoeing and kayaking can be covered, but the activity level depends on the exact type, grade and location involved.

For example, the current table treats Grades 1–2 and Grades 3–5 differently, so a canoe excursion should be checked separately rather than assumed to be part of ordinary safari-tour cover.

Is a self-drive safari covered?

A self-drive safari does not meet the specific Safari Tours activity conditions, because that activity requires a pre-booked professional tour operator.

Other benefits of your travel insurance may still apply to the wider trip where their terms are met, but you should not assume that an independently operated self-drive safari is covered under the Safari Tours activity itself.

Does safari insurance cover hunting?

No. Firearms are specifically excluded from the Safari Tours activity, and ordinary safari cover should not be treated as hunting insurance.

Can I handle or work with wild animals while on safari?

Not under the standard Safari Tours activity. The current wording excludes handling or working with dangerous animals, including examples such as big cats, crocodiles, alligators, snakes and elephants.

Separately listed wildlife activities may have their own specific conditions, so always check the exact experience rather than relying on the general Safari Tours entry.

Does safari travel insurance cover emergency medical treatment?

Eligible emergency medical expenses for a sudden and unforeseen illness or injury may be covered, subject to your selected plan’s medical limits, terms, conditions, exclusions and excesses.

The safari or other activity you were participating in must also meet its relevant activity conditions.

Does safari insurance cover illnesses such as malaria?

Malaria is not presented as a separate standalone safari benefit. However, eligible treatment for a sudden and unforeseen illness acquired during the insured trip may fall within the emergency medical section, subject to the policy terms and medical exclusions.

Claims arising from conditions defined as pre-existing are excluded under the current wording.

Is medical evacuation covered from a remote safari camp?

Eligible medical evacuation may be covered when required under the policy and arranged through the 24/7 Emergency Assistance Centre.

The current wording requires the assistance centre to be contacted for medical evacuation and repatriation; if an emergency physically prevents immediate contact, the policy requires contact as soon as possible within its stated timeframe.

Is helicopter evacuation covered on safari?

An eligible helicopter evacuation may be covered when it is medically necessary and approved through the Emergency Assistance Centre.

A separate medical helicopter-rescue excess applies; under the current GBP policy this is £1,000.

Can I arrange my own helicopter evacuation and claim it back?

You should contact the 24/7 Emergency Assistance Centre before arranging a medical evacuation whenever circumstances allow.

The current wording requires contact for medical evacuation and repatriation rather than treating an independently arranged helicopter as automatically reimbursable.

Does safari travel insurance cover cancellation?

Your selected Rise & Shield plan may cover eligible, unrecoverable costs when a qualifying insured event forces you to cancel or curtail your trip.

Cancellation and curtailment benefits have their own insured-event requirements, exclusions and limits, so buying safari activity cover does not make every reason for cancelling the safari covered.

Are expensive multi-day safari bookings covered if I have to cancel?

They may be. The current cancellation and curtailment treatment specifically preserves consideration for multi-day tours or activities that form a material part of the trip and were booked before departure, with safaris given as an example.

Any claim still needs to result from a covered cancellation or curtailment event and remain within your selected benefit limit.

What about one-day safari excursions booked separately?

One-day tours and excursions booked separately from the main trip are treated differently under the current cancellation and curtailment wording.

The exception applying to qualifying multi-day safaris should therefore not be assumed to extend automatically to every separately booked day trip.

Are internal safari flights or bush flights covered if they are delayed?

Potentially. The current policy’s travel-disruption section includes internal flights that form part of the trip where they were pre-booked and paid for before departure, subject to the section’s causes, waiting periods, evidence requirements and benefit limits.

Does safari insurance cover missed connections?

Qualifying missed departures or connections may be covered under the travel-disruption section.

The current policy requires sufficient connection time, including a minimum of four hours plus any necessary airport-transfer time for missed-connection cover.

Are my camera, lenses and binoculars covered on safari?

Eligible baggage and personal effects may be covered, but overall limits, single-item limits, valuable-item requirements, security conditions and excesses apply.

If you are travelling with expensive photography equipment, check whether your selected plan’s normal limits are sufficient and whether the optional High-Value Items cover is appropriate.

Should I add High-Value Items cover for expensive safari camera equipment?

It may be worth considering if individual cameras, lenses or other eligible valuables are worth substantially more than the single-item limit under your base plan.

Rise & Shield currently offers an optional High-Value Items add-on for selected valuables, but eligibility and limits should be checked against your exact equipment and quote.

Is hired or rented camera equipment covered?

Not under the normal Personal Luggage benefit. The current policy excludes items loaned, hired or entrusted to you.

If you plan to rent a camera body, telephoto lens or other expensive equipment for your safari, consider separate protection from the hire company or another suitable provider.

Can one policy cover a safari in several African countries?

Potentially, yes. Your policy needs to cover all destinations on the insured journey, and every activity on the itinerary must meet the applicable activity conditions.

This is particularly relevant to itineraries that combine countries such as Kenya and Tanzania or South Africa and Botswana.

Does Rise & Shield cover safaris in Kenya?

Kenya is currently listed as a covered destination within Rise & Shield’s Worldwide Excluding North America geographical area.

Your actual eligibility also depends on your quote, policy dates, itinerary and safari activities.

Does Rise & Shield cover safaris in Tanzania?

Tanzania is currently listed as a covered destination within the Worldwide Excluding North America area.

Eligible safari tours must still meet the professional-operator and activity conditions.

Does Rise & Shield cover safaris in South Africa or Botswana?

Yes, both South Africa and Botswana are currently listed as covered destinations in Rise & Shield’s destination table.

The normal geographical, eligibility and activity conditions still apply to the completed policy.

Can one policy cover my safari and gorilla trekking?

Yes, provided both activities and all destinations are insured and you select any required additional cover.

Ordinary eligible Safari Tours sit within the standard Adventure activity level, while Gorilla / Chimpanzee Treks require Adventure Plus and carry additional wildlife, guide and route conditions.

Can one policy cover a safari and Kilimanjaro?

Potentially, yes. A single insured journey can include different eligible activities, but each must meet its own activity level and conditions.

The safari and the Kilimanjaro portion should therefore be checked independently so the required trekking add-on appears on the policy as well as the safari being eligible.

Is safari travel insurance mandatory?

There is no single answer for every safari operator or destination. Some operators may set their own insurance requirements as part of their booking terms.

From Rise & Shield’s perspective, the important point is that the safari must meet the policy’s activity conditions, including the professional-operator requirement, for Safari Tours cover to apply.

Can I use Annual Multi-Trip insurance for safari holidays?

Rise & Shield offers Annual Multi-Trip as well as Single Trip cover. Whether it suits a particular safari depends on the trip length, destinations, planned activities and benefit limits applying to your selected plan.

What should I look for in the best travel insurance for an African safari?

Check that your policy specifically accommodates safari activities rather than relying only on generic holiday cover.

For a safari, particularly important areas include emergency medical and evacuation benefits, the rules around professional operators and specialist wildlife activities, cancellation limits for expensive pre-paid trips, internal-flight disruption, baggage and camera limits, and 24/7 emergency assistance.

When should I buy safari travel insurance?

It is generally sensible to arrange cover once your safari trip is booked so that any eligible pre-departure cancellation protection can begin.

Before purchasing, check your complete itinerary — including the safari operator, wildlife encounters, internal flights and optional excursions — and make sure any activity requiring additional cover, such as an aerial safari or gorilla trek, is correctly included.

How do I check whether everything on my safari itinerary is covered?

Search each activity individually rather than treating the word “safari” as covering every excursion.

Rise & Shield’s activity checker is designed to show the likely activity level, add-ons, conditions and exclusions. Your completed quote and policy wording remain the final basis of cover.

Other useful safari travel resources

Safari packing & conservation tips

Serengeti National Park

Kenya Wildlife Service