Field notes
Resource center
Everything we know about insuring a safari, written by the team that scores every policy for you.
Latest guide
August 29, 2026
Does travel insurance cover expensive cameras on safari?
A smash-and-grab at camp takes your primary body and a 500mm prime — $13,500 in gear. The insurer pays $500, the standard per-item cap buried in the baggage section. Here's how that gap opens, and what actually closes it before you fly.

August 29, 2026
Botswana remote camp insurance: what your policy must cover
Your camp sits on a private island, reachable only by boat or bush plane. If something goes wrong at 6 AM, the first question your camp manager asks is whether your policy actually covers evacuation from a remote location. Here's what "remote camp insurance" needs to include before you find out the hard way.

August 28, 2026
Best Travel Insurance for Africa: The Safari-First Guide
You bought a comprehensive travel policy from a name you trust. In the Okavango Delta, that often isn't enough. Here's why light-aircraft exclusions, low evacuation caps, and thin per-item gear limits catch even seasoned safari travelers off guard — and what to check before you fly.

August 28, 2026
Does Travel Insurance Cover Botswana Bush Flights?
Standing on the apron at Maun Airport, most travelers assume their travel insurance already covers the Cessna. It usually doesn't. Here's exactly which policy clauses to check, which evacuation limits matter, and what to confirm before boarding.

August 21, 2026
What a medical evacuation from Africa actually costs
Medical evacuation from Africa costs $35,000–$60,000 for a regional air ambulance and up to $300,000 for a long-haul ICU repatriation, with the continental average around $133,000. Most travel insurance caps evacuation at $100,000–$250,000. Here are the real numbers and what to check before you travel.
August 19, 2026
Africa Travel Insurance: What Standard Policies Miss Beyond the Safari
"Africa travel insurance" covers more ground than "safari insurance" — city stays, beach extensions, and multi-country routings all need their own checks.
August 19, 2026
South Africa Travel Insurance: Safari, Self-Drive, and Cape Town Coverage
A South Africa trip is usually two trips insured as one: a standard city-and-coast leg, and a safari leg with its own self-drive and reserve-access checks.
August 17, 2026
Safari Packing and Insurance Checklist: What to Confirm Before You Fly
The gear list is the easy part. The five-minute policy check before you fly is the part people skip.
August 15, 2026
Family Safari Insurance: Coverage for Kids, Seniors, and Multi-Generation Trips
A multi-generation safari has to satisfy the most restrictive traveler on the booking, not the average one.
August 13, 2026
How to Compare Safari Travel Insurance Policies: A 7-Point Checklist
Most comparison sites sort by price. This is the checklist for sorting by what a safari actually needs.
August 11, 2026
Malaria, Vaccinations, and Pre-Existing Conditions: What Safari Insurance Actually Covers
A malaria diagnosis on trip is usually covered as an acute illness. What happened before you left the country is a different, more complicated question.
August 9, 2026
How to File a Safari Insurance Claim: Missed Bush Flights, Lost Gear, and Medical Evacuation
The claim itself usually isn't the hard part — having the right documentation from the moment something goes wrong is.
August 7, 2026
Self-Drive Safari Insurance: Rental Excess Cover for Namibia and South Africa
Self-drive safaris trade guided-vehicle risk for rental-car risk — and that's the one most travel policies handle worst.
August 5, 2026
Kilimanjaro Trek Insurance: Why Most Policies Don't Actually Cover 5,895m
A 'hiking cover included' policy usually means hiking up to 3,000–4,000m. Kilimanjaro's summit is nearly 6,000m — and that gap is where claims get denied.
August 3, 2026
Safari Travel Insurance Requirements by Country: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa
None of these five countries legally requires travel insurance for tourists — but each has its own practical reason to carry it anyway.
August 1, 2026
How Much Does Safari Travel Insurance Cost in 2026?
Safari-specific cover typically runs 4–8% of total trip cost — more than a beach-holiday policy, because of what it actually has to protect.
July 30, 2026
Is Travel Insurance Required for Gorilla Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda?
Permits don't legally require it — but the non-refundable cost, the altitude, and the evacuation distance make it the closest thing to mandatory a safari has.
July 5, 2026
Camera Gear Insurance for Safari Photographers
Generic baggage cover tops out around $500–$2,500. Here's how to actually protect a $15,000 lens kit.
July 2, 2026
Gorilla Trekking Permits: Insuring the $1,500 Risk
A gorilla permit is non-refundable. If illness or injury stops you from trekking, insurance is the only way to recover that cost.
June 28, 2026
Does Travel Insurance Cover Bush Flights?
Most mainstream policies exclude unscheduled charter aircraft entirely. Here's how to tell, and which insurers actually cover it.
June 23, 2026
The Complete Guide to Safari Travel Insurance
Why generic travel insurance fails on safari, and exactly what to check before you buy — bush flights, evacuation, gear, and more.